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Original poster

I have a question about LinkedIn

15 replies

VirgoGrr · 28/12/2011 16:24

I've made a career change, moved to a new area and am going self employed. I've signed up to LinkedIn and made a spiffy profile, I've added people that I already know from my old job, but I'd like to make some local contacts in my new field.

What's the etiquette on contacting people that are in groups with you, but you haven't met them in real life? If you can see people that you share groups with, but don't know them, would you send them a connection request? I don't think I'd mind if someone who does the same thing as me would want to connect with me, but I don't want to make a terrible faux pas. Do people do this?

OP posts:
catsareevil · 28/12/2011 16:27

I think of it as being a bit like passing someone a business card, if that makes sense. My threshold for accepting requests on linked in is lower than that on facebook (and different types of relationship obviously). Maybe it would be better to send the person a message first to establish some sort of connection?

StuckInTheFensAwayFromHome · 28/12/2011 16:33

I think you can tailor the message - so essentially say some version of the above... I would try to give a specific reason.
I get a lot of requests from speculative head hunters and will only accept if I feel they have made some effort to find out about me, rather than the ones that have clearly just seen a specific qualification I have and are fishing...

whatdoiknowanyway · 28/12/2011 16:53

If you send a personal message explaining why you would like to link, then that would be fine with me. Proactive and professional.

The requests I get from people I don't know or who I may have been in the same room as once although we never spoke really irritate me. That's when they send a standard invitation like 'since you're someone who I've worked with and respect I'd like to be a contact on LinkedIn'. Sometimes I ignore, other times I reply asking, nicely, when it was we actually met. it's not hard to send a personal invitation and will probably be much more productive for you.

Original poster
VirgoGrr · 28/12/2011 17:06

Ok, that sounds promising. I'm glad it's not a complete no-no. LinkedIn seemed like a good way to network with other people who are in related occupations, seeing as I'm in a new area and am working on my own. I guess if you're self employed, you're very unlikely to just bump into people. Smile

Do you think it would be ok to invite with something along the lines of:
I've seen that you do x and y and your work looks really interesting (with some details) I specialise in a and b, would you like to join my network?

OP posts:
RedRosie · 28/12/2011 17:18

I use this a lot for work, and think your approach above is just right. It is not like FB at all. As Whatdoiknowanyway says, it is easy to personalise the request - and done politely, you have nothing to lose by trying. Catsareevil (are they?) Also provides a good parallel by saying to think of it a bit like a business card.

Make sure you join appropriate groups as well, and give your Twitter name (if you have one) in your profile. I have only ever used LinkedIn and Twitter professionally, and they have both been useful.

TalkinPeace2 · 28/12/2011 18:58

The other side of a linkedin invitation is that it results in an email to the person
if they choose to ignore it, then fine
but at least they know you exist
DH has lots and lots of connections
we ONLY do 2nd connections - no completely cold ones
and one link has now turned into an enquiry which is excellent

watersign76 · 30/12/2011 13:15

I'd agree with everybody else. Personalised approaches are the way ahead. I hate receiving invites from strangers with the default message.

You can also ask people you know to introduce you to others. Some prolific networkers I have met, have offered their contacts to me "Browse my contacts, and if you see somebody you want to connect with, I'll introduce you". Gosh.

You are you right you won't bump into people, so I'd make some time/a plan for in-person networking, that will help you build your network. If you aren't aware, there are lots of networking clubs, meetings, groups out there, just google networking and your area.

Good luck, hope 2012 brings lots of new clients :)

ameliagrey · 05/01/2012 22:29

Can I resurrect this please with a different question?

I have been on linkedin for some time- have nearly 100 connections- so have a rough idea how it works.

I recently received an email invitation to "Connect" with a man who is ,basically, an ex- ( not H but once a significant other)

I emailed him to ask if he had sent the invitation and he denied it- said that he had started to join LI, then tried to erase his profile, and now he was receiving emails from other people in the site.

I am a bit sceptical.

whenever I have asked people to connect, I've had to be very specific about how we know each other and add their email address if we are not connected by business- and this ex and I are in totally different occupations so there would never be any cross over. he has no connections so far so it could not have come via a 3rd party connection.

My instinct is he contacted me via Linkedin as a means of getting back in touch- what do you think of his explanation? surely LI can't send invitations of its own accord unless you generate them?

Original poster
VirgoGrr · 06/01/2012 00:24

I'd be sceptical of that explanation too. Afaik, LinkedIn does not magically send out emailed connection requests based on previous relationships. Hmm It may have suggested you as a connection to him if he has your email address saved in his address book, however you still have to give it permission to search your contacts to get that far.
I'd think he sent it, then when you questioned it, he came up with a silly excuse.

OP posts:
ameliagrey · 06/01/2012 08:49

Thanks- it will remain a mystery! See replies to my duplicate post ( sorry about that.)

I know that LI does suggest contact who are in your email contacts- and I am in his without doubt) but I too thought he had to click to send an inviation, and also say how he knew me- in this case it would be as a "friend" not colleague or business contact.

The crux of this seems to be whether he ticked some box when he registered which gave LI permission to send invites to all his email contacts , and he didn't realise he had done this- or, he did invite me and had 2nd thoughts about it when challenged.

If anyone knows more than this do please say. FWIW he behaved badly and I thought this might be his way of crawling back into a friendship with me, in a remote way!

TalkinPeace2 · 06/01/2012 21:29

I use linkedin / FB / twitter / everwhere
Linkedin ONLY sends a message to the in box if it is actively sent
all others are left as options

BUT
you need to take a view - is your ex in an industry where he and his connections are useful to you?
if so, link to him, link to his connections
linkedin is NOT the same as FB

ameliagrey · 06/01/2012 22:44

TinPOOOOh- so his "I didn't send anything" is a porkie is it?

I use LI and have about 100 connections- it's years since I signed up so have forgotten what happens when you first register.

I did wonder if the invite could have been sent as part of a mass email to all his email contacts- by accident if he wasn't sure what he was doing? Not possible IYO?

We have no professional connection, so LI would only have flagged me up/my email because I am in his email addresses.

There is nothing to be gained by connecting with him via LI. I was and am intrigued to know if his invite was a way of testing the water between us- we had been in touch for ages as friends then had a falling out over something, so LI invite could have been a rather "remote" way of seeing if I was still on speaking terms with him.

If you are 100% sure that he could not have asked me to connect accidently it gives me something to ponder- and of course, accuse him of not being entirely honest!

TalkinPeace2 · 06/01/2012 22:51

its a total porkie
but it could be a professionally useful porkie ....
check his connections out
once linked to them you can always remove him later !!

ameliagrey · 07/01/2012 09:24

LOLSmile

He has no other connections . Zilch. What made me smile was if he had sent a mass email invite it would have also gone to another of his ex's who's on LI and who I am pretty sure would not wish to connect either!

I am also pretty sure that if he wanted to delete his profile and unsubscribe it would, surely?

watersign76 · 07/01/2012 11:34

My friend signed up, not being that IT savy and obviously clicked the "invite those you might know" box...it sent invites to everybody she'd ever emailed. Including people she was trying to "loose". He may well have done that, once it starts doing it, you cannot stop it!

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