There are two main schools of thought about making connections via LinkedIn. The first, advocated by the organization itself, is to connect only with people you already know. The second is to connect with anybody and everybody. Perhaps somewhere in the middle of these two divergent approaches works best for you.
Whatever you choose to do, we encourage you to be strategic about how you connect. As a first step it might be more comfortable to connect when you already have an existing relationship. As you reach out to potential connections:
Reach out in stages: Focus on friends and family first—those with whom you have the deepest connections. Next, approach those who have a university affiliation, such as alumni, faculty, staff, or fellow students.
After that, seek out those you’ve shared a common experience with, such as people you met while on study abroad or through your part-time job or internship. Then, look for people you may have met through more casual contact, such as volunteer service or through student club involvement.
How you make the request is important: Start in the person's profile and select "Connect." This is the only route by which you can individualize your request. LinkedIn provides a generic message to send with your request, but it's worth your time to customize that message for each person. The message doesn’t have to be long—a couple of lines will do—but it should remind the person how they know you and why you’d like to stay connected in a professional capacity.
Here's an example of a message you might send to a fellow student:
Hi Susan,
We worked on a project together for Dr. Johnson’s class a couple of years ago at Puget Sound, and I saw on your profile that we’re both aiming for the same industry. I’m always looking to reach out to peers in my field and thought it would be good to connect with you. Hope you’re doing well!
Best,
David
Avoid making multiple requests at the same time: LinkedIn makes it possible to connect with people at virtually every opportunity. Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide the customizable request in all situations. When you first create your account you will have the option to request connections with multiple people you may know who are already part of the system. Instead, take the time to make an individual request from their profile.
Once you’re connected, maintain that connection: Although you won’t want to treat your LinkedIn account like Facebook, you will want to check in regularly and be visible. Share the occasional update about what you’re doing (“Headed to the Tech conference!”) or share something related to your industry (“Read this great article about crowd-sourcing funds today”). Comment when a connection gets a new job, or pass on resources of interest to people in your future field. The reverse is true as well: take the time to respond to people who share things with you.