quick LinkedIn question

Just a quick question:

What's the correct way of "friending" people on LinkedIn? After you made your first contact through email or phone? If you send them a message at the same time while "friending" them? After making several contacts with them?

Thanks

9 Comments
 

I just add people to my network as "friend". You don't need to know their email or anything that way. Put a quick message in the box and send it away.

 

okay thanks, i wasn't talking about "friending" them as in the suggestion they give you of how you know them... i should have used "inviting to your professional network" since that the term they use. I didn't know whether it was okay doing that without knowing them personally or having talked to them a couple of times, or it was okay doing that just as long you send them a quick little message at the same time

 

Well unless you select friend you have to provide work email or something else. By just selecting friend you can add anyone. Adding that message tells the person you just randomly added whats going on.

 

Okay cool I just didn't want to seem like I am randomly adding people in a weird fashion. On facebook, it would totally come across weird if someone you didnt know sent you a message and then added you. I just need to get adjusted to LinkedIn processes I guess hah

 
yytseekerOkay cool I just didn't want to seem like I am randomly adding people in a weird fashion. On facebook, it would totally come across weird if someone you didnt know sent you a message and then added you. I just need to get adjusted to LinkedIn processes I guess hah

It will come across as equally weird if not weirder if you start randomly adding people you don't know as contacts on LinkedIn. You should definitely know them before doing so.

 
Best Response
drexelalum11
yytseekerOkay cool I just didn't want to seem like I am randomly adding people in a weird fashion. On facebook, it would totally come across weird if someone you didnt know sent you a message and then added you. I just need to get adjusted to LinkedIn processes I guess hah

It will come across as equally weird if not weirder if you start randomly adding people you don't know as contacts on LinkedIn. You should definitely know them before doing so.

I agree, but if you add HR people or if you add someone who is an alumni, etc it comes across different. I think on LinkedIn it is more acceptable to randomly add people than on facebook. On the bottom of the their profile it says if they are open to job inquiries, networking, whatever.

 

What if I don't add them, but rather just send them a message, asking for an informational or something like that? Would that be weird too? The people I will be messaging will be alumni so I would say I was browsing through alumni profiles and found theirs...

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