LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 722 million users worldwide. Making connections is an integral part of the LinkedIn experience, allowing users to grow their professional networks and access new opportunities.
However, accepting every connection request may not always be desirable. You may get requests from people you don’t know or remember, or are not comfortable connecting with. In such cases, withdrawing a connection request can be the best option.
But will the other person know if you withdraw their request? Let’s find out.
Does LinkedIn notify users when you withdraw their connection request?
Yes, LinkedIn does send a notification when you withdraw someone’s connection request. So if you withdraw a pending request sent to you, the other person will be notified of your action.
Here are some key points on LinkedIn’s notification system when withdrawing requests:
- The person who sent the request will receive an in-app notification from LinkedIn informing them that you withdrew their request.
- They will also get an email from LinkedIn with the message “Your connection request was withdrawn.” This ensures the user is aware even if they missed the in-app notification.
- The notification comes through quite quickly, usually within a few minutes after you withdraw the request.
- There is no way to privately withdraw a request without the other person finding out.
So in summary, yes the other user is explicitly notified when you withdraw their connection invitation on LinkedIn rather than just ignoring it.
Does withdrawing a request impact your LinkedIn reputation?
Withdrawing a LinkedIn connection request does not directly impact your reputation or profile on LinkedIn. Here are some key points on how it interacts with your profile:
- Withdrawing a request does not affect your overall connections count or growth rate.
- It does not get recorded anywhere publicly on your profile.
- The withdrawn requests do get logged privately in LinkedIn’s systems, but this data is not used to penalize or downgrade your account in any way.
- Repeatedly withdrawing requests from the same person may flag your account for review. But occasional withdrawals are not an issue.
The other person also cannot leave any review or feedback on your profile based on the withdrawn request. So it does not affect your reputation in any observable way.
The main impact is that the other person will realize you are not interested in connecting, which could impact your relationship with them. But your LinkedIn profile itself remains unaffected.
Should you feel guilty about withdrawing LinkedIn requests?
You generally should not feel guilty about withdrawing a LinkedIn request for a few reasons:
- You have the right to choose who you want to connect with on a professional networking platform like LinkedIn.
- Withdrawing is often better than ignoring a request for weeks or months, which can create unnecessary ambiguity.
- It is reasonable to withdraw if you do not know the person or are uncomfortable connecting with them.
- Professional networking is about making authentic connections, so it is fine to decline unwanted requests.
However, you may want to think twice about withdrawing requests in certain cases:
- If the person can be a genuinely helpful connection, consider connecting anyway or politely messaging why you will not connect.
- Try to avoid repeatedly sending and withdrawing requests from the same person as that can be perceived as rude.
- If the person explicitly messages you asking for a connection, it is polite to provide context on why you will not connect rather than just withdrawing.
So in summary, do not feel obligated to accept every request, but be thoughtful about how you manage requests from people who know you or share professional ties.
Best practices for managing unwanted connection requests
Here are some best practices to manage unwanted connection requests on LinkedIn:
- Check your settings to control who can send you requests. You can limit requests to only people who know your email address or turn off requests completely.
- Withdraw requests promptly rather than letting them linger. This provides clarity to the sender.
- Use the withdraw feature rather than the “Ignore” option. Ignoring leaves things ambiguous.
- Customize the withdrawal message to be polite whenever appropriate. A simple “I don’t think we have met before” can go a long way.
- If needed, block users who continue sending you multiple unwanted requests.
- Notify LinkedIn if you are receiving harassing requests or spam to investigate the issue.
Following these best practices allows you to maintain control over your connections list and prevents misleading potential connections.
How to withdraw a LinkedIn connection request
Withdrawing a LinkedIn request is easy to do through the website or mobile app. Here are step-by-step instructions:
On LinkedIn Website:
- Go to the My Network page and click the Connections tab.
- Go to the Requests section to see pending invites.
- Hover over the request you want to withdraw and click Withdraw.
- Confirm withdrawing the request in the pop-up.
On LinkedIn Mobile App:
- Tap the My Network icon from menu.
- Go to Manage All next to the Connections header.
- Tap the Requests tab.
- Swipe left on the request and tap Withdraw.
- Tap Withdraw again to confirm.
The steps to withdraw may vary slightly between the website and app, but the process remains fairly straightforward.
Can you re-send a connection request after withdrawing?
Yes, it is possible to send a new connection request to someone after previously withdrawing an invitation to them. However, here are some things to keep in mind:
- There is no limit on how many times you can withdraw and re-send a request to the same person.
- Repeatedly sending and withdrawing requests to the same person may come across as strange or annoying.
- Always customize the connection note when re-sending a request to acknowledge the previous withdrawal.
- If you withdrew by mistake, apologize and explain the context when re-sending the request.
- Make sure a reasonable amount of time has passed before sending a new request after withdrawing.
So while you can technically re-send a withdrawn request, think carefully before doing so as it can damage the relationship. Use your best judgement.
In summary:
- Yes, LinkedIn will notify someone when you withdraw their connection request.
- Withdrawing requests does not harm your LinkedIn reputation or profile.
- Feel free to withdraw unwanted requests, but be thoughtful in managing requests from those you know.
- Use best practices like customizing the withdrawal message and promptly acting on requests.
- You can re-send a request after withdrawing, but exercise caution in repeatedly doing so.
Withdrawing connection requests can be an effective way to curate your LinkedIn network. By understanding the impacts and using thoughtful judgment, you can manage requests successfully while maintaining professional relationships.
Scenario | Will the person know you withdrew the request? |
---|---|
Withdrawing a pending connection request sent to you | Yes, LinkedIn will notify them |
Withdrawing a request you had sent which was still pending | Yes, LinkedIn will notify them |
Withdrawing after initially “Ignoring” a request | Yes, they will know once you withdraw |
Withdrawing a request immediately | Yes, they will be notified quickly |
Withdrawing a request weeks/months later | Yes, but the delayed notification could be confusing |
This table summarizes that the other person is always notified when withdrawing their connection request on LinkedIn.
What is the impact of withdrawing requests on your profile?
Impact | Notes |
---|---|
Connections Count | No impact, connections remain the same |
Public Profile | No public record of withdrawn requests |
Reputation | No ratings/reviews from withdrawn requests |
Account Standing | No effect unless done repeatedly to same person |
Withdrawing requests does not directly impact your LinkedIn profile or account status.
Conclusion
Managing LinkedIn connections requests can be tricky. You want to grow your network, but also avoid unwanted contacts. Withdrawing requests is a useful tool to quietly decline invites without impacting your profile or reputation.
The key is using good judgment – feel free to withdraw unwanted requests, but do so thoughtfully and provide context when needed. This allows maintaining good relationships even if you don’t connect on LinkedIn.
So in summary, don’t hesitate to withdraw requests when appropriate as part of curating your ideal professional network.