What Happens When You Get 5,000 Connections on LinkedIn?

How many connections do you have on LinkedIn? Or the real question is, how many VALUABLE contacts do you have?

I spend time every day on LinkedIn. I engage with my networks and add value however I can. Sometimes I share a helpful article. Or introduce people that I know will benefit from meeting each other. And I connect with those who I believe will make an impact on my spheres of influence.

Do you know what happens to your profile when you get 5,000 connections on LinkedIn?

Absolutely nothing!

Well, to be clear, nothing actually happens to your profile. But with 5,000 contacts you open yourself up to that many more opportunities.

People who can possibly enhance your professional career. Or boost your business. And that many more individuals to whom you can potentially provide a benefit.

With 5,000 connections you open yourself up to that many more opportunities.

If you think LinkedIn is something you only need to use when job searching, then you’re wrong. It’s definitely employment-oriented. And it’s used regularly by recruiters in their search for the right job candidate. But it’s more than that.

It’s a place for networking, and for associating with others on a professional level.

Are you searching for a new role? Then yes, having many connections gives you more access to the hidden job market.

Looking for an ideal mentor? Or need to find the right person to assist with your next work project? Are you an entrepreneur just starting out?

When you’re linked with a large number of people you have a larger pool of resources to choose from. And you can take advantage of the potential that is right in front of you.

But they need to be the right connections. It’s about quality – not quantity. It’s about value. There’s a difference between just having “connections” and building “relationships”.

It’s about quality – not quantity.

Once you make a connection on LinkedIn, the goal is to form a foundation for a meaningful relationship with that person.

When growing your number of contacts, you need to look for ways to develop a rapport with influential individuals. And worthy associations that are mutually beneficial. It’s about being in the correct networking mindset.

Inviting people to connect on LinkedIn is easy! We have a guide that you can download for free that will help. Use it to send requests that will get noticed and learn the right way to build your profile.

It’s a place for networking, and for associating with others on a professional level.

Metcalfe’s Law is real. You strengthen your networks with each new contact. Or create a link between two other people. And when you do so, you aren’t just helping those two people, but also everyone who is a part of their spheres of influence.

Don’t connect with random people just to get a large number attached to your profile. Besides, if you didn’t already know, 500 is the maximum number shown on your profile. And the highest number of first-degree contacts you can have overall is 30,000 (but you can have an unlimited number of people who follow you).

Having 5,000 LinkedIn connections can be advantageous for many reasons. Just be sure you’re connecting with that many people for all the right reasons.

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If you’re job searching or want to create substantial connections throughout your career you need to understand the right way to build the right relationships.

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This article originally appeared on Quora