When Should You Accept a LinkedIn Connection Request?
Q: I often get LinkedIn requests from people I don't know in my industry. Should I accept to expand my network, or is it OK to 'Ignore' them?
A: This is completely up to you.
If you have fewer than 500 LinkedIn connections, you might want to consider accepting the requests if they don’t come across as spammy.
If you want to have a very strategic LinkedIn network, you would focus on only accepting those connections who seem like they might be mutually beneficial.
Here is the criteria I use to decide whether or not I accept a LinkedIn connection request.
Person’s name - do they have emojis or other strange characters in the name field? If so, I usually do not accept.
Person’s headline - do they sound too sales-y in their headline or do they come across as authentic. I’m especially leery of “lead generation experts” because they tend to pitch me soon after I accept their connection requests.
Person’s headshot - does it look somewhat professional or does it look better suited for Instagram?
Person’s profile - does their profile look professional or at least partially completed? I will not completely disregard a request from someone with a “barely there” profile, but I am much less likely to accept the request.
What do you think? Curious how other savvy LinkedIn users decide? Join the conversation and pick up some tips here.
