LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional social network with over 660 million users worldwide. With its massive reach, LinkedIn is an invaluable platform for networking, building your professional brand, finding jobs, connecting with business partners, and growing your career. However, sending connection requests on LinkedIn comes with certain etiquette rules that are important to follow. So who is acceptable to add to your professional network on LinkedIn?
Connection Etiquette on LinkedIn
When sending connection requests on LinkedIn, it’s essential to use good judgment and follow proper etiquette. LinkedIn is intended for professional networking and making meaningful connections that can benefit your career. It’s not merely a platform for collecting as many connections as possible or connecting with people you barely know. Here are some tips for sending appropriate connection requests:
- Only connect with people you know and trust in a professional capacity. This can include coworkers, clients, recruiters, business partners, etc.
- Personal connections like close friends and family may not be suitable unless you also have a professional relationship.
- When requesting to connect, always customize the invitation with a note reminding them who you are and why you want to connect.
- Don’t spam people with invites or try to connect with strangers that would offer no value to your network.
- Respect it if someone ignores or declines your invitation – don’t take it personally or make repeated requests.
Following this type of LinkedIn etiquette helps ensure your connections are relevant and meaningful. Now let’s explore specific categories of people that are generally acceptable to connect with on LinkedIn.
Current and Former Colleagues
Connecting with current and former coworkers you know well and had a positive working relationship with is perfectly acceptable on LinkedIn. Staying connected with colleagues from different jobs can be beneficial for several reasons:
- Allows you to keep in touch and continue valuable professional relationships
- You can exchange industry knowledge and opportunities
- Their network may help expand your own connections
- They can provide references, recommendations, and endorsements
As long as you have a genuine professional connection, current and former coworkers make natural additions to your LinkedIn network. But use discretion and don’t connect with coworkers you didn’t work closely with or had a poor relationship with.
Clients and Customers
Connecting with current, former, and prospective clients or customers that you have an established business relationship with is also perfectly acceptable on LinkedIn. In fact, doing so can be advantageous for several reasons:
- Strengthens and maintains important client relationships
- Allows you to keep them updated on your offerings and company news
- Provides a direct communication channel outside of email/phone
- Can lead to them referring you more business
Connecting with clients shows you value the relationship and provides a way to give better service. But avoid spamming your products/services or making hard sales pitches on LinkedIn.
Vendors, Consultants, and Freelancers
Business relationships often involve working with outside vendors, consultants, freelancers, agencies, and service providers. Connecting with these external partners you rely on can also be beneficial:
- Allows quick communication and updates
- Keeps the business relationship strong
- Can provide access to their networks and contacts
- Shows them you value the partnership
Include past and present vendors/consultants that you have an established working relationship with. But don’t connect with random companies just because they provide services you use.
Industry Peers and Contacts
Connecting with industry peers and contacts can significantly expand your professional network. This includes people like:
- Industry colleagues you’ve met at events, conferences, etc.
- Peers at other companies you connect with occasionally
- Industry experts and thought leaders you follow
- Contacts at partner organizations
These type of industry connections keep you plugged into the broader professional community. Interacting with them on LinkedIn can lead to valuable insider knowledge, opportunities, and referrals. But focus on connections that are genuinely relevant to you and avoid spamming every industry peer you discover.
Recruiters and Hiring Managers
Connecting with recruiters and hiring managers in your industry can be extremely helpful for your job search and career advancement. Potential benefits include:
- Allows them to easily access your full profile
- Opens the door for being contacted about job opportunities
- Provides a way to ask career questions and get advice
- Keeps you on their radar for new openings
Focus on recruiters/hiring managers in your specific field or companies you want to work for. Random recruiters unlikely to hire you provide little value. Avoid contacting recruiters solely to pitch yourself for jobs unless you have a strong existing relationship.
Former Supervisors and Mentors
Staying connected with former supervisors and mentors that had a positive impact on your career is recommended. Potential benefits of linking up on LinkedIn include:
- Maintains relationships with valuable advisers
- Can provide ongoing career guidance and support
- Allows them to track and share in your career success
- May lead to references, endorsements or recommendations
Include past supervisors and mentors that know you well professionally and personally. But use discretion with any you had a poor relationship with or who won’t remember you.
Alumni from Schools/Programs
Fellow alumni make natural additions to your LinkedIn network. Benefits of connecting include:
- Stays linked to your academic community
- Can access alumni-only groups, events and resources
- May lead to internships, jobs or other opportunities
- Allows alumni networking and mentoring
Focus on students you actually interacted with versus random names from school directories. School alumni connections work best when you were actively involved in campus organizations together.
People Who Request to Connect with You
It’s perfectly fine to accept connection requests you receive as long as you have a direct professional relationship with the person. Potential connectors could include:
- Existing professional contacts requesting to link up
- New colleagues wanting to connect
- Clients or partners reaching out
- Industry peers who follow you requesting to connect
Review all connection requests carefully before accepting. Ignore requests from strangers or anyone outside your professional circles. You can also politely decline unwanted requests.
Group and Event Attendees
Connecting with people you meet through LinkedIn groups and events can expand your professional network. This can include:
- Other members of industry or alumni groups you join
- Attendees you meet and interact with at conferences, seminars, etc.
- Speakers and organizers from professional events
Connect with new professional contacts from groups/events that you have substantive discussions with. Random names from attendance lists likely provide little value.
NOT Recommended Connections
While the above categories are generally acceptable for LinkedIn invites, there are certain connections best avoided. These include:
- Personal friends and family members with no professional tie
- Strangers or people you have no relationship with
- Celebrities, public figures, or people unlikely to accept
- Contacts collected just to boost your numbers
- Coworkers or clients you had a poor relationship with
These types of random, forced connections clutter your network and provide little value. Focus on quality over quantity when sending LinkedIn requests.
Tips for Managing Your LinkedIn Connections
Here are some additional tips for effectively managing your LinkedIn network:
- Customize connection requests with a quick reminder of who you are.
- Periodically review and remove inactive connections that provide no value.
- Be selective about accepting invites – don’t connect with everyone.
- Organize key connections into LinkedIn Groups for easier management.
- Target getting recommendations and endorsements from key connections.
- Thank new connections for accepting and offer to assist them as well.
Conclusion
Growing your LinkedIn network can significantly benefit your career. But avoid sending random connection invites just to inflate your numbers. Focus on building a quality network of professional contacts that includes colleagues, clients, partners, industry peers, recruiters, and academic contacts. Use discretion when managing your connections, and don’t connect with contacts offering little real value. With a selective, well-managed network, LinkedIn can be an extremely powerful career tool.
