Linkedin is an effective networking tool when you build your first level contacts. You have to sign up as many first level connections as you can to get the full benefit of linkedin. I see many people in my network that have less than 10 first level connections. That isn’t enough. At the time of this writing I have 1,700 first level connections, 560,000 second level connections and 13 million third level connections. My goal is to have 2,000 first level connections by year end. 
Here are a few tips to expand your first level. 1. Join my network. I accept everyone except other recruiters. 2. Include your email address in your linkedin profile name. For example: look at my name in linkedin. I edited my first name to be my first and last name and my last name is my email address. Look at my name. Folks can send you an invite to connect to their network without depending on the linkedin referral program. 3. Look for people who have included their email address in their name and send them an invite to join you. They too want to expand their network, so there is a good chance they will accept your invitation even though they don’t know you. If you don’t know how to invite people to join your linkedin network, spend a moment on the linkedin website. It is easy. Just click the “expand your network” button on the home page.
If you want more advanced tips read on. 1. Complete your profile to include every company you worked at and linkedin will automatically send you people to invite who worked at the same company. 2. Do the same thing for your education. I went to UGA. When new UGA grads join linkedin, linkedin brings those contacts to me for free! I send them a note and ask them to join. Some people decline, but many accept. 3. Go to advanced search and search for people you know and invite them to join.
Grow your first line contacts and you will get the most out of linkedin.
