Smart Ways to Network for Big Career Changes
In every talk or post, try to add a special thought or ask a useful question instead of just saying, "Good post." Over time, this makes you known as an expert, and people will remember you as someone who contributes, not just someone who watches.
Don't waste energy liking every single post. Put your focus on posts made by important people or industry leaders that your target audience already follows. This lets you use their high profile to get your skills noticed by the right bosses consistently.
Think of your profile title as your digital business card—it must clearly state the problem you solve. When your purpose is clear, every comment you leave works like a long-term magnet, drawing the right job opportunities straight to you.
Boring Comments Don't Work Anymore
The old way of using LinkedIn—just leaving simple "Great post!" comments or mindlessly sharing articles—is completely over. In today's competitive job market, these easy comments don't make you look like an expert; they make you look like you aren't trying hard enough. Many people are stuck in what we call "Invisible Effort Syndrome." You spend hours scrolling and liking, but your profile visits don't increase and your messages stay empty. You are busy, but nobody notices you.
To get a real edge over others, you need to stop being just a fan and start acting like someone who belongs at the same level. This change is called the "Insight Bridge."
Instead of just posting on your own page, you need to become a key voice in the comment sections of industry leaders. By adding specific, real-world value to popular discussions, you turn every interaction into a public display of your skill. This isn't about being nice; it’s about making your knowledge so clear that everyone who reads the comments feels they must check out your profile.
The Three Levels of LinkedIn Engagement
As someone focused on Product Management, I judge engagement by how much value you get for the time you spend (Return on Effort). When building your image on LinkedIn, the type of engagement you choose decides how the system sees your importance and how your connections see your skills. The chart below sorts the three levels of LinkedIn activity based on how much work it takes and what you get out of it.
Level 1: Just Watching
What You Do:
- • Use mainly "Reactions" (Like, Celebrate, Insightful).
- • Write short, simple comments (like, "Great post," "Thanks for sharing").
- • Hit "Repost" without adding any of your own words.
Your Goal Here
Low-Effort Visibility: This keeps your profile visible in people's feeds without taking much time. It tells recruiters and your network that you are still active, so your profile doesn't look old.
Level 2: Sharing Thoughts
What You Do:
- • Add "Contextual Comments" (a few sentences adding a specific idea or a follow-up question).
- • Use "Repost with Thoughts" to explain why a post matters to your specific group of followers.
Your Goal Here
Building Trust: This step changes you from just consuming information to being someone with a point of view. It helps you get noticed by the person who posted and their followers, slowly building your image as someone knowledgeable.
Level 3: Being the Expert
What You Do:
- • Comment with "Big Value" (giving a short summary or a different opinion that starts a new chat).
- • Tag other relevant people to get a discussion going.
- • Smart sharing: Re-explaining the original idea to solve a specific problem for your niche audience.
Your Goal Here
Leading the Group: This level makes people stay longer reading your thoughts. It places you as an expert who doesn't just hear information but makes it better. This is the main way to get job offers or networking requests coming to you.
How to Pick Your Level
Help in Choosing
- • Choose Level 1: if you are very busy right now and just want people to know you are still around.
- • Choose Level 2: if you are actively trying to grow your professional group or want to be seen as a go-to expert in your current job.
- • Choose Level 3: if you are building your own brand, starting something new, or aiming for a top leadership job where your ability to influence others is most important.
The LinkedIn Action Steps
This plan is built to change you from someone who just looks at posts to a recognized voice in your field by stacking up your interactions from simple viewing to top-level authority.
Step 1: Be Seen
Showing You're Active
What it does: Makes sure the system sees you as active in your professional group and builds basic friendly connections with the post's author.
What to do: Leave a comment that points out one exact detail from the post instead of just saying "Great post!"
Step 2: Add Your View
Giving Real Help
What it does: Shows off your special knowledge and adds real value to the talk without taking attention away from the original writer.
