In the game of life, you play to win, but a lazy LinkedIn strategy could hurt your personal brand—and your overall career success. Without knowing it, you could be scaring away valuable connections. So writes Ariella Coombs in a great article for Work It Daily that shows how to get the most from LinkedIn. Follow the below tips and you’ll be on your way to acing your next trucking job interview, or at least landing one.

1. Give your profile a facelift

Kick the dust off of your old, stale LinkedIn profile and give it an update. How old is that photo? When was the last time you updated your accomplishments?

2. Search for professionals working in your field or at your target company

I’m constantly on the look out for people who work in my field or work at companies I admire. Many times, they’re just sitting in my “People You May Know” list. So, I try to casually browse through it at least once a week.

Another way you can do this is to search the company or industry you’re interested in. LinkedIn has a great search function that allows you to find people, companies, groups, and more.

3. Connect with people the RIGHT way

Nothing bothers me more about LinkedIn than when someone tries to connect with me using that generic, vague message, “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”

(Or my least favorite, most creepy invitation, “Since you’re a person I trust, I’d like to add you to my LinkedIn network.”)

C’mon guys. If you really want to connect with someone, don’t be lazy – it shows. Be specific. Tell him or her WHO you are and WHY you want to connect with them. You will have a better chance of getting accepted and building a valuable connection that way.

4. Nurture your connections

Don’t just connect with people and forget about them. What’s the point in that?

Check in with them once and a while. Share relevant articles with them. Endorse them. Give them a recommendation. Doing these things will help you stay relevant to your connections and increases the chance that they’ll think of you when an opportunity presents itself.

5. Keep a “fit” LinkedIn presence

Stay active. Share articles in your feed. Write a blog post on LinkedIn’s platform once and awhile. Update your profile on a regular basis – whether that’s every week, two weeks or month. Just stay on top of things! It will be easier to keep up with that way.

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