LinkedIn Etiquette

I'm a bit of a social networking luddite. Personally, I find the whole concept a bit unnatural to me.

The only social network that I belong to is LinkedIn. I've had an account since 2003 and only because a buddy of mine insisted on it and he actually created the account for me.

I rarely ever log in. But about 3 months ago, I started to accept a few handful of invitations to connect.

What I noticed is that every time, I accept a connection invite, I get a ton more invitations.

I haven't logged into my LinkedIn account in about 4 weeks. And I now have about a hundred or so invitations to connect.

I don't accept all connections. What's etiquette for declining an invite? I have just been ignoring them.

Do you guys run into this problem? Most of the invitations are people that I may have just casually run into in various professional settings. I don't want to seem rude but I really don't see the value in having a lot of connections of people that I barely know.

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Comments

thegoodbye

I typically don't accept an invite unless I've met the individual in person. Here's an etiquette question... If someone endorses your skills for x, y, and z, is it proper etiquette to endorse them back? Lately LinkedIn just seems to be a wall filled with people endorsing skills of other people that they hardly know. Moreover, I shake my head when I see people endorsing someone for a skill they aren't knowledgeable in.

hoktauri

Right now I have 10 connections, 5 of them from a networking event last month. I don't know them well but they are in IT and I hope to use that later on. I am a bit picky about who I connect with since it's not Facebook but on the other hand I think there are searches you can do that include friends of friends and such so it may help to have more.

hoktauri

thegoodbye wrote: »

I typically don't accept an invite unless I've met the individual in person. Here's an etiquette question... If someone endorses your skills for x, y, and z, is it proper etiquette to endorse them back? Lately LinkedIn just seems to be a wall filled with people endorsing skills of other people that they hardly know. Moreover, I shake my head when I see people endorsing someone for a skill they aren't knowledgeable in.

Oh yeah, I got some random guy I think I met for 5 minutes endorsing me for all kinds of stuff. I have endorsed a few people but it's for skills I know they have, like recruiting for a recruiter I have talked with.

YuckTheFankees

From my experience with Linkedin, people will try and add as many as possible. So if you ignore them, I'm willing to bet they wouldn't even notice because they send out such a large amount of request. I have also noticed a lot of people I do not know "endorsing" my skills, hoping I'll do the same. Which defeats the whole purpose of having the skills section.

FloOz

I only add people that I have met in person and also have held a conversation with.

paul78

Yeah - that's part of the issue. I was actually kinda surprised. Everyone of those 100 invites that I got this month are people that I actually met and know and people that will cross my path again.

I also get invites from employees at customers. I am sometimes not really wanting to accept those unless they are at least in my peer group but I don't want to seem rude.

ptilsen

I generally limit it to people I actually know, either that I've met or worked with. I do generally accept invitations from TE members as well. That's it, though. I don't accept the piles of recruiters inviting me. If I were unemployed I would, but I'm not and accepting is seen by all connections (ie current coworkers), so I don't.

As far as etiquette, I would say it's good etiquette to accept from people you've actually worked with. No one else is "required" by convention. I just ignore requests from recruiters or other people I don't know. I might respond and politely say no to someone I know but haven't worked with that I don't want to accept, but that seems like an unlikely situation, frankly.

I'm pretty widely accepting, though. Customers of clients and all coworkers get accepted. I have almost all of my former coworkers (that have LinkedIn) connected. There's really no compelling reason not to accept. The point is professional networking, and it helps people find you to have a larger network. I already know that my next job is likely to come from LinkedIn just based on what I've gotten from recruiters through my network.

Facebook is different. I have very, very few formers on there. No current, and haven't added any for years.

UnixGuy

LinkedIn is a social network without any etiquette. People who don't know you add you and then endorse you for skills they have no clue about.

In fact, I do the opposite. I avoid adding co-workers because I'm looking for a job and I don't want them to know about my job hunting activities. I generally add recruiters.

blargoe

The only hard rule I follow is that I do not socially network with any current co-worker, be it Facebook, LinkedIn, or whatever. It is something I do on my own time, and I don't need my life outside of work affecting my life at work.

I generally don't connect with someone that doesn't seem to have an real-life connection with me unless it is someone that I think I might benefit from talking to.

