When social media networks are taken into consideration LinkedIn is different from others. The etiquette in social media is complicated and some may be breaking the rules of LinkedIn. When LinkedIn protocols are considered, there are certain procedures to be followed. It is good to know the LinkedIn rules and follow the rules as per it. There are a number of do’s and don’ts which should be considered when LinkedIn is considered. In that aspect, let’s break the silence and speak out a few LinkedIn rules that are being broken.
Don’t get Banned – Be Careful about these LinkedIn Rules:
1. Connecting with friends:
The rules of LinkedIn are completely different when compared to other social media networks. Whenever new people are met at job meetings, or conferences and more they can be linked with you by just sending a request and make them remember you. This is one way to link with LinkedIn people which is the right way to get friends.
2. Do not connect to someone without being in their profile:
When scrolling down the list of LinkedIn profiles, there are number of people, under the list people you may know. You can also get to see the picture, title below and also a button which mentions connect. When you click the button, you cannot customize the invitation. In the same manner, to the right of each person’s data a blue connect box would be available for ones who need a search result. This button doesn’t have the capacity to make your request unique. The connection request can be changed just by clicking connect when on someone else profile.
3. Do not send request more than twice:
When you have met an important person and would like to continue their relationship, sending an LinkedIn invitation can be the right choice. When even after months if that particular person has not accepted your LinkedIn invitation, remember not to send request again and again as LinkedIn has the feature to automatically remind the person if they have not accepted any invitation. Being patient in this case is important because resending many times can only lower your chances of success.
4. Don’t forget to personalize every single request:
One best thing about LinkedIn is that the person who requested you can easily make out if you’re utilizing a default message or not. When a message is customized the ones on the other end feel special and happy. So do not forget to tailor the messages though it requires extra effort.
5. Check contact policy:
It is important to check a person’s contact policy before proceeding further. When one desires to continue with another contact make sure to check the message request before clicking the message button. Many contact like to use email for LinkedIn for inquiries and few do not like to get to outsiders and some people love to get linked to anybody. So never forget to check the contact policy of others before moving over.
6. Do not ignore recruiters though you are employed:
You may be a person with the best job and would never stammer for the next twenty years. But make sure that you should never ignore recruiters who approach you. There may be any instance that can happened in a work place and for the same scenario having recruiters contact is important which can be useful for future. When any recruiter messages you for a job opportunity be open and honest to say that you aren’t looking for a job. Keeping the door open can be great for future contact.
7. Don’t forget recruiters to be added to your list:
For ones who are hunting for a job, LinkedIn can be the best source. Job questers should never forget to get connected to recruiters of the same industry. When you’re putting forward a request, do not forget to mention that you’re looking for opportunities and would be good to know from any of their near ones. You can also mention that you can be called for any other too from their contacts.
8. Do not connect to hiring manager:
Almost all candidates who attended an interview would do this as mentioned. They would have attended an interview and it would have been great. The hiring manager’s profile and picture can be found and almost all the candidates who met her in the interview would connect and send her a thanking note. It is not advisable to do that. According to the hiring manager they say that, though it isn’t wrong it’s like putting cart before horse. It is an uncomfortable situation for the hiring managers as they have no specific reason to get connected.
9. Get presented to your dream company:
All job questers would know the fact that in order to get observed by any company referral is the right way. In that manner LinkedIn can be the best source which can support you to be presented in front of your dream company. You can just type the company name and get to know the various employees currently working there. Asking for a referral works great with a first degree connection in LinkedIn.
10. Don’t post too much:
A super user in LinkedIn never works well. There are users who post everyday with two or three articles, blogs, advertising of personal site and publishing on LinkedIn pulse. When any of these is done it becomes an issue because the super users friends are clogged up with all his activity. Certain people get tired of the number of activities and just block them. So it would be advisable not to post more content.
11. Don’t congratulate people for wrong things:
When someone is updating an outdated profile, make sure not to congratulate them as it would sound silly and inattentive. If any of your contact got demoted or fired, then title can be altered to seeking new opportunities, so it would be suggested not to congratulate him for that misfortune.
12. Don’t forget to ask for endorsements:
There are people who try to promote their skills of social media on LinkedIn profile. In that manner only a few people would endorse them. The key skills are identified only by a couple of people. Don’t feel bad to ask your contacts to endorse the skills you possess.
13. Don’t feel grateful to praise sub-par employees:
Who may have an employee friend who is not regular at work, comes up late, crosses deadlines and lot more complaints. She moved to another organization and almost all are happy for her shift over. She belongs to your same industry and asking for a recommendation. Remember your credibility would be harmed when you send a review and so you do not want to do that. When you disregard her request it can be unprofessional and aggressive too. Make sure to send a polite as well as a honest message for deal with that X employee.
14. Remember to withdraw and remind buttons:
When you take a look at the recommendation page, there are two buttons called the remind and withdraw. For ones whom you have requested a request you can remind or completely withdraw the request too.
15. At time of updating profile, turn off activity:
In order to avert bombarding your connections with more and more of updates, it is good to turn off activity at that sequence. The steps are quite easy where one needs to get to LinkedIn privacy settings page and then click on “turn off activity broadcasts”.
16. Thank the ones who recommended you:
Always make it a habit to recognize someone who had offered their precious time in recommending you. You can always send those people a message of gratitude from LinkedIn.
17. Do not ask for recommendation to a mass of people:
A recruiter opens up that the dates of each recommendation is looked into, and if all the recommendations are of the same date. The recruiter concludes that built credibility the candidate has send messages at the last moment to all the contacts in the network. Spacing out the request can be a great idea as they can present themselves organically. One request a month can be suggested.
These are a few LinkedIn rules which you might be breaking so many days. These rules are beneficial and can make you more productive. They are ones which are not being followed by many people and needs to be updated. Reading through these rules can help you have a better view of how LinkedIn can be used. Researching and knowing the techniques of LinkedIn and then using it in the right way can make your profile stand out of the crowd and get identified within time in your niche. LinkedIn can be thus used in a more flexible way. By this way the usage can be enhanced and made beneficial.
