Are your LinkedIn invitations being ignored? Connections are one of the most important parts of LinkedIn since they facilitate so much of the action on the platform. LinkedIn is one of the biggest professional networking sites out there that help job-seekers and job-posters. You might be wondering why your LinkedIn requests are being ignored and what to do about it.
There are a lot of components that go into sending an effective LinkedIn request in hopes of a connection. A few schools of thought go into the proper etiquette of who you should add to your network. Some people suggest only adding those in your circle, like co-workers and people you know. Others think you should add anyone and everyone who seems useful to connect with that would benefit you.
LinkedIn is not like other social networks where the people there are your friends. Instead, your connections are your professional contacts. So there is no need to carefully curate who you want there, because anyone can guide you towards a potential opportunity. Of course if you add someone on LinkedIn, you want them to accept your request. We will tell you the top five reasons your LinkedIn invitations are being ignored and how to fix each problem.
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About LinkedIn
Linkedin is one of the largest professional networking websites that helps people seek jobs, post jobs, and connect with other users that has almost 700 million users. It was founded in 2002 and launched in 2003 and has only grown in importance since. On LinkedIn, instead of personal and recreational posts like other social media platforms it is intended for job-related updates and milestones.
One of the most important aspects of the site is developing connections with other professionals. The purpose behind this is for users to network and discover opportunities with others in their professional circle. LinkedIn allows you to display your educational background (the university you attended), your current position, former jobs, skills, and a professional summary.
You can use LinkedIn to find jobs or seek out employees within your network and the users of the site as a whole. What makes LinkedIn different from other social media platforms is that it was solely developed with business professionals in mind. So there is a certain etiquette and professionalism that is required when using Linkedin.
Degrees of Separation on LinkedIn
There are varying degrees of separation on LinkedIn and they indicate how closely connected a user is to you. These degrees are shown next to a user’s profile and are either 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or no connection at all. A 1st degree connection means that the users are added to each other’s networks and one or the other has accepted a request. This is the closest level of connection on LinkedIn and the most useful type on the platform. 2nd degree connections are people that your connections are connected to. The last type of connection is the 3rd degree, and these are the people that your 2nd degree connections are connected to. These degrees of connections are useful to find future people that might be a potential job prospect, employer, client, or just a meaningful connection.
Top Reasons Your LinkedIn Invitations Are Being Ignored and How to Fix It
Here are five reasons why prospects are ignoring your LinkedIn invitations and tips for fixing the issues.
1. No Personalized Message
It is especially important to include a personalized message on LinkedIn when adding people, especially those you do not know well or at all. If it is a stranger you are requesting to add to your network, then it is a must to curate a message to the receiver. Also, make sure you have a reason to add strangers to your network and edit the message to not be so generic. The cold message you send could include a little about yourself and some commonalities between you two, such as being in the same industry or group. While you may want to connect with them and have a reason for doing so, they do not know you yet so explain why this connection would benefit them.
2. You Have an Empty Profile
It can look suspicious when someone with a blank profile adds you on LinkedIn. An empty profile on a platform meant to display yourself and professional life looks odd. Some users might think that a spam account is trying to add them so they reject the request. It just looks unprofessional when a user has an empty profile because it displays a lack of effort. Your profile needs to be filled out completely so that people take you seriously and to prove that you are legitimate. We’ll give you some tips next for how to fill out your profile:
Main Aspects of a LinkedIn Profile
Be sure to complete all of the main aspects of your LinkedIn profile, including:
Profile Photo
A profile picture makes you look much more trustworthy than the default avatar. It is always a good idea to smile in your picture because it makes you look more approachable and easier to connect with. Here are some tips to take a good profile photo that makes you stand out.
Headline
This is the section where you describe what you do and where you work. Basically, it is the part that says your position and the company you are employed by.
Summary
The summary is a very customizable section of your profile and is important because you can put keywords here. These keywords help recruiters locate your profile and could work to provide you a potential opportunity. The algorithm on LinkedIn searches for keywords and this affects how your profile is ranked. The summary space can contain up to 2,000 characters so utilize this with information and keywords aimed at your target audience. You can also make this section more interesting by adding media like photos, videos, and the like.
Experience
In this part, you can show other LinkedIn users your experience and go into more detail. It will show your previous positions and the companies you worked for. You will want to add media in this section as well to make your profile stand out.
Endorsements
This part can make some users feel uncomfortable but can be a necessary evil to add validity to your profile. Connections like current and former employers can endorse certain skills of yours to validate your work experience.
Connections
One of the most important parts of LinkedIn is having a number of connections. A small number of connections can look suspicious to some people so it is best to try and add fellow alumni, family members, friends, current coworkers, and former coworkers. People who you know will add you back because they already know you in real life. Possible recruiters and clients want to see that you have a fair amount of connections. Once you achieve 500+ connections, your profile will automatically rank higher.
Customizable LinkedIn URL
This makes it easy to share your LinkedIn profile and have others accept your request. The URL is generally based on your first name, last name, and the field you work in.
3. Poor Grammar
This one seems like a basic tenet that everyone should know, but some people still mess it up. In order to present like a competent professional, your profile must have proper spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. Otherwise, strangers might reject your request because of these mistakes. A lot of the people you send your connection requests to are going to be scanning your profile and take these grammar errors into account. Since LinkedIn is a professional networking website, it is important to put your best foot forward and fix these preventable mistakes that could cost you connections and opportunities.
4. You Misspell Their Name
Once again, grammar mistakes could cost you a connection. It is imperative that when you send a message to connect you look at how a user’s name is spelled. People might just assume you sloppily crafted a message so they might ignore you. In order to avoid this error, double check your introduction messages and look at how someone spells their name.
5. You Are Requesting to Connect Because You Want to Sell Something
There is a time and place to try and sell something, your first attempt to connect with a user is neither. The purpose behind LinkedIn is to try and bring professionals together to one place to foster career growth and networking. There are ways to use LinkedIn for marketing, but it is overall not a marketplace to promote your product or service, but yourself as a business professional. So if you are making your pitch in your messages to strangers, that may be the reason you are getting ignored. A well-thought out, personalized message to other users that include why you want to connect with them will have more success getting you more accepted invitations on LinkedIn.
Using LinkedIn Successfully
It is important to note that there will be times on LinkedIn where you have followed all the above steps and still get ignored. That can happen, but do not let it stop you from utilizing this platform. Sometimes your requests will be rejected and you just have to move on and know you did your best. However, these tips above should help improve your odds in making connections.
FAQ:
- Why is LinkedIn important?
- Who uses LinkedIn?
- Why are LinkedIn connections important?
- How can I improve my LinkedIn profile?
- What are degrees on LinkedIn?
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