Hitting 1000 (on LinkedIn)

With the “dog days” of summer upon us, and the All-Star Game being played next week in New York, one can’t help but think of baseball. For a hitter, perfection is recognized by a batting average of 1.000, but that usually doesn’t last very long at all.

The reason for the baseball theme of this blogpost is that I recently achieved a personal milestone in LinkedIn — connecting on-line with 1,000 others in my network.  When I reflected upon my hitting one thousand, my thoughts quickly flicked to that magic number in our national pastime.

In a job search, however, perfection really isn’t achievable, but continued perseverance is. Therefore, for you to be successful, you should look for new opportunities to expand your network. As illustrated above, 1,000 LinkedIn connections can give you access to over 10 million others — many of whom may be able to help you achieve your goal.

How many LinkedIn connections do you currently have? Have you met people recently, at networking events, professional association meetings, etc., that you still haven’t connected with on-line?

Think about (at least) five people that you’ve met recently that you should add to your LinkedIn network. Then, send each a personal note, requesting to connect.

Pretty soon, you’ll be hitting 1,000 as well.  Be sure to celebrate, and share your newfound LinkedIn success story in the comment section below. Doing so will help provide encouragement to others who are still waiting in the on-deck circle.