I receive LinkedIn reach-outs regularly, many of which are from job seekers looking to connect with potential hiring managers. Kudos to those who take the initiative to reach out! However, I spotted a common problem in many of the reach-out messages that gets in the way for establishing a valuable connection. To increase the replies you could get from those “cold call” LinkedIn reach-outs, you need to do a lot of things right.
One of the key things is to make the message about “you” (i.e., the potential hiring manager) instead “me” (i.e., the job seeker). Instead of saying things like “if you know any opportunity, please let me know”, talk about the skills and value you bring to the recipient or his/her team. Be specific and succinct, e.g., “I have 3 years experience in MySQL and built ABC database application with XYZ million users”. It may turn off a number of recipients who hire UX roles, but that is OK, because you will increase the rate of replies from those who are in the database space. At the end of the day, give the message recipients a strong and clear reason to connect with you.
