Hi Meri,

Thanks so much for your detailed comment. LinkedIn is constantly changing functionality, to improve members’ experience, they say. Sometimes their changes make it harder to do what we want to do on LI. Your instructions from the LI site will be helpful to lots of us!

You can add a personalized message to invitations from your desktop.

You can also personalize invitations sent from the LinkedIn mobile app.
On desktop, you can personalize from a member’s profile:

Move your cursor over the Down arrow in the top section of someone’s profile.
Select Personalize invitation from the dropdown menu.
If the above option doesn’t exist, you can personalize your message by clicking Connect in the top section of their profile.

A prompt will appear that contains a text box to personalize your invitation message.
Please note this prompt will only appear if you don’t have Personalize invitation in the dropdown menu.

Cheers,
Prasad

Prasad,

Thank you for your insightful comment.

I’m glad you’ve changed tactics when you ask someone on LI to connect, and you now provide some reason for them to want to connect with you.

Try not to be discouraged or feel slighted if a recruiter (or anyone else) doesn’t respond to your invitation. Everyone has their own set of criteria for deciding whose invitations they’ll accept, and whose they’ll ignore.

We all use LI in different ways, for our own purposes.

I am surprised that some recruiting professionals are not ready to extend their network. People have to realize that LinkedIn is an open (global) professional network and can extend beyond our own groups (friends, colleagues etc). These friends and colleagues were strangers too. They will become friends or colleagues once you accept them and build the relations. And, don’t draw your geographical boundaries. Wakeup guys….don’t just be a frog in a well and try to jump into an ocean.

We should also remember that we have the options of “REMOVE CONNECTION & FLAG AS INAPPROPRIATE” and should not worry about when the wrong person comes in. “Never judge people by appearances”. You never know how the company picks the right employee. Sometimes companies will face a situation where they have to compromise with limited sources and skills.

So, be an open minded and the demand is only for them in the present market.

Drashya, thanks for commenting.

Knowing what to say in a “cold” LinkedIn invitation to connect can be daunting.

One thing someone who is a first-time job seeker such as yourself has to offer, is the willingness to help promote that person you’d like to connect with.

Consider this . . . you can tell people what it is you admire about them, why you’d like to connect with them (to learn more about their XYZ, say), you’re a great fan of their product (book, blog, methods, etc.), you have been and will continue to refer people to them for their expertise in XYZ, etc.

A little flattery never hurts, and the potential for referrals is usually greatly appreciated.

Just the fact that you’ve taken the time to compose a personalized note will have a positive impact.

Also, don’t assume that people will take the time to click over to your profile to assess you before connecting with you. Give them enough information about you in the invitation for them to make the decision.

Good luck in building your LinkedIn network!

I figured out long ago that a request with default message is rude. But I never could figure out what to write in the message box since the receiver is a big professional and would benefit negligibly by connecting with me. Besides, wouldn’t it be obvious for them on the first look at my near-to-graduate profile why I am trying to connect? Could you help me out here?

Thanks for bringing this up, Joel. I really should have included instructions in the post.

It’s very simple to personalize your note:

When you hit the “connect” button on someone you want to connect with on LinkedIn, you’re first asked “How do you know XXX?”. Just below that query you’ll see a box entitled “Include a personal note: (optional)”, within which sits the default message “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn,” along with your name in closing. All you do is place your cursor on the default message, delete it and enter whatever personal message you choose, before sending it.

That’s all there is to it!

Thanks again for asking!

Richard, you hit the nail on the head.

Write genuine invitations, supporting your brand, to those you want to connect with. Make them know you’re interested in THEM, not just building up more connections.

Thanks for commenting!

Meg