I will add people with whom I have worked in the past, be it a fellow employee, or a vendor. I'll add recruiters if I know of them, they are local, and aren't just casting a wide net. I'll also add personal friends and acquaintances as long as they do not damage my professional image. Occassionally I add a respected expert in my field just to follow their feed.

I only endorse people whom I would honestly endorse in real life. I do not feel compelled to endorse someone just because they endorsed me.

tpatt100

I get requests from recruiters but I don't always accept requests. I am not really looking or interested "yet" in any offers and I get some weird out of the blue emails for jobs in other states when every place I have my resume I put down "will not relocate".

I have a few relatives on my wife's side that requested to join my network, not sure why since none of them work in I.T. but man I feel like an overachiever when I view their profiles......

f0rgiv3n

I use Linkedin as a way to keep in contact with those that i have had the opportunity to interact with in my career. I am always planning for the worst and hoping for the best in my life. Linkedin helps me with some of that. If I lose my job, I want to have a list of contacts that I can reach out to. You can do this in many ways but the way I do it is through Linkedin. Even though you don't communicate very often, it keeps your name at the forefront of their mind because you'll periodically show up in their news feed.

I'll connect with coworkers, recruiters(because you never know...), and business associates. I do receive linkedin invites from people I've never talked with or know, I just ignore those.

Also, you can't control what others do but you can control yourself. Take this into consideration with endorsements and recommendations (linkedin and elsewhere). I only truly recommend people that I can stand behind. I take my recommendations and endorsements seriously so I only endorse if I truly have seen the skillset from the individual.

ptilsen

f0rgiv3n wrote: »

I use Linkedin as a way to keep in contact with those that i have had the opportunity to interact with in my career. I am always planning for the worst and hoping for the best in my life. Linkedin helps me with some of that. If I lose my job, I want to have a list of contacts that I can reach out to. You can do this in many ways but the way I do it is through Linkedin. Even though you don't communicate very often, it keeps your name at the forefront of their mind because you'll periodically show up in their news feed.

IMO, this right here is the whole point of LinkedIn. I get keeping professional and personal separate, but LinkedIn is meant for professional networking. It is not Facebook.

UnixGuy wrote: »

In fact, I do the opposite. I avoid adding co-workers because I'm looking for a job and I don't want them to know about my job hunting activities. I generally add recruiters.

Honestly, I think not adding coworkers and other professional contacts is missing out on the primary utility of LinkedIn. If you just want to get catcalls from recruiters without coworkers seeing, Monster is still better IMO. Not to mention, adding recruiters isn't really necessary on LinkedIn. They will find you, and you can contact them outside of LinkedIn (or privately within LinkedIn) once they have. They will have an easier time finding you if your network is large, and will be more interested in you if you have recommendations.

UnixGuy wrote: »

LinkedIn is a social network without any etiquette. People who don't know you add you and then endorse you for skills they have no clue about.

I do dislike the endorsement system. I try to endorse honestly, but I've been endorsed for skills by people who probably have no idea whether I'm any good. I don't even like the skills system, because it essentially becomes a laundry list of shallowness. But, these are fairly minor flaws in what is otherwise a fairly good system.

QHalo

So many recruiters reach out to so many people on Linkedin. I have canned responses to recruiter invitations. It typically goes along the lines of "Thanks for reaching out to me but I'm not looking for new opportunities currently. If that changes in the future I'll be more than happy to reach back out to you. Good luck with your search!" I accept their invitation and move on. There's no sense in being rude or ignoring someone who may help you find a job in the future.

You would be surprised how small your city may be in terms of who knows who. Even in Chicago the market is still very close knit, especially in the legal industry which I'm a part of. Yes, I know there's a billion recruiters out there but I don't see a reason not to keep your avenues open in case you need them. As for endorsements, well I don't endorse people I know don't have the skills in those areas.

