With millions of users worldwide, LinkedIn is fast becoming the ideal place to connect with great companies, swap tips with other legal support professionals, and search for a job you’ll love. But while many LinkedIn connections are fantastic, too many connections will simply leave you feeling bewildered and unable to sort those that are really helping you from those who just take up space.
Deleting LinkedIn Connections: The Pros and Cons
Should you trim your LinkedIn connections list? Consider:
- The Pros: A list that contains people you’ve worked with or met in professional settings is easier to leverage when you’re looking for a job – these are people who can vouch for you in professional contexts. You also keep the content of your own news feed limited to folks you know and can vouch for.
- The Cons: Deleting people you may not have met, but who are well-connected in your particular field or focus area, reduces your chances of expanding your network. It also means you won’t see content they post – which you might find invaluable in expanding your own knowledge.
When to Delete LinkedIn Connections
If your LinkedIn connections list is just too large to handle, here’s how to make the “executive decision” whether or not to delete a connection:
- They only use LinkedIn as an outbound marketing engine. If all you see is spam, it’s time to delete that contact. They won’t help your career.
- They try to leverage their connection with you to get to your connections. A polite, personal request for an introduction is okay. But if you accept an invitation to connect and get a slew of “get introduced through a connection” requests an hour later, the new contact isn’t interested in working with you. Let them go.
How to Expand Your Connections List
Just as you’d cut spammers or Rolodex-hunters from your own LinkedIn list, you should avoid these behaviors in order to expand your own list productively.
- Make sure your own profile is outstanding. A professional photo, a description that focuses on what you do, and weekly posts about your professional field are all great ways to attract similar professionals – and employers.
- Connect with a reputable recruiter in your field. If you’re looking for a job in a particular city, partner with a legal support recruiter as they will be able to give you access to the best jobs. Connect with them on LinkedIn to stay informed about their updates and any positions or news the company might share.
- Be willing to build a mix of professionals. Connecting to other legal support professionals is helpful, but don’t forget to add individuals who could be your direct supervisors as well. Experienced recruiters are also easy to find on LinkedIn and can be an invaluable source of advice and job leads.
LinkedIn is a great tool for staying informed about news and updates your colleagues, industry peers and recruiter might share. If you are looking for a new job opportunity, make sure that you rely upon the help of a reputable legal support recruiting firm. Working with them will save you countless hours in your job search as they will be able to give you direct access to the industry’s leading companies and open positions.
The experienced recruiters at Kent Legal specialize in connecting legal support professionals to great job openings in the Toronto area. Contact us today to learn more about our legal support jobs in Toronto.