So I see that there are mixed reactions to people connecting on LinkedIn. The general feeling is that LinkedIn is a connecting platform for professionals and not as much social media like Facebook, Instagram etc.. This is the case and I personally connect with everyone who sends me a connection request as I find it exhilarating meeting new people and hearing their side of the story. Some people are looking for work, some looking to recruit and some are just looking to connect so it is not difficult to see which type of person sends you a request.
I do not however believe that people should just connect for the sake of connecting and then just leave it there. I have read of people complaining that as soon as they connect they get bombarded with messages from people trying to sell or trying to coax them into something they are not interested in. My advice to you DO NOT CONNECT!! The people looking for work are in a situation where they need to find a job. The people looking to recruit either in a normal everyday profession or network marketing are just doing their jobs so what is the problem? If you do not like receiving these so called dreaded messages then all you have to do is remove the connection. I see some comments saying they just politely ignore the messages. Politely? Are you kidding me? Normal human behaviour is politely replying and saying thanks but no thanks. The same applies to sales personnel. These people are just doing their jobs and I happily answer them saying thank you but I am not interested.
I have received plenty of these messages myself and have sent out a few. This is probably not best practice but I answer politely and love getting replies saying no thank you and most of the time people take time out to add even more by giving tips on other things as what sites to look at, what books to read etc.. All fair and good that LinkedIn is for professionals and not your everyday social media but this is the way it should be in my opinion.
Have a great Sunday!!
Stuart