I receive a lot of invitations on LinkedIn and while I am happy to accept most of them, sometimes the invite process is so poorly managed that the last thing I want to do is connect. Since I seem to see the same LinkedIn networking mistakes repeated over and over, I decided to post them here. Here are my top four.
- Not enough information. I recently received an invitation from someone that read “I would like to introduce myself.” That was it. I searched their profile but all that was listed was company names, job titles, and employment dates. Please do not make me work so hard. Just give me the facts. Create a branded, detailed profile and explain to me what possible synergies we might have.
- Expecting too much too fast. Sometimes I receive invitations from people asking me if I know of any job openings. I don’t even know you yet. If you take the time to get to know me first and prove your value to an employer I will certainly open up my network and help you if I can.
- Just plain laziness. Frequently I receive invitations that were simply copied and pasted from a LinkedIn boilerplate template. How can you send me an invite that reads “you are someone I know and trust” when I have never met you? Please respect me enough to send me a personalized invitation that explains why we should connect.
- Unwillingness to share. Some people send me invitations to connect so they can mine my database, yet their contacts are protected. I think the concept of sharing was covered in kindergarten. If you have no intentions of creating a reciprocal relationship, don’t bother sending me an invitation.
Two great books for understanding the mechanics and nuances of LinkedIn are I’m on LinkedIn…Now What??? and 42 Tips for 24 Hour Success on LinkedIn. Study up and create a LinkedIn strategy that includes thoughtfulness, respect, and fairness and in no time you will be increasing your network exponentially and building meaningful connections.
Couldn’t agree more. Linked In is one the easiest and best ways to network professionally. In the past, you had to take the time to write an e-mail. Now it’s as simple as adding all the contacts you made that day as connections.
I have a success story for you. After posting on a chat for Linked In’s Social Media group, I clicked on a particular response. Turns out the guy worked at a firm in my hometown of Chicago.
I asked if I could pick his brain over a drink, as I had just graduated college. He said come by for an interview. Two weeks later, I had my first post college internship. Wrote a post about it too. (http://www.tesar-reynes.com/blog1/2008/12/22/first-date-aka-first-interview/)
Roland,
Wow, that’s a great story. LinkedIn can be such a powerful tool when used correctly. Thanks for sharing.