LinkedIn Etiquette: Five Dos and Don'ts

04.12.2008

If you are the one sending a connection, be sure to not use the canned invitation of "I'd like to add you as a connection" when sending the invite, especially if you feel you don't know the person incredibly well or that their memory might need some prodding. At the very least, even if they decline it, they'll be less likely to hit the dreaded "I don't know" button.

Finally, make your connection list public, Dixson says. If you don't, you are essentially defeating the purpose of LinkedIn. It's a social network, and there isn't anything more inherently unsocial than not allowing your contacts to connect with one another. The only exception would be is if you feel showing your connections would undermine your company's competitive advantage.

5. Recommend and Getting Recommended

The recommendations feature on LinkedIn can be a powerful way to show that your work has been endorsed by influential people. With this in mind, Dixson recommends a "360 degree strategy" that shows the various ways in which you do your job and the people you serve.

"You want managers, peers and clients to recommend you," Dixson says. "These should be people who know you well and who can really speak to your competencies as they're relevant to what you're positioning yourself for."