LinkedIn allows you to connect with other professionals by sending them invitations to join your network. If you want to see a list of all the invitations you have sent out, LinkedIn provides an easy way to do this.
Viewing your sent invitations
To see a list of people you’ve invited to connect on LinkedIn:
- Go to your LinkedIn homepage and click on “My Network” at the top of the page.
- On the “Manage my network” page, click on “Invitations” in the left sidebar.
- This will show you a list of all pending invitations you’ve sent as well as previously accepted/ignored invitations.
The “Invitations” page shows you the name, job title, and company of each person you’ve invited to connect. It also shows the date you sent the invitation and its current status (pending, accepted, ignored).
How to cancel a sent invitation
If you want to cancel an invitation you’ve sent that is still pending, just hover over the invitation and click the “Cancel invitation” button that appears. This retracts your connection invitation so the recipient will no longer see it.
Resending invitations
If someone ignored your invitation, you can resend an invitation to them after 60 days. Just click the “Resend invitation” link next to their name. Note that you can only resend an invitation once per person.
For accepted invitations, you cannot resend an invitation. But you can message the person to try and restart the conversation.
Connecting with people who invited you
To see incoming invitations you’ve received but not yet acted on, go to the same “Manage my network”>”Invitations” page. This section shows connection requests others have sent to you.
To accept an invitation, just click the “Accept” button next to their name. Or you can ignore it by clicking “Ignore.”
Finding connections through search
You can also search for specific people to see if you’re connected on LinkedIn. Use the main search bar at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
When you search for someone, if you’re connected, it will say “X is in your network.” If you’ve sent them an invitation that’s pending, it will say “You’ve invited X to connect.”
Connecting with people you may know
LinkedIn also provides recommendations of people you may know based on shared connections, schools, workplaces, etc. You can browse these recommendations on the “My Network” page.
When you see someone you’d like to connect with, click the “Connect” button on their profile. This sends them an invitation to connect.
Following up on your invitations
It’s a good idea to follow up if you notice an invitation has been ignored or is still pending after some time. Send them an InMail message reintroducing yourself and expressing interest in connecting.
Customizing your invitation message can also increase your chance of getting a response. Mention why you’d like to connect and how you could mutually benefit from the relationship.
Connecting with coworkers
If you’d like to connect with coworkers at your company, the best approach is to connect in real life first. Introduce yourself in person and mention you’d like to stay in touch on LinkedIn.
Your coworkers will be more likely to accept your invitation if they already know who you are. Sending random invites to coworkers you’ve never spoken with may come across as impersonal.
Tips for managing your network
Here are some additional tips for managing your LinkedIn network:
- Personalize invitation messages instead of using LinkedIn’s default text.
- Focus on quality connections, not just quantity. Connect only with people you’ve actually met or truly want to build a relationship with.
- Follow up on outstanding invitations after 1-2 weeks.
- Consider paying for LinkedIn Premium to see who has viewed your profile.
- Organize your connections with tags and add notes to remember how you met each person.
- Check your invitation acceptance rate under “See your impact” in your Profile.
Why connecting matters
Building your network on LinkedIn allows you to:
- Stay in touch and nurture relationships with business contacts
- Get introduced to new contacts by people in your network
- Get alerted to new job opportunities through your connections
- Exchange advice, ideas, and insights with your network
- Showcase endorsements and recommendations from connections
- Discover inside information about companies you’re interested in
In summary, connecting with the right people can enhance your career, improve your visibility, and open up new possibilities. So thoughtfully build your LinkedIn network by sending personalized invitations, organizing your connections, and leveraging your contacts.
