How To Build And Maintain Your Professional Network - Fraser Dove
Networking is all about building long-term relationships; connecting with professionals based on career path, experiences and interests.
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Once you’re at the event, approach the professionals you researched, as well as anyone else you would like to initiate a conversation with. Now would be the perfect time to deliver your well-crafted, executive elevator pitch, introducing who you are and what you do in 30 seconds or less. Be careful to avoid boasting about your career, or unsubtly hinting that you are looking for new job opportunities. Remember that networking is mutually beneficial; your recipient won’t be best pleased to be bombarded with an unnecessary overload of information about all your past achievements. The key to networking is communication; politeness and manners go a long way. Ensure that conversation flows and demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in hearing what they have to say. Conclude your conversation by exchanging business cards or LinkedIn profiles (for a nifty way to do that, <anchor>click here</anchor>) so that you can contact one another afterwards should the situation arise.
A Valuable LinkedIn Feature That Will Help You Grow Your Network
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# A Valuable LinkedIn Feature That Will Help You Grow Your Network

William Arruda
Senior Contributor
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

William Arruda covers personal branding, leadership, and careers.

Dec 20, 2018,09:15am EST

Updated Dec 20, 2018, 10:26am EST

This article is more than 5 years old.

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We all know that one of the most valuable aspects of LinkedIn is the opportunity to expand your network. This has been one of the foundational elements of the platform since it launched in 2003. And it’s why the platform is called LinkedIn! Now we can grow our networks globally, with diverse professionals from all over the world. And because LinkedIn allows you to add contacts (including those who are not connections), you can keep all of your contacts in one cloud. That’s valuable for two reasons:

So use LinkedIn as your primary contact management system. To do that, you need to add new members as soon as you meet them. One new LinkedIn feature will be especially helpful with this.

Show ‘Em The Code

You may have missed this one, but you’re going to love it. It's the LinkedIn QR code feature. The best way to add people to your network is to do it immediately upon meeting them. Collecting business cards at a conference or networking event and then adding them as contacts sometime in the future is inefficient – that is, if you actually take the time to add them to your network. If you’re like most people, you let those business cards stack up until you have long forgotten about the people behind those cards, and then you throw away these useless pieces of card stock when you clean out your desk drawer.

The new feature allows you to share your unique QR code with those you meet so they can add you as a connection in real time. It’s brilliant because it helps you make that moment of connection more productive and memorable. And as an extra bonus, when you use this feature, you show just how digitally fluent you are – putting yourself in the category of “innovative” in the mind of your new contact.

To find your QR code, go into the LinkedIn app, and you’ll see your unique code at the top on the right side of the search bar. Tap on it, choose “my code,” and the image will be displayed at a size that will make it easy for people to scan it. You can also take a picture of your screen when you have the code displayed and use this image for the same purpose without having to actively be in the app.

Post The Code

And to make the QR code feature even more valuable, add your unique code to business cards, your bio, your email signature and all your career marketing materials – making it easy for people to connect with you on LinkedIn. This allows you to passively build your network through all of your communications. And if you're really creative, you can add your code to a t-shirt or create a QR code temporary tattoo.

The QR code is a simple yet powerful tool. And I rarely come across anyone using it. So it’s also your opportunity to stand out.

William Arruda is the cofounder of CareerBlast and creator of the complete LinkedIn quiz that helps you evaluate your LinkedIn profile and networking strategy.