On Linkedin, are there any benefits of adding people you don’t really know?
For example, I am currently a MSF student so I can add other students in the same program that I don’t know that well as well as alumni that I’ve never met. But Is it better to keep it to people you know well?
i only add hot chicks
Yeah, but they don’t add me back 
Doesn’t hurt to add people. you end up not doing much anyway with people you relaly do know
Especially if they’re recruiters.
Eh…I would say no. I keep getting random invites from people and it’s weird…and I"m not a hot chick…and neither are they…
I’ve got 500+ connections on LinkedIn – both folks I know well and people I barely know. To be honest, I haven’t experienced any benefit at all from linking to either category of people.
It does make it somewhat easier to keep track of new jobs, promotions, etc and have the contact information accessible if needed.
I haven’t seen that much benefit out of it. I did have one of my investors look through my entire contact list and call a bunch of random people I did not list as references. It was all good and helped me get a new investor but that could have possibly backfired.
OTOH, a girl I know wrote to me asking for an intro to a friend’s company and she now has an interview tomorrow, so maybe that will work out for her. She’s a hot ballerina though, so the normal rules of the universe don’t apply, as we already know.
Mostly linkedin seems like it has only downside unless you are a hot chick.
A little bit maybe. But you can still snoop through folks’ profiles without linking to them.
It’s always good to have broad network…Linkedin helps in this.
Adding me in Linkedin when I don’t have a freaking clue who you are doesn’t broaden your network.
If you add someone and that someone lives in the same city, I would make an effort to meet the person as part of your networking campaign. Of course, you will have to make it easy for your new “contact” to meet you, such as getting together at a food court or coffee shop a few minutes away from where that person works and not take too much of the person’s time. Then you can try to meet up or keep in touch via email once every few months to establish a relationship.
Just adding strangers to pad up your numbers won’t provide any benefits.
I have a friend that does this. Doesn’t ask for anything but to just to pick their brain on their accomplishments.
I think it’s a good idea. I’m betting an opportunity will present itself one day because of the network he has built.
^ Absolutely. It all depends on how you present your case. People love talking about themselves and their accomplishments.
If you are ambitious, intelligent, well spoken and not annoying, smart people will take 15 minutes from their day to talk with you. It’s up to you to run with the ball from there.
in terms of random strangers, I mostly turn down all the jobless, internship-folks. If i do accept, most of them want to immediately meet up to talk about my career path. etc… If someone sends me a request and has decent work exp, I tend to accept.
I accept most except recruiters unless they are HRs at a firm.
I wanted to bump this topic and ask if anyone has tried paying for the service? I want to speak with people about their career paths but I have to subscribe to send InMail.
great question. id like to hear about the paid service as well
Does anyone know people that have actually gotten jobs from linkedin?