What to do: Add a short thought, like "Yes, and here's what I learned," or a quick lesson from your own job that builds on the original idea.
Step 3: Become the Guide
Building Your Authority
What it does: Puts you in the role of a key expert who sorts through the best information for your specific network.
What to do: Repost the content using the "Share with thoughts" option and write one quick sentence explaining exactly why your followers must read it.
These three parts build on each other: Step 1 makes sure you are noticed, Step 2 proves you know your stuff, and Step 3 sets you up as a trusted person who finds the best industry news.
The Action Plan
Changing your social media work from slow, low-return activities (Friction) to very planned, high-impact actions (Flow) requires small changes in how you show up online.
Leaving basic comments like "Good post" that the system and the author usually skip over.
The "Yes, and..." Method: Copy one key point from the post, add a one-sentence personal thought, and finish with a question to start a real talk.
Sharing an article without writing anything about it, which looks like spam and gets no attention.
The 3-Bullet Rule: Always include a short summary. List three specific reasons why your followers need to read it immediately.
Talking to small accounts or random posts where the people you want to meet never show up.
Comment on the Big Players' Posts: Focus your effort in the comment sections of important people. Use their big audience as a stage to show off what you know.
Putting in effort by writing good comments but having a profile title that doesn't explain what you do.
The "Identity Hook": Change your title to something like: "I help [Who] do [What] by [How]." This makes every comment act like a clickable business card.
The 30-Minute Quick Plan
Follow this focused plan, timed for just 30 minutes, to quickly improve who notices you and build important contacts online.
Find five useful posts in your feed from big names, coworkers, or possible clients that were posted in the last day.
Add a helpful comment to each of those five posts. This means sharing a personal lesson or answering a question, not just saying "Good post!"
Choose one great piece of content to highlight by using "Share with your thoughts" and writing two sentences about why your specific followers should read it.
About 15 minutes later, check your notifications and reply to anyone who liked or commented on your own posts to keep the energy up.
Improve Your Tools with Cruit
For Your Image LinkedIn Profile Creator
Turns your job history into a LinkedIn profile that clearly states what you offer, acting as your professional "Identity Hook."
For Connections Networking Helper
Fixes the problem of writing boring comments by creating personalized messages and starting points for discussion.
For Ideas Idea Log
Keeps a record of your professional experiences, writing up clear summaries that you can use quickly in comments.
Common Questions
Should I use the "Insight Bridge" on every post I see to stay visible?
No. Actually doing good work is always better than doing a lot of low-quality work on LinkedIn. If you try to leave a thoughtful comment on every post, you will get tired, and your public examples of skill will start to look fake.
Instead, pick 3 to 5 key industry people or "big names" whose audience is who you want to reach. Put all your effort into those popular discussions. Having one comment that actually starts a talk is much better than twenty comments that people just scroll past.
What should I do if I disagree with something an important person posted?
This is a great chance to show you are an expert, as long as you stay professional. Don't just agree with them to be polite. Instead, use the "Yes, and..." idea but change it to "I've seen things differently..." Say the specific part you disagree with, share a short story from your own work, and then ask a question to start a respectful debate. This shows you are an equal who thinks deeply, not just someone who follows along.
Should I still share a post to my own feed if I already left a good comment on it?
Only share it if you can add a totally new benefit for your specific followers. If you just click "repost," you go back to the old habit of just sharing, which doesn't help your brand.
If the original post is necessary for your followers, share it but write a caption that explains exactly why it matters to them. Remember, though, that a very good comment on a popular influencer's post often gets seen by more new people than a simple share on your own quiet feed.
Take Your Spot.
Getting away from wasting effort means you must stop acting like a fan and start acting like someone who knows their field. The time for simple praise is over; generic compliments won't make you stand out. By mastering the "Insight Bridge," you turn the time you spend on LinkedIn from a boring task into a powerful career tool. Stop shouting to nobody on your own page and start leading the talks that really count.
Start Changing Now