Inviting People to Connect on LinkedIn - Best Practices - May 2013

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It's up to you to determine how to balance quantity and quality.

Inviting People to Connect on LinkedIn - Best Practices

LinkedIn has several ways you can find contacts to connect with.

  • The People You May Know section is a great resource. Click on the Connect button.
  • Click on any person’s name in a group, in the news stream, or company employee list. These names will be in blue text, which makes them easy to see. This will take you to the person’s profile page.
  • You can also search for the person's profile page and then click on the Connect button.

When you get to the “Invite _____ to connect on LinkedIn” screen, you have some choices to make to tell Linked In how you know this person.

Begin by deleting the default invitation message and then write a personalized note to your connection.

  • If you know the person, make a quick comment to remind them of your connection. If you haven't spoken in a while ask them how they are, what they are doing these days, or make a comment about something you can see on their public profile.
  • If you know the person from afar - you've seen them give a talk, you've read their book, you've heard them on the radio, you read their blog, you know them by reputation - introduce yourself. Spell out how you connected with the person or their work in the past. Offer a sentence or two about why you want to connect. Help the person connect the dots so they see value in connecting with you!

A Bit of Personal Perspective

As an author, speaker, site owner with a media presence, I'm thrilled to connect with people who are drawn to my work.

At the same time, keep in mind that while you may know me, I may not know you! My work reaches far more people than I know personally.

It's likely I won't recognize you from your photo (if you have one), your name, or your profile...Even if I have autographed a book for you, spoken with you after a talk, or you are a newsletter subscriber.

Show me you care about our connection by introducing yourself. You only have a couple of sentences to tell me something that brings you, your interests, and your goals to life for me. I'll be far more likely to hit Accept if I feel there’s a connection between us--a shared interests, a shared connection, a shared event, a shared group, a shared goal.

I'm sure I'm not alone in this. If you are reaching out to others you know from afar, they will also appreciate knowing more about you than the standard default invitation provides.
Carol McClelland, PhD, author of the award-winning book, Green Careers For Dummies, is one of the nation’s leading sustainability career experts. Throughout her career, Carol has helped thousands of people discover careers that match their values and interests. As the Founder and Executive Director of Green Career Central, Carol's current focus is to work with passionate professionals who want to use their expertise to create, or contribute to, sustainable, restorative, and regenerative solutions that build a better world --where the land, people, wildlife, and economy thrive.

As a further introduction to the work that has been born from our partnership, we invite you to download our recently released Free Guidebook. We would love your feedback!

"Two Ways You May Be Unwittingly
Derailing Your Transition to a
Greener, More Sustainable Career

and What You Can Do Right Now to Get Back on Track"

  • Discover two ways you may be taking unnecessary detours lengthening your quest to find a meaningful career
  • Learn why you may never gain traction with your current career transition tactics
  • Uncover how your life changes when you have a clear career vision
  • Find out three actions you can take to get your career transition back on track
  • Identify your best path forward

P.S. This is a very good read even if you are 
not looking for a green, sustainable career.

So take a look at your LinkedIn and make sure it is professional, including a professional head shot, your name, and a catchy title or introduction, a ‘Tag Line’ if possible. I encourage you to be active on LinkedIn at least once a week. Especially if you are in an active job search or thinking about launching one. That is what makes it work!

We’ll talk about that Bio or Profile next! Happy May and let me know how I can support you.