You're told you need to network. You're told that one out of four job seekers have found their favorite job through networking. You're told that “it's all about who you know." Networking, networking, networking. Great!
LinkedIn is a big part of networking these days. It's a great platform to manage and nurture your valuable connections. But are you networking on LinkedIn the WRONG way? Are your LinkedIn invitations not converting to connections? Are your LinkedIn requests getting ignored?
Here are three reasons why people might be ignoring your LinkedIn connection requests, and what to do instead…
You Don't Provide A Personalized Message In Your LinkedIn Invitation
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If someone just walked up to you on the street and said, "Hey, you don't know me, but let's be friends!" and walked away, would you welcome them with open arms? Well, maybe you would, but to me that behavior ranks pretty high on the Creep Meter.
Well, when you just send out a generic LinkedIn invitation to a stranger without explaining yourself, that's basically what you're doing. Introduce yourself and let them know why you want to connect. It really makes a big difference.
TIP: Go to the person's LinkedIn profile and use the connection button there when you send out your invites. It will always let you write a personalized message.
You Don't Have A Professional Photo (Or Worse, You Don't Have A Photo At All)
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This might sound shallow, but it's true. If you have a profile picture, people are more likely to take your LinkedIn request seriously. If you have a professionally done photo, your chances are even better.
People want to know who is trying to connect with them. Not only that but if you don't even have a LinkedIn photo, people might assume that you don't take your personal brand seriously.
Your Headline Is Awful
Does any of the following sound like your current LinkedIn headline?
- You use "Looking for opportunities" or "Seeking new opportunities."
- You don't use proper capitalization, punctuation, or grammar, and/or have spelling mistakes.
- Your headline doesn't accurately showcase your brand.
Stop. Just stop. No one will take you seriously if you do any of the above.Check out this amazing post that shows you what you need to write in your LinkedIn headline.
Once you've improved your LinkedIn profile, you can take things to the next level and reach out to recruiters. Here's some advice on how.
By optimizing and updating your LinkedIn profile and personalizing your LinkedIn connection requests, you'll find that fewer people will ignore your invitations to connect, and you'll successfully build your professional network.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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