N2IT

I link to whoever or whomever. It makes no difference unless they are nuts then I remove them. I join link list and currently have over 7000 connects. I recently put a former co worker who worked in our procurement team with a company recruiter with the permission of the former co worker and she now is director of HR for one of the finest companies in the Midwest. That was a great feeling. My primary purpose is to get my name out there and to get as much exposure as possible. I get over 50 invites a week to connect (all legit no spam bots) and get hit up with 10 - 20 offers a week, some even for FTE positions. My value has increased so much it's ridiculous. Just the other day I had a recruiter hit me up about a job and mentioned he had to minimize all these screens. I asked why he didn't have a dual screen monitor. He noted he did but didn't know how to set it up I ran over there later that evening and set up. The guy loves me and is always looking to toss my name in the hat. Bottomline is knowing how to utilize social media and blending it with customer service. Those two pieces create a powerful combo.

paul78

Thanks for everyone's thought on the subject. It's quite enlightening.

@n2it - your use of LinkedIn is quite fasinating. I would have imagined the opposite would have occured because of all the connections.

@ptilsen - makes sense. I think my understanding of LinkedIn is closer to yours.

@qhalo - good point about how small it can be. Which is one of the reasons why I was struggling with the concept of LinkedIn. If I already know everyone I care to know, why use LinkedIn. The various comments has changed my perspective.

What I have recently found interesting is the type of people that use LinkedIn... I got a few LinkedIn requests from some very senior and prominent people that I encountered. I accepted the connection but I kept trying to figure out their motive - i.e Why would someone in their position even what to be linked to me? I really found it mystifying.

N2IT

@ Paul it's like sales. The more connects you have the more probability there is for someone to see you as a potential employee/resource. Just as in sales to double your sales touch twice as many people.

This is great for guys like me who take on short contracts and move around a lot. If you stay static at one position for a long period of time it's probably not going to help you all that much. However you can help others still with your ability to hit such a large group of people. Darril Gibson just recently released a A+ book partnered with MS Press and I connected it to my updates and over 7000 people were blasted with that update. Even if that led to one or two sales that helped MS and Darril. All I had to do is link it to my updates.

PT made a valid point the recruiters have premium accounts which allows them to reach out to you about different positions so it's not required, but being connected still helps.

There are no secrets in the world so I just remain transparent.

Regarding the skill endorsement, I agree they are a little cheesy that's for sure. I keep getting endorsed for MS Project for some bizarre reason. I know how to use it, but I don't feel comfortable listing it. I personally endorse quite a bit even for people from this forum. If member XYZ claims to have Window server certifications and discusses it a lot and even holds a position regarding that technology I will endorse them. I tend to trust people and if they choose to lie about their skills on here well...............

lsud00d

A coworker added 'SDLC' to their skillset the other day and I wanted to simply ask him to spell out the acronym (I doubt he can) but didn't want to embarrass him in front of the customer

QHalo

paul78 wrote: »

What I have recently found interesting is the type of people that use LinkedIn... I got a few LinkedIn requests from some very senior and prominent people that I encountered. I accepted the connection but I kept trying to figure out their motive - i.e Why would someone in their position even what to be linked to me? I really found it mystifying.

I got a connection from someone way senior to join a group that was not even close to my level. I joined anyway because maybe I'll get to see some discussions on how senior level employees think about things and how to relate to them better.

hoktauri

I felt the same way after I talked to a local CEO at a networking event and then he sent me a request. The gulf between us is huge but I'll take it!

Ahriakin

I don't know you, you don't get added. If I don't have first hand experience of your skills they won't be endorsed - Plain and simple. TBH I think people connecting and accepting connections (and endorsing for the hell of it) from just about anyone out there is what weakens the Linkedin system. More is not always better.

kiki162

I got a request from a Sales person to connect on my LinkedIn account. I mainly had mine up there for job purposes and to connect on some of their groups. I basically blocked the guy, and then told him over the phone that's it's inappropriate to do what he did and to stop calling.

cmitchell_00

I think Linkedin is an awesome networking tool. However, it's pain when you get hit's from people you don't know and recruiters who add all the people from your contact list. I don't really have anyone on my line outside of I.T. ppl and I don't endorse folk who've I never worked with. If someone adds me and I don't know them I research who they are connected too and I usually never respond i.e. deny/or/add until I get confirmation.

instant000

LinkedIn Etiquette:

- I don't even list skills, as I feel that it boxes me in so that someone could attempt to categorize me
- 99% of the people giving endorsements for skills have NO IDEA of whether or not I have said skill
- Even though this section is personally worthless to me, I am well aware that there is a search interface to filter people based upon skills (and reserve the right to add it later, for this specific reason if I ever get serious about looking again.)
- I feel that the skills section is purely a popularity contest

