In today’s digital age, LinkedIn has become an indispensable tool for networking and career development. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn is the largest professional networking platform on the internet. As a professional looking to grow your career, one of the first things you’re likely to focus on is expanding your LinkedIn connections. But do connections really matter when it comes to getting ahead? Let’s take a closer look at whether LinkedIn connections make a real difference for your career success.
Do more LinkedIn connections lead to more opportunities?
At first glance, it seems obvious that having more LinkedIn connections would create more opportunities. After all, connections are the conduits through which information and introductions flow on LinkedIn. More connections mean more people to potentially help you find a job, recommend you for an opportunity, or pass your name along. But does simply racking up connection numbers really translate to career success?
According to LinkedIn experts, there are a few important caveats when it comes to connections:
- Quality matters more than quantity. Simply having thousands of connections does little for your career if they are low-quality connections with people you barely know. Targeted, strategic connections with people who are closely aligned to your industry and interests are more likely to pay dividends.
- Leverage your connections. Don’t just connect and then forget about people. Regularly interact with your connections by liking and commenting on their posts, congratulating them on work anniversaries, and sending personalized messages to catch up.
- Focus on 2nd and 3rd degree connections. The friends of your connections can be powerful sources for increasing your visibility and finding new opportunities. Engage with their networks by commenting and sharing their content.
The consensus is that it’s not purely the number of LinkedIn connections that matters, but rather the quality of those connections and how well you leverage that network.
How many LinkedIn connections are enough?
If the quantity of connections isn’t as important as who you know, how many connections are enough to be effective on LinkedIn? Here are some benchmarks to consider:
- 500+ connections is the recommended minimum to be viewed as actively networking on LinkedIn.
- 759 is the global average number of LinkedIn connections.
- Senior executives and leaders often have 1,000-2,000+ strategic connections.
- Influencers and thought leaders in their field may have 5,000+ connections.
However, there are no hard and fast rules here. The number of connections needed depends on your industry, location, and career goals. The key is being deliberate and strategic as you grow your network.
Does a larger network always help?
We’ve established that quality trumps quantity when it comes to LinkedIn connections. But is there any downside to having an extremely large network in the thousands or tens of thousands?
There are a few potential drawbacks of a very large LinkedIn network:
- Difficulty maintaining engagement – With a huge number of connections, it becomes challenging to regularly interact and keep up meaningful contact.
- Appearance of vanity metrics – Extremely large networks can look like you’re focused on vanity metrics rather than legitimate connections.
- Harder to provide personalized recommendations – The bigger your network, the less familiar you likely are with each individual. This makes giving specific recommendations difficult.
- Watered-down endorsements – Endorsements from thousands of connections who barely know you have less impact than those from closer contacts.
The takeaway is that uncontrolled, rapid connection growth for the sake of vanity numbers does little to boost your career. Strive for organic growth by networking strategically and deliberately.
How to strategically increase your LinkedIn network
Focus on quality over quantity as you grow your LinkedIn network. Here are some best practices:
- Connect with colleagues and clients with whom you have an established relationship. Don’t randomly add strangers.
- Join targeted LinkedIn Groups aligned to your industry and interests. Engage actively with Group members.
- Follow target companies and connect with their employees, especially recruiters and hiring managers.
- Connect at industry events, conferences, and trade shows. Follow up with new contacts.
- Connect with presenters and speakers you find valuable by liking their content and sending a customized invitation.
- Find “2nd degree” connections via someone in your network and ask for an introduction.
Growing your network in these focused ways leads to more meaningful connections that boost your career over the long-term.
Do LinkedIn recommendations matter?
In addition to connections, LinkedIn profiles often showcase recommendations written by your connections. But do these short endorsements really influence your career prospects?
Here are a few key ways quality recommendations can boost your brand:
- Reinforce skills and experience – Well-written recommendations directly back up your listed skills with stories and detail.
- Provide credibility – Respectful recommendations from recognized leaders and brands lend credibility.
- Highlight strengths – Tailored, thoughtful recommendations can spotlight skills you want to be known for.
- Show work ethic – Traits like reliability, teamwork and timeliness are endorsed in recommendations.
- Present a fuller picture – Recommendations add warmth and personality to balance factual profile content.
So yes, strategically cultivated recommendations can absolutely boost your personal brand and lend credibility. But having hundreds of generic, superficial recommendations won’t do much. Focus on quality over quantity from respected sources.
Who should you ask for LinkedIn recommendations?
To get the most out of LinkedIn recommendations:
- Ask close colleagues who know your work well and will write thoughtful endorsements.
