Do I Accept This LinkedIn connection Request?

How to assess if the connection request is legitimate and worth connecting with:

• What is that person’s background? Are there lots of details in the experience section? How many years have they spent at the same company? Be careful! Minimal detail means it could be a fake account!
• If a recruiter, which company does this person work at? If you haven’t heard of them before, check out their website, research the company's financial situation on Google Finance, are they a stock exchange listed company with strict personal information protection policies?
• See if you have any connections in common, this is easy to find on the connecting person’s profile when you view it
• View how many connections they have, do they have over 500?
• Is this person a specialist in your field and therefore an expert able to offer you tailored market updates, jobs and support specific?
• If it is a hiring manager or in-house recruiter (HR or talent acquisition professional), is this the type of company you may have an interest in finding out more about?
• If they are a hiring manager or talent acquisition, how senior is this person? Double check they have a job opportunity or whether this are just networking
• Is the person contacting you in the country you are based in? It's very difficult, particularly for a recruiter, to be a specialist if not based in the country you wish to work.
• Has this person explained the job opportunity in the message sent to you? One of the biggest complaints I hear is from executives who are frustrated with recruiters “hiding the ball” and not telling them the company name until they have given their cv and had an hour long conversation, only to discover there are no suitable openings currently. The exception to this is if you are contacted by a big company, they will ideally request your CV up front because they have a huge team and will need to figure out internally who you should liaise with initially to explain your situation before then introducing the most suitable opportunities

LinkedIn is a great tool for everyone. Taking a few small steps can ensure your account is used in the best possible way!

For any questions on your LinkedIn profile or how to get the most out of it, email me at tommcmahon@michaelpage.co.jp