I generally only add people in Linkedin that I have a personal or professional interest in. I try and make sure that I actually meet, in person, the most import

I generally only add people in Linkedin that I have a personal or professional interest in. I try and make sure that I actually meet, in person, the most important contacts on my Linkedin. I try and add people who are high up in the companies I want to work for WHERE they are also connected to people that I personally know. You need to get out there and grow your network in person as well as online. Online should supplement what you do in real life. I also only add recruiters that work in the specific technologies that I use, I also try and call these recruiters for a casual chat about the state of the market. Only recruiters that I get a good vibe from remain on my list. This has resulted in me never being out of contract work for a few years now and my network now includes CEO's and MD's at very good companies who I have personally developed relationships with.