Don't put all your eggs in one basket, they say.
Most of the time, they are right. (It happens a lot that they are right, just deal with it)
Still, when it is about networking and having an account on websites for professionals, I like to keep things simple and to embrace a minimalist approach.
This means that besides the Google+ account related to this blog, you can find me on LinkedIn, and on LinkedIn only. When people send me invitations for other networks, I pass, even if I feel flattered. Time is limited, and I prefer to focus on one network, where I have a strong and well-tailored profile.
Most of the time, they are right. (It happens a lot that they are right, just deal with it)
Still, when it is about networking and having an account on websites for professionals, I like to keep things simple and to embrace a minimalist approach.
This means that besides the Google+ account related to this blog, you can find me on LinkedIn, and on LinkedIn only. When people send me invitations for other networks, I pass, even if I feel flattered. Time is limited, and I prefer to focus on one network, where I have a strong and well-tailored profile.
Thanks to my profile and professional experience, I receive new invitations on a regular basis.
Some people follow a strict policy and they accept only invitations from people they know well in real life. I consider it a good option to also accept invitations from people that I don't know yet, if their profile is relevant to me. That said, I am always amazed at how sloppy and amateurish LinkedIn profiles and above all invitations can get.
[You don't have to look like a modern dandy,
in order to make a great impression on LinkedIn,
but displaying a drunken selfie or some weird cat pic
would just not help. Just saying.
Image credit: ISO Republic]
Do you want me (= and probably other people as well) to accept your LinkedIn invitation? Then you should probably pay a little bit more attention to the following five things:
#1. Your avatar.
Nobody is expecting you to show off thanks to a perfect Armani suit or that great Vivienne Westwood cocktail dress, but cropped selfies or snapshots from your webcam, portraits from your high school years, blurred pics where you are wearing shorts and flip-flops and drinking margaritas, or even worse some abstract logo will probably not impress me and also not give me the impression that you are taking your profile (and your career) seriously. Or that I should take you seriously.
Judge not a man by his clothes, but by his wife's clothes
It is not by chance that the English proverb "Clothes make the man" has been around for at least six centuries and it is probably even older than that.
We are visual creatures and the first time we meet someone new, we build an opinion about them within seconds, based on their appearance. We all do that, because it is part of how we managed to survive in the past, and we keep doing it.
The most self-aware of us are aware of this evolutionary mechanism and able to still question that first impression, if needed, but it takes a lot to bring someone to change their mind, so why should you take the risk? Put some effort into grooming yourself properly and go get yourself a professional headshot. It pays dividends, always.
As a side note: Don't get me wrong about what it takes to "groom yourself properly".
Do you have blue hair, tattoos, piercings, a Mohawk hairdo or whatever else you consider appropriate for you and your style? Awesome, diversity and self-expression are amazing. To be honest, as long as you are a professional and your avatar looks professional, I don't care.
Having blue hair is not an excuse for looking like you didn't wash your hair in six months or you didn't change your clothes since you were an intern in your first company back in the 90s. I am talking about personal hygiene and self-care, here.
Judge not a man by his clothes, but by his wife's clothes
Thomas Dewar, 1st Baron Dewar [1864-1930]
It is not by chance that the English proverb "Clothes make the man" has been around for at least six centuries and it is probably even older than that.
We are visual creatures and the first time we meet someone new, we build an opinion about them within seconds, based on their appearance. We all do that, because it is part of how we managed to survive in the past, and we keep doing it.
The most self-aware of us are aware of this evolutionary mechanism and able to still question that first impression, if needed, but it takes a lot to bring someone to change their mind, so why should you take the risk? Put some effort into grooming yourself properly and go get yourself a professional headshot. It pays dividends, always.
As a side note: Don't get me wrong about what it takes to "groom yourself properly".
Do you have blue hair, tattoos, piercings, a Mohawk hairdo or whatever else you consider appropriate for you and your style? Awesome, diversity and self-expression are amazing. To be honest, as long as you are a professional and your avatar looks professional, I don't care.
Having blue hair is not an excuse for looking like you didn't wash your hair in six months or you didn't change your clothes since you were an intern in your first company back in the 90s. I am talking about personal hygiene and self-care, here.
#2. Your tagline.
As fancy as they can sound, taglines like "Following the dream", "Discovering the world" or "Doing my best" don't convey at all why I should decide that is a good thing to have you in my LinkedIn network. And to be honest, I am not in for playing Sherlock Holmes: having to dig deep in order to get who you are and what you do can work in movies, but in real life is no fun.
Sometimes, taglines that are so hip and dandy also give me the impression that you are either not willing to talk about what you are doing or that there is no compelling story to tell. A huge red flag.
Sometimes, taglines that are so hip and dandy also give me the impression that you are either not willing to talk about what you are doing or that there is no compelling story to tell. A huge red flag.
[Strange things can happen in elevators...
Thanks to your summary, you can deliver a good elevator pitch
without having to listen to The Girl from Ipanema ever again]
#3. Your summary.
No summary at all? A two lines summary full of keywords and yet nothing specific about you, your experience and what you are up to?
The summary is the equivalent of a traditional business card and it gives you a chance to deliver a short and sweet elevator pitch about who you are, what you are good at, what you are working on, what you are aiming at and what you are looking for.
Nothing interesting there for me to read? Another big red flag.
No summary at all? A two lines summary full of keywords and yet nothing specific about you, your experience and what you are up to?
The summary is the equivalent of a traditional business card and it gives you a chance to deliver a short and sweet elevator pitch about who you are, what you are good at, what you are working on, what you are aiming at and what you are looking for.
Nothing interesting there for me to read? Another big red flag.
[Acronyms can be great, sure.
As long as you are using the right ones, of course]
#4. Your profile & invitation.
Nothing says "I am going to be a sloppy connection" more than a profile (and personalized invitations, for that matter) full of typos, bad formatting, poor grammar, useless repetitions, childish emojis, inopportune acronyms and outdated information.
Unless we know each other personally, your profile is what is going to either keep me interested or show me that accepting your invitation would not be a good idea. Your call, my decision.
Nothing says "I am going to be a sloppy connection" more than a profile (and personalized invitations, for that matter) full of typos, bad formatting, poor grammar, useless repetitions, childish emojis, inopportune acronyms and outdated information.
Unless we know each other personally, your profile is what is going to either keep me interested or show me that accepting your invitation would not be a good idea. Your call, my decision.
#5. My name. Yes, my name, not yours.
Are you able to address me while using my name, without typos and spelling mistakes?
That would go a long way. Even more, if you are presenting yourself like a perfectionist keen to pay attention to details and/or if you want to convince me that you care about having me among your connections or that you can do wonders for me and my career.
The first wonder would be spelling my name right, while contacting me and trying to create a connection (or asking for my time and/or my money). Just saying.
PS. This one has been written thanks to "The Tiny Project Challenge" by Alexandra Franzen.
That would go a long way. Even more, if you are presenting yourself like a perfectionist keen to pay attention to details and/or if you want to convince me that you care about having me among your connections or that you can do wonders for me and my career.
The first wonder would be spelling my name right, while contacting me and trying to create a connection (or asking for my time and/or my money). Just saying.
PS. This one has been written thanks to "The Tiny Project Challenge" by Alexandra Franzen.
Tags: LinkedIn invitation, LinkedIn no-nos, Personal branding, Netiquette, Appearance, Proverbs, Quotes
What to read next:
Five reasons why you should have a business card, or where's the difference between Mark Zuckerberg and Rumplestiltskin
Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!
Where to start, if you are new
Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!
Where to start, if you are new
