It's a question we get asked all the time, so we thought we’d take a moment to answer it here. First, let's take a step back and think about why you're getting LinkedIn invitations in the first place. Should you be picky or should you accept anyone requesting an invitation on LinkedIn?
Why to accept LinkedIn invites
Your contacts want to connect with you because they see value in your work, or they think you'll be able to help them out in some way. This means that if someone is inviting you to connect on LinkedIn, it's because they want something from you—and that should be enough motivation for you to accept their invite!
But if it's not enough for you (and really, who could blame you?), then here are some other reasons why accepting all your LinkedIn invitations is a good idea:
- By accepting an invitation, you're showing your contacts that their trust in your abilities is warranted; this will help strengthen any business relationships between the two of you.
- You'll be able to see what projects they're working on and how they can benefit from your expertise; this will give both of you better insight into what areas of collaboration might be best suited for each other's needs.
- You'll be able to engage with other professionals who share similar interests as you
When to ignore Linkedin invitations?
Of course, there are many people who just send invites for the sake of growing their number of connections. In those cases, it’s not really interesting to accept the invitation because you will end up diluting your network with unnecessary connections. These unknown people will fill your feed with news that you don’t care about, creating a noise that might obliterate actual relevant information for you.
Think about how much time you have to spare. While it's tempting to accept every invitation that comes your way, you can't do everything—and that includes responding to every person who reaches out on LinkedIn. If you want to keep up with the people who are reaching out to you, consider limiting the number of people you add each week and setting aside a specific time for responding.
Next, think about how much energy—or lack thereof—you have for networking. If you're feeling tired or burnt out from work, then it may not be the best time for you to start connecting with new people via LinkedIn. However, if networking energizes and excites you, then go ahead and accept those invitations!
Lastly, you may wonder the kind of relationship you want to build with each person who invites you into their network. Do they work in a different industry than yours? Are they looking for an opportunity in their field? Or are they just looking for some friendly conversation? Once again: don't accept every invitation!
Your network is your net worth
LinkedIn is not just a place to post your resume and find jobs; it's also a place to build relationships with people in your industry. If you're trying to get hired or have a specific business goal in mind, you need those relationships—and they're not going to happen overnight. You'll want as many connections to create more opportunities. However, always try to keep your LinkedIn network relevant so as to keep it valuable and actionable. A network filled with irrelevant contacts may cause you to lose focus in the end.
At [SuperLink], we’re building a tool to help you identify the best opportunities hidden in your LinkedIn network. [Superlink] helps you make sense out of our LinkedIn invitations so that you can focus on growing your network and drive more business.