During the pandemic, growing your professional network via social media platforms like LinkedIn has become more valuable than ever.  Many people use LinkedIn for professional networking, seek employment opportunities, or stay current with the latest business strategies and news. Many people choose to keep their LinkedIn private, only connecting with people they know in person or even just virtually.  If this describes you, you could be missing out on what an unknown connection could bring to the table. Believe it or not, sometimes accepting a stranger's request to connect on LinkedIn can be beneficial. Let's discuss!
  • New Connections Give You New Perspective

    Everyone who has a LinkedIn profile can post content.  Maybe you are using your profile to look for your next career move, find information on an industry or topic of interest, or just for professional networking. Reading another person's perspective in any previously mentioned categories could validate or change your mindset entirely.  By accepting someone new to your LinkedIn network, you can potentially find fresh insight that can help you grow in your career. 

  • Two Degrees of Separation From Your Next Opportunity

    All types of employees and employers are on LinkedIn, including big decision-makers like industry leaders, company CEOs, and influencers. They are often connected to many people they don't personally know.  They cast their nets wide and interact with their network. They frequently engage on posts, which could mean they also view profiles. Much like anyone else, they could be looking at how their connections could fit their hiring needs.  An ample opportunity might only be a few degrees of separation away, so why not accept the invitation?

  • Once a Stranger, Now a Trusted Connection

    Most people in our lives were once a stranger.  Trust isn't always automatically there.  It takes two to make the concerted effort to communicate, align goals, and support each other's interests.  There can be great value in new connections as you need them to continuously build your professional network and get your name out there.  Sometimes you have to put a bit of blind faith in those new connections and be willing to start that professional relationship from scratch to get the most out of your network.

However, you shouldn't necessarily accept every LinkedIn request.  As mentioned above, a new connection is only valuable if you can build a professional relationship with them. Here's a quick checklist of things to look at before you accept:


* DID THEY PERSONALIZE THEIR CONNECTION REQUEST? 

A personalized note stating why they want to connect you know their intention.  You will instantly see if they are a future business partner, a prospective employer, or someone in your professional peer group. Without that personalized note, it's hard to know why a stranger might be trying to connect with you.


* HAVE THEY COMPLETED THEIR PROFILE?

If the connection request has no profile picture, you can check to see if they have completed the primary sections on their page.  LinkedIn allows you to keep your profile picture hidden from users you are not connected to.  However, if the profile summary or headline is not completed, it's probably not worth accepting the connection request. If the potential connection hasn't taken the time to build up their profile, they're not likely to support yours.

 

* DO YOU HAVE SHARED CONNECTIONS

How connected are you all ready?  You can learn a lot about who they know by looking through your shared connections and looking into their industry and interests. If you have nothing at all in common with the mystery connection, then you probably have no reason to accept their request.

In summary, LinkedIn is a great networking tool when utilized appropriately, allowing you to build mutually beneficial virtual relationships around the world!

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