- I intentionally deleted my summary/job descriptions, as I was getting too many recruiter offers. I'll add these sections back if I ever seriously start looking again
- I used to not add current coworkers or provide the current company name, but since I work in contracting, it's expected that people move around, so no big deal and I show the current company and add coworkers

- The purpose of LinkedIn (in my opinion) is for being in touch with opportunities and helping people out when you can (For example, a guy posted that he was trying to find a permanent position for one of his interns, and a potential employer asked if the guy was 8570-compliant. I knew the guy didn't know what this meant, and since he had made it an open comment, I could chime in on how this employee had several certifications that made him 8570 compliant -- it can be a helpful thing.)

- I write recommendations for former coworkers, in order to help them out. After reconsidering this, I feel that the recommendation tends to reflect more on the person who wrote it, than the person who received it (if that makes any sense).

- It takes a lot more time and effort to make a good recommendation than to "plus-up" someone on some skills.

paul78

Good points. Maybe I'm being swallow but I do feel like LinkedIn connections should be coveted. And does having all those connections dilute one's professional network. I also can't help wondering about the saying that "you are judged by the company that you keep".

instant000

paul78 wrote: »

also can't help wondering about the saying that "you are judged by the company that you keep".

Some people only connect with people they've worked with before. If I did that, I would not even be on LinkedIn. I'm trying to meet people I can work with in the future, not the same people I'm working with today or have worked with already--I already know how to contact them. Different perspective.

However, I can understand the paranoid side that only want to connect with people they know well -- which would mean that people would only connect with coworkers or former coworkers. In fact, LinkedIn tells people to only connect with people who they know well. If I did that, I would have missed out on a recruiter who helped me get a job but also became a personal friend later one.

For example, if I want to relocate to a particular town, then I seek out LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networkers) in that town. The LIONs are basically the people who have pledged to accept any and all invites in an attempt to bridge networking gaps for others. The LIONs will have TONS and TONs of contacts, and will have connections with many people in the new area. Also, if you can go further to find a LION in your career field, these people are generally very open to helping, and can assist you by telling you things about the area that you wouldn't pick up otherwise.

JDMurray and N2IT are LIONs on LinkedIn, and I'm pretty sure that most members here would feel that they can be a valuable part of someone's career building network.

Netiv

You are making sense there N2IT, network and get to know people. Like QHalo said, "There's no sense in being rude or ignoring someone who may help you xxx in the future."

blargoe

instant000 wrote: »

Some people only connect with people they've worked with before. If I did that, I would not even be on LinkedIn. I'm trying to meet people I can work with in the future, not the same people I'm working with today or have worked with already--I already know how to contact them. Different perspective.

That is a fair point. It makes more sense to be more liberal with accepting/requesting connections if you are new to your field, or just don't know that many people professionally. You have to start somewhere.

However, I can understand the paranoid side that only want to connect with people they know well -- which would mean that people would only connect with coworkers or former coworkers. In fact, LinkedIn tells people to only connect with people who they know well. If I did that, I would have missed out on a recruiter who helped me get a job but also became a personal friend later one.

For example, if I want to relocate to a particular town, then I seek out LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networkers) in that town. The LIONs are basically the people who have pledged to accept any and all invites in an attempt to bridge networking gaps for others. The LIONs will have TONS and TONs of contacts, and will have connections with many people in the new area. Also, if you can go further to find a LION in your career field, these people are generally very open to helping, and can assist you by telling you things about the area that you wouldn't pick up otherwise.

That is an exception to the hard and fast "only if I know them well" that makes a lot of sense. But it is still targeting your potential connections toward your end goal or relocating to a new region, or linking with experts in your field, which is smart IMO. I would still be selective and pick and choose the people in these categories instead of being wide open, though.

paul78

@instant000 - a LinkedIn LION - wow - never heard of that before. I just read a bit about it. There's even a LinkedIn group for it.

I suppose I'm still a bit more conservative about who I would choose to connect to. I can see your point about limiting oneself to just people that you work with if someone doesn't already have a network through other means.

It seems that I have a bit of a myopic view of LinkedIn. I had thought of it more of a tool to organize and track a non-digital real-world network. Versus a different medium to build a network. I'll have to give that some more thought.