- Target leaders and recognized experts who can lend authority.
- Request customized recommendations highlighting specific skills you want conveyed.
- Give recommendations in return and nurture two-way endorsement relationships.
- Rotate recommendations over time to keep your profile fresh and multi-dimensional.
Avoid asking distant contacts for lukewarm recommendations just to boost your numbers. Pick respected sources who will take the time to make them meaningful.
Can you buy LinkedIn recommendations?
Some websites and freelancers offer to sell packages of LinkedIn recommendations. Is buying recommendations ever advisable?
In most cases, purchased recommendations are not worth pursuing and violate LinkedIn’s terms of service. Here’s why it’s better to earn genuine recommendations organically:
- Inauthenticity backfires – Purchased praise and endorsements ring hollow.
- Low credibility – Recommendations from unknown sources have little impact.
- Risk being flagged – LinkedIn algorithms and users are good at identifying fake recommendations.
- No buyer/seller relationship – It’s unethical to buy recommendations from those who haven’t actually worked with you.
- Lacks meaning – Template-style purchased recommendations don’t include personalized detail.
Invest your time networking and impressing the right people to cultivate authentic, custom recommendations.
How to get quality LinkedIn recommendations
To earn great recommendations organically:
- Provide exceptional work product, value, and service to colleagues.
- Thank clients and team members for opportunities to collaborate.
- Show generosity by supporting others’ initiatives and sharing useful content.
- Write sincere recommendations for connections first before asking for them.
- Personally request recommendations from respected sources vs a mass message.
- Give recommenders an easy template highlighting what you hope they’ll include.
- Show appreciation and offer to reciprocate the recommendation in return.
Putting in relationship-building work upfront pays dividends when quality recommendations naturally follow.
Do LinkedIn profile views matter?
In addition to your number of connections, LinkedIn shows you the number of times your profile has been viewed in a rolling 90-day window. But does this vanity metric really impact your success?
A high profile view count can contribute to your brand for a few reasons:
- Demonstrates interest and visibility – Frequent views show you’re on people’s radar.
- Indicates influence – Thought leaders in an industry tend to have more profile views.
- Surfaces content effectively – Your activity drives curiosity to view your full profile.
- Boosts search ranking – LinkedIn profiles with more views rank higher in search.
- Shows networking activity – Connecting with many new people drives more profile views.
That said, extremely high view counts can sometimes stem from vanity tactics vs substantive networking. Focus on quality relationship-building that organically drives interest in you and your brand.
What is a “good” number of LinkedIn profile views?
How many LinkedIn profile views indicate an active, effective presence? Here are some benchmarks:
- 100-500 views per 90 days = Average LinkedIn user
- 500-2,000 views per 90 days = Moderately active networker
- 2,000-5,000+ views per 90 days = Very active networker, thought leader or celebrity status
- 10,000+ views per 90 days = High-interest public figure status
However, don’t get fixated strictly on the numbers. Use profile views as one benchmark of your networking strategy combined with the quality of your engagement and relationship-building.
Tips to boost your LinkedIn profile views
If you want to increase legitimate interest in your LinkedIn profile, try these organic tactics:
- Share relevant articles, opinions, and updates consistently
- Use eye-catching headlines and images for your posts
- Ask questions and encourage comments and reactions
- Provide valuable tips, advice, and insights in your content
- Post regularly but not excessively to stay top of mind
- Leverage your other social platforms to link to your LinkedIn
- Join mutually beneficial Groups related to your industry
- Comment on posts from your connections to increase engagement
The more value you deliver through your participation, the more your network will be drawn to your full profile.
Should you buy LinkedIn profile views?
Some social media marketing companies offer to boost your profile views through bot traffic. Should you spend money on this?
In most cases, purchased LinkedIn profile views provide very little career value:
- Bots not people – Traffic won’t be real humans interested in connecting.
- No engagement – Fake views don’t lead to relationship-building, comments, or sharing.
- Temporary vanity spike – Purchased views drop back off rapidly once payments stop.
- Violates Terms of Service – LinkedIn doesn’t allow fake profile manipulation.
- Risks account restriction – Using bots risks having your account restricted or closed.
Focus your time and budget on creating amazing content, networking authentically, and delivering so much value that genuine interest follows.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn connections, recommendations, and profile views can be useful metrics of your networking impact, their raw numbers don’t automatically translate to career success. The key is building meaningful relationships, delivering value, engaging strategically, and putting quality before quantity. With this approach, your LinkedIn presence will organically serve as a powerful career boost versus empty vanity numbers.