LinkedIn is great for connecting with professional contacts and expanding your network. However, the constant connection suggestions from people you don’t know can be annoying. Here are some tips for reducing or stopping LinkedIn’s connection recommendations.
Adjust Your LinkedIn Privacy Settings
The first step is adjusting your privacy settings in LinkedIn. This controls what information of yours is available to others, and what suggestions you will see.
Go to your LinkedIn account settings and find the Privacy tab. Under How others see your LinkedIn activity, adjust these settings:
| Setting | Recommendation |
| Your profile photo and network | Only visible to your connections |
| Sharing profile edits | No |
| Activity broadcast | No |
Restricting this information limits unsolicited connection requests. You can also customize which parts of your profile are visible under Profile visibility.
Turn Off LinkedIn Open Profiling
LinkedIn Open Profiling is enabled by default. This allows anyone to send you a connection request, even if they don’t know your email address or last name.
To disable this:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > How others see your profile and find the Open Profile section
- Uncheck “Let anyone on LinkedIn see your profile photo and full profile”
With this disabled, only people you know can directly connect with you on LinkedIn.
Disable Profile Suggestions
You can prevent LinkedIn from using your personal information to generate suggestions:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Preferences
- Under Data privacy, select No for options like:
- “Let LinkedIn use my name, photo and account information to generate suggestions”
- “Let LinkedIn use my skills, ideas, interests and education”
Opting out here will reduce unsolicited connection recommendations.
Manage Your LinkedIn Notifications
LinkedIn will notify you whenever someone views your profile or sends a connection request. Reduce these:
- In Settings & Privacy, go to Communications
- Under Push notifications, disable any unnecessary options
- Under Email preferences, disable emails like “Who’s viewed your profile”
You can also unsubscribe from LinkedIn’s marketing emails if desired. This prevents notifications about trending topics and suggested content.
Be Selective When Accepting Requests
Carefully evaluate each connection request you receive. reject or ignore requests from people you don’t know or didn’t expect to connect with. This signals LinkedIn not to recommend similar connections.
When accepting requests, connect only with those you want in your extended network. Avoid connecting blindly to build up your number of connections.
Remove Irrelevant Connections
Prune existing connections that you no longer interact with, or that aren’t beneficial to you. This cleans up your network and reduces poor recommendations.
To safely remove a connection:
- Go to your My Network page
- Find the person and click the More button (…) next to their name
- Select Remove connection
Use this to tidy up your connections periodically.
Leverage LinkedIn’s Targeted Connection Finder
Instead of accepting LinkedIn’s suggestions, proactively find connections using their advanced search filters:
- Go to My Network > Find connections
- Use the filters like Company, Title, Industry, Geography etc. to narrow your search
- Refine it to people you want to connect with
- Review profiles and send customized connection requests
This puts you in control of expanding your network, instead of reacting to LinkedIn’s suggestions.
Connect With Coworkers and Classmates
Import contact lists from your company directory or alumni associations. This lets you more easily connect with professional acquaintances:
- Go to My Network > Manage synced and imported contacts
- Select add contact info and upload contacts in .csv format from other directories/tools
- Use LinkedIn’s algorithm to match and merge imported contacts
- Easily connect with relevant contacts already on LinkedIn
Syncing external contacts seeds your network with familiar faces first.
Use LinkedIn’s Feedback Option
When you receive an irrelevant or suspicious connection request, use the feedback option to report it to LinkedIn:
- In the connection request, click the More Actions button (…)
- Select Report/Unsubscribe
- Choose “This request appears suspicious – I don’t know this person”
Giving feedback flags suspicious activity and helps LinkedIn improve their suggestions.
Avoid Linking With Spam Profiles
Some connection requests come from low-quality profiles LinkedIn mistakenly recommends. Watch for warning signs of spam accounts:
- Profile photo looks like stock imagery or uses another company’s logo
- Limited profile information and history
- Generic-sounding job titles like “Entrepreneur” or “Businessman”
- Connection requests are their only activity, no posts or engagement
Ignoring or reporting these helps distance your profile from disingenuous accounts.
Leverage LinkedIn Groups Instead
Join relevant LinkedIn groups to connect with professionals in your industry or field. This gives you exposure without directly linking accounts.
From LinkedIn’s Groups directory, browse topics like:
- Industry/company groups
- Local networking and professional chapters
- Alumni and university groups
- Special interest groups
Participate by posting interesting discussions. You can connect with engaged members individually later.
Focus on Quality Conversations
Start meaningful conversations with substantial comments and questions, avoiding one-word pleasantries. This shows you are a thoughtful participant worth connecting with.
Comment on others’ posts and ask insightful questions when networking in groups. This showcases your knowledge and expertise.
Make Full Use of LinkedIn Features
Take advantage of all of LinkedIn’s capabilities to proactively grow and engage your network:
- Publishing articles and videos – Share your knowledge. People with similar interests may connect.
- LinkedIn events – Attend virtual gatherings and meetups to network.
- LinkedIn newsletters – Curate and send newsletters to engage your community.
- Showcase pages – Feature your company, school or organization.
Surfaces like these get your profile and content in front of interested audiences for you.
Complete Your LinkedIn Profile
A fully optimized profile attracts the right connections to you. Make sure yours has:
- Professional headshot photo
- Comprehensive work experience descriptions
- List of key skills and expertise
- Education and volunteer work
- Links to websites and portfolios
- Accomplishments and awards
A robust profile demonstrates your qualifications and gives people context on you.
Conclusion
LinkedIn connections can enhance your professional network when done strategically. Use LinkedIn’s privacy settings, feedback options, and search filters to manage recommendations. Actively participate and engage in meaningful ways to attract ideal contacts.
Connections are most valuable when they are relevant and trustworthy. Following this advice will help you connect with professionals who can further your career, business, or goals.