Should You Accept All LinkedIn Requests?
Kyle Reyes
Owner, Law Enforcement Today, Blue Lives Matter and The Police Tribune. CEO, The Silent Partner Marketing. Serial entrepreneur. Christian conservative. Keynote speaker.
You're overwhelmed with LinkedIn requests. Does accepting them all make you a boss or a bozo?
If you haven't noticed by the 150 or so articles I've written on LinkedIn in the past few months, we're extremely bullish on what I consider to be the social media sleeper.
LinkedIn is becoming the search engine for professionals and businesses. Simply by who you are connected with you can show up in search results, regardless if the searcher was looking for you or not.
The more you show up the more business opportunities you’ll have. This all starts with growing your network. But should you accept all connection requests? Let's dive into that a little.
The Good
If you deny requests from all people you don’t know you could be passing up on some serious business opportunities.
And let's say God forbid you lose your job - did you screw yourself by not having a big network?
The more people you are able to reach out to within you LinkedIn network, the better your chances are at finding a job - and fast. With well over 107 MILLION users in just the U.S., and more than 305 MILLION worldwide, it's where you NEED to be.
How I Select
Listen, it's not rocket science - and it's not an ego thing. I accept almost anyone - but here's who I usually do NOT accept.
You Don't Have A Picture- I want to know if you're credible. I want to know if you are real. I want to make sure you are not a bot. If I don't know you, I want to put a face to the name. No face, no deal.
You're A Fraud- I can spot a bot a mile away. I can usually spot a scam artist from ten miles away. And if you are connecting with me for the sole purpose of selling me a product from your MLM, I'm going to reject your ass faster than you can say "wait".
You're All Push, No Pull- I hate when people try and tell me why their business is the absolute best and why we need to hire them in the very connection request. It's like picking up a girl for a first date and moving in for the kiss before she even gets in the car. You need to earn it, baby. If you're not willing to work for it...adios.
The Personalized Message- The blanket connection request is so '04. Tell me why you want to connect with me and you're totally in.
Students- I get hit up by students all of the time. And guess what? I usually accept them. I'm sick of hearing about how they don't "provide value" to your network. They are learning, damnit - and might just be the next Jobs. Give them a shot. You won't regret it.
What about you? What's your criteria for LinkedIn requests?
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POSTED BY
Kyle Reyes is the President and Creative Director of The Silent Partner Marketing, New England's #1 Marketing Agency. We're a boutique marketing firm focused on helping businesses grow in an age of exploding technology. You can find him on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.
Comedian, Writer, Actor
9 年The problem that I've seen with being too accepting when it comes to requests from people you don't know is that the value of your timeline decreases if you don't know most of the people on it. It's much more valuable to fill that space with information and news that you know and care about.
Project Management Professional
9 年I appreciated most of your comments, especially those related to students. It is important to support the next generation. They are the future leaders who will improve our world.
Director - Turnaround and Restructuring
9 年Thanks for connecting with us students! I usually accept the request regardless of who they are, for the sole reason that every connection increases your 2nd & 3rd degree connections. Many times, this has proved invaluable while researching companies, opportunities, or even career planning. Great article and thanks for sharing
Proudly Serving as the Director of Membership Engagement for the Michigan Economic Developers Association
9 年This is a tough one for me. I work in economic development, which is a pretty broad industry. I do look at people who send me requests to connect to make sure they are associated with a faction of industry, i.e. business owner, workforce development, private consultant, but I'm very liberal at deciding who to accept because they might be interested in services provided by the Michigan Economic Developers Association and I don't want to deny anybody. Maybe I should respond to them and ask them!
Independent Risk Management (EDDC)at Wells Fargo
9 年Great point, I totally agree!