Connecting with people in LinkedIn is an important way to build your network.  For example, my network of about 100 people I know directly yields over 40,500 people 2 degrees away and over 3,510,800 people 3 degrees away. So here are 2 simple tips for building your network.

First, have rules as to who you allow into your circle.  You should have some relationship with the person at the very least. So don’t just allow anyone into your network.

Second, when inviting someone into your network, take the time to override the default invitation and put something personal in.  It is more effective, and just more polite.  Every week I get invitations from people and sometimes I have to say, I just do not recall how we know each other or why we should be connected. So improve your acceptance rate by taking 30 seconds to put in a personal greeting.

Linkedin has become a must for job seekers so use these tips to make sure you are appropriately managing your network.