Rome wasn’t built in a day. The same goes for growing your contacts list.
I guess since there’s no gentle way to tell you this, it doesn’t matter if I channel a drill sergeant or a rude grandma who carries a gun in her purse: Most people won’t reply to your LinkedIn connection requests right away. And that’s the best-case scenario. The truth is just because you’re trying to increase the number of contacts, following the suggestions of a friend, coach, or blog post; doesn’t mean the rest of the world cares about what you are doing.
I’m not saying that having a lot of contacts is not important. What I’m saying is that it takes time to grow the number of LinkedIn contacts. Think of sending connection requests as planting seeds: some will grow, some won’t. It won’t happen overnight. It’s a life-long project.
Please stop holding on to those connection requests you sent, as your life depends on them because it doesn’t. I’ve come to think that if a hiring manager understands you are the right candidate for a job opening, the fact that you only have 45 contacts won’t get in the way.
You have no control over the individuals you send connection requests to. But you do have control over your LinkedIn profile, so get to work on making it more attractive to potential employers and hiring managers, while your number of contacts grows.
Connection request etiquette
· Please remember that individuals who see your connection request, are not obligated to accept it. If they do, wonderful, if they don’t, please try not to feel rejected, ignored, or singled out.
· Never, ever, send a connection request without a note. Make it as brief and clear as possible: “Hello, Stradivarius. I’m a friend of your coworker, Velociraptor, and I’d like to connect with you on LinkedIn. Many thanks for considering my request.”
· Don’t go down the path of becoming a cyber-nuisance, by sending multiple connection requests to the same person. There’s a special window at the DMV for people who do that.
· Keep track of the connection requests you send by using a spreadsheet or word processing software.
· Write a thank you message to those who accept your connection request: “Thank you, Stradivarius, for accepting my connection request.”
· Some LinkedIn users rarely check their Messages inbox, so don’t be afraid to use email to follow up on the connection requests you’ve sent.
Last but not least. In the race to grow your contacts list, endurance and discipline trumps speed. ☼
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Alex Guerrero is a content creator who lives in Lawrence, KS. He’s very vocal in his displeasure over pineapple pizza. Chocolate, on the other hand, makes everything better!
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