Is there ever a reason for impersonal LinkedIn invites to connect?

The enigma that is unexplained LinkedIn Invites transcribed by Otter.ai

Hello, it’s Katrina Collier here. Now I’m looking for some Monday, honesty from you. Pop a comment below, if you open your LinkedIn invites to connect, and you go, “What do you want?” You look at them and you don’t understand what they want. They’re not explained. And you kind of go. Okay, and you probably hit the ignore. And if you’re really nasty hit the I don’t know button, potentially getting people blocked as well.

I am putting together a presentation. Well, technically, I should have already finished it but anyway, I’m finishing off the presentation for SourceCon, which was sort due a week ago. Sorry, guys. But I’m super excited to be keynoting, and I’m talking about engagement and communicating and you know, using the tools well, and I realised, as I’m going through that and I’m talking about the invites to connect that I have been asking people to explain what they want for about eight years, that I’ve been talking to recruiters and HR about this. And I still don’t understand why people won’t add a comment and explain what they want. It’s just like common courtesy.

I mean, you wouldn’t just walk up to somebody and grab them and walk off with them, would you? Which is a little bit like what happens when you do send an unexplained invite to connect, because if I accept that, you have access to my contact details, which include things like phone and email, so therefore, you can get the ability to spam me. I also guarantee, the one time that I accept that one where I’m sitting on the edge going, ‘I’m not sure whether I should accept this or not’ guaranteed I get a sales promotion right after it. So it’s, ‘what do you want?’ Please explain what you want.

Now lots of recruiters are currently looking for work, lots of HR as well, you have such an opportunity to use that section, that little add a personal note section, to explain what you’re after and probably open a door and open an opportunity. If you are using your phone instead of using the great big Connect button that’s right there on their profile, go to the 3 dots and you’ll see ‘personalize invite’. Oh, my, I hope my sound isn’t off again, I can hear it making strange noises. Sorry if it’s off again,

If you’re on someone’s profile, they have a Follow button, the invite to connect is under the three dots. But then what I’ve noticed on the desktop, is when you send the invite, it’s just gone. And then you have to add the note. So please make sure you add a note.

Now on that I have one sitting here. This is what set off this whole conversation asking me if I would be interested in some agency recruitment job opportunities. Now, the last time I was a recruitment agent was so long ago that they would have had to scroll back through about eight or nine different positions, including going through several screens. So they didn’t look at my profile before they sent me that I did get an explanation. But again, I was like, “Really?’ And then I had the kind of the generic one. The you know, ‘since we’re in the same industry I wanted to connect.’ My fear is I accept that and again, I get sales pitch. And that’s my concern. I don’t want that.

So explain what you want but reassuringly so people go, OK I understand. I’ll accept, you know, currently, it could be ‘We’re in tough times I’m looking for work, just curious if you have any opportunities, let me know.” or it could be something along the lines, you know, sort of quite quite honest. Along the lines of ‘I have these skills, I feel they’d be an asset for you for your firm, who’s the best person to talk to you about future opportunities?’ It’s light, it’s relevant and it makes sense to the person reading it and that’s all they want to know. It looks like people can hear me so that’s quite relief. I always get very concerned.

But I would really love to know why, why it is we do this like why is it we still send these unexplained LinkedIn invites to connect? I currently have about eight or nine of them sitting there. And the thing is, the worst thing is you get that ‘I don’t know’ someone ignores the accept and then says I don’t know and several of those does get you in trouble. Then It’s also that manners piece, that just explaining what you want, and not filling someone with concern.

And I think the other thing on that as recruiters when we’re looking for people, and we’re getting in contact with potential candidates, there’s a little bit of arrogance that still goes on that recruiters think that everybody on LinkedIn is there to get a job. And that’s not the case. That’s not why I joined LinkedIn back in the day. And there are tons of people on here that are here just for networking. They’re not here to be hit up for a job. So again, if you write that explanation of what you want, it’ll really make a difference, as well.

But it’s just, I don’t know, it’s just courtesy. I think that’s probably all I really wanted to say about it. I think I’m more fascinated that all these years later, I’m still having to ask people to please explain. Please explain what you want, so that when people open up your LinkedIn invite to connect, they’re not just going, ‘what do you want?’ and that’s reflecting back on you. But please, argue with me, tell me I’m wrong. Tell me why I’m wrong. Let me know why you do it. I’m fascinated. And because I’ve been talking about it for so long and nothing has changed. Let me know. Maybe I’m just completely wrong in my thinking on this. Anyway, I’ll be back soon with some more five minutes ranting.