Making connections on social media platforms like LinkedIn is a great way to expand your professional network. However, with the many connection requests going out, it can be easy to lose track of which connections are still pending approval from the recipient.
Knowing where to view your pending LinkedIn connections is important for staying on top of your relationship-building efforts. Here are some tips on where to find and manage pending connection requests.
Viewing Pending Connections on LinkedIn
LinkedIn makes it simple to see all of your pending connection requests in one place. On LinkedIn’s website, hover over the “My Network” tab at the top of your homepage. A drop-down menu will appear. Select “Manage my network” from the drop-down menu.
This will open up your Network Updates page. Near the top, you will see a section titled “Pending invitations.” This section lists all of the users who have yet to approve your connection request. You can view their profile, cancel the request, or withdraw your invitation from this section.
If you don’t see a “Pending invitations” section, that means you currently have no pending connection requests. As you send out more invitations, any requests not yet approved by the recipient will populate in this section of your Network Updates page.
Viewing Requests on Mobile Devices
You can also easily view pending connections on LinkedIn’s mobile app. Tap the “My Network” icon on the bottom navigation bar to go to your connections page. At the top, tap “Manage my network.”
This will display your pending invitations first, followed by your contacts and connections further down the page. Tap into any of the pending invitations to view the user’s profile and manage the request.
Accepting or Rejecting Pending Connections
Once you’ve identified pending connections, you can take action on them. To accept a connection, visit the user’s profile and tap the blue “Accept” button. This will add them to your connections network.
To reject or cancel an invitation, tap the “Cancel invitation” link from your pending invitations list. This removes the request so the user will no longer see it on their end.
Depending on your preferences, you may want to connect with users soon after they request to link up. Other times, you may wait to accept certain connections until after you’ve had a chance to interact with them more or view their full profile.
Following Up on Pending Requests
It’s a good idea to follow up if you’ve sent a pending invitation that hasn’t been approved after a week or two. This extra effort could make the difference in turning a pending connection into an accepted one.
There are a few ways you can follow up on a pending LinkedIn invitation:
- Send them an InMail introducing yourself and politely asking them to check their pending invitations.
- Message them through another platform like email if you have it.
- Connect with them in real life at an event or conference.
- Ask for an introduction through someone in your shared network.
Following up indicates your sincere interest in connecting, which can prompt the user to give your invitation more consideration.
Troubleshooting Pending Connections
In some cases, you may run into issues with pending LinkedIn connections. Here are some common problems and ways to troubleshoot them:
Request Stuck on “Pending”
If a connection request seems stuck in perpetual pending status, the user likely ignored the invitation and it expired after 30 days. There’s no way to tell if they ignored it, but you can easily send a new invitation.
Accidental Cancellation
If you accidentally withdrew an invitation, simply send a new connection request. Explain in your note that you had to resend the request.
Request Sent to Wrong User
Mistakenly sending a request to the wrong person happens. In this case, immediately withdraw the invitation so it’s not taking up space in their pending section. Then connect with the intended recipient.
Unable to View Pending List
In rare cases, a glitch may prevent the pending list from loading. Try logging out and back into your account, or use LinkedIn’s help center to troubleshoot further.
Best Practices for Managing LinkedIn Connections
Here are some top tips for effectively managing your pending and accepted LinkedIn connections:
- Check pending requests weekly and take action to accept or decline.
- Personalize invitation notes to improve acceptance rates.
- Follow up on key outstanding requests within two weeks.
- Connect strategically and avoid spamming users with invites.
- Organize connections into relevant LinkedIn Groups.
- Activate email notifications for new connection activity.
Conclusion
Viewing pending LinkedIn connections is easy to do within your Network Updates page. Monitor this section regularly to stay on top of relationship-building outreach. Follow up thoughtfully on outstanding requests, address any issues promptly, and you’ll be on your way to growing a robust professional network.
