Why Your LinkedIn Invitation Was Rejected - The Muse

Why Your LinkedIn Invitation Was Rejected - The MuseWhy Your LinkedIn Invitation Was Rejected Theres been some debate over how to use LinkedIn. Some suggest connecting with only people you know and work with, while others encourage inviting people to your network the same way you would with Twitter- in other words, adding anyone and everyone. No matter which philosophy you follow, theres one hurdle youll always have to overcome getting people to accept.Obviously, we all know to scrap the generic Id like to connect with you message and send a personalized invite. (Right?) But even that doesnt guarantee that a LinkedIn invite will be accepted. Here are a few more reasons you might not be getting the connections you want- and what to do instead. 1. Your Message Lacks Meaningful IntentionWhat is the difference between these two LinkedIn invites?I attended your workshop on entrepreneurship last week and would like to connect with you on LinkedIn.It was a pleasure chatting with you about entrepreneurship after your workshop last week, and Id love to keep in touch.Its a really minor difference, but the second one feels easier to accept because its clear what the person extending the invitation wants. The first invitation is just a little too open-ended. Its not clear why the person wants to connect, and that makes it harder for someone to accept this invite. Make sure your invite has a straightforward and, ideally, mutually beneficial reason for connecting. 2. Youre Selling SomethingThere is one caveat to the previous rule of thumb for LinkedIn invites. While you do want to include why you are interested in connecting, you definitely dont want to include in your LinkedIn invite whatever it is that youre selling or pitching. Theres just something off-putting about being sold to during one of the very first interactions you have with someone. So, dont do it. The LinkedIn invite is just not the place.3. Your LinkedIn Profile Is IncompleteSo, now that your LinkedIn invit e is all faux pas free, its time to have a look at your profile. It looks almost suspicious if youre actively adding contacts on LinkedIn but havent made the effort to show who you are on your actual LinkedIn profile. If you have no photo, sparse experience, only a few connections, and no signs of interaction from others (like recommendations or endorsements), its definitely less likely that people will accept your invitation to connect. They simply wont know who you are. To be safe, put in the effort and build up your profile. Here are some tips on how. 4. They Never Check LinkedInOf course, there are a couple reasons that you might not get connected with someone that have nothing to do with you or the invitation you write, and theyre definitely worth noting. LinkedIn keeps growing, and even though many people have a LinkedIn profile, not everyone checks it as frequently as they probably should. The person youre trying to connect with might very well be open to connecting but just doesnt use LinkedIn as often as you do. Dont take it personally. Going back full circle, you could also just have a different philosophy on how to use LinkedIn from the person you hope to connect with. Some people only use LinkedIn to connect with people theyve had experience working with professionally and will reject invites from anyone else. This is one of those things you cant do anything about. Do what you can and make sure your LinkedIn invite doesnt feel sales-y while still explaining what youre looking for. I know it sounds more effortful than it needs to be, but its worth it. After all, when it comes to your career, theres nothing more valuable than your network. Photo of envelope courtesy of Shutterstock.