<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"If you\u2019re on LinkedIn, you want to grow your network. You want to connect with as many people as you can, because there\u2019s some serious career-boosting power in those connections. \nBut there\u2019s something you\u2019re probably not doing, at least not on a regular basis \u2014 and it\u2019s a move that will give you a far better bang for your networking buck. \nWrite a Personal Message\nMost people don\u2019t do this. Think about how many requests land in your inbox without a note \u2014 the majority of them, right?\nAnd what about you? Do you add a personal note every single time you request to connect with someone on the network? Or do you hope that potential connection will recognize your name or connect on faith alone?\nSince so few people write a personal note, that means opportunity for you. Because when you do something differently, it helps you stand out.\nBut this tip is about more than being unique. It\u2019s about making it as easy as possible for the person you\u2019d like to connect with to say yes. \nMake Yourself Memorable\nA lot of the people you want to connect with have huge networks. That means they often meet new people, either online or in person, and they get a lot of LinkedIn requests. And inevitably, they won\u2019t recognize many of the names of the people who want to connect.\nYes, even if you had what felt like a life-changing conversation with that person a week ago, she might not remember your name.\nOr perhaps you never met the person at all, and simply read his blog, follow him on Twitter or are a big fan of his work. If that person has never heard of you, what\u2019s the incentive to press \u201Caccept?\u201D\nWhile some LinkedIn users do accept any requests that come their way, most people prefer to establish quality connections. They want to know who they're saying yes to.\nThat's where the personalized note comes in. No matter how sure you are that the people you\u2019re hoping to connect with should remember you, write a brief message reminding them how you know each other \u2014 or why you\u2019d like to know them \u2014 and they'll be far more likely to accept.\nAnd yes, this works even if you\u2019ve never met or interacted with that person. If you go the extra mile to let him know how you found him, why you love his work or simply make yourself look interesting, the person on the other end of that request will want to say yes.\nBe Succinct, but Personal\nSo what should you write in your invite?\nIt doesn\u2019t have to be anything fancy. In fact, it can\u2019t be fancy because LinkedIn only gives you a few characters to get your point across. It just has to be more appealing than LinkedIn\u2019s default \u201CI\u2019d like to add you to my professional network.\u201D\nHere are a few examples that could work.\n\"Hi Danny! It was great talking to you at Johnny's party last Saturday. Hoping we can connect here! Thanks, Jane.\"\"Hello Barb! We haven't met, but I'm a follower of your blog and really admire your work. Would love to become part of your network. Thanks, Ron.\"\"Hey Sam! I heard about you and your work through a friend, and I have a few ideas for how we might be able to work together. Hope to learn more about you here. Thanks, Susan.\"\nGet the idea? \nThis might sound simple, but letting potential connections know why they should bother connecting with you will make all the difference.\nTake the Time\nThe best part? Implementing this networking tip takes a total of 30 seconds. LinkedIn makes it easy for you with the option to \"Add a personal message\u201D \u2014 you just have to put in the effort to do it.\nIf you\u2019re smart enough to take 30 seconds to replace that canned message with your own personalized one, you\u2019ll stand out from the crowd, increase your acceptance rate and grow your network far faster.\nMashable Job Board Listings\nThe Mashable Job Board connects job seekers across the U.S. with unique career opportunities in the digital space. While we publish a wide range of job listings, we have selected a few job opportunities from the past two weeks to help get you started. Happy hunting!\n\nDigital Marketing Manager at New York Philharmonic in New York, N.Y.\nCommunity Manager at Uber Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga.\nSocial Media &amp; PR Specialist at Deloitte in Seattle, Wa.\n\n\n\nMashable composite, iStockphoto, johnwoodcock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/06/02/linkedin-network/>