Ever Wondered Why Your LinkedIn Invitation Was Not Accepted?

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Have you sent out an invitation to someone on LinkedIn and are still waiting for a response?

LinkedIn is a professional social network site where professional around the world can connect and expand their career opportunities. Unfortunately, for some the site might not be working in their favor. Managing Director at Thesis Ventures, Michael O’Donnell, has some advise as to why your invitation was not accepted.

Here are some pointers to consider:

1. No profile picture.

Professionals on LinkedIn feel the need to connect with “real” people. Company logos as profile pictures are not suffice. If a person would like to connect with a company they will do so under the company tab on the site.

2. Incomplete profile.

An invitation from someone who has not established their profile is a red flag for the person on the other end. Ideally, accepting an invitation on a career site is supposed to benefit parties. If I don’t know anything about where you went to school, worked, or any other information how am I going to benefit from accepting your invitation?

3. Your invitation reads the prompted default script, “I’d like to add you to my professional network on Linkedin.”

O’Donnell says to make it personal. If you are serious about connecting with someone, make it a true connection. Change the default script to something like, “Hello Michelle, we met last month at the convention in Florida, I would love to connect with you.” If you have met the person prior to sending the invitation, make sure you include a moment that will strike their memory about you.

Making these adjustments should get you going in the right direction. Happy networking!

For more on O’Donnell’s advise, click here.