LinkedIn is the only social media platform that I actively engage in. I don’t use Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. I like to doom scroll TikTok a bit, but it’s not like I talk to anyone on it. LinkedIn is the one platform that I will actually talk to people.
I accept connection requests from any one I have met or if you are a designer (even if we have not met). I know this opens me up to some people who are trying to scam me or even bots pretending to be human. I accept this as an unfortunate part of the system.
When I accept a connection from a designer whom I have not met, I will sometimes be messaged by them. Here are some tips to avoid being a weirdo.
Don’t be too personal
I recently received this message after connecting:
Remember, this is a stranger. I find this kind of message to be uncomfortable at best. I don’t know this person at all. I don’t even know if they are human or trying to scam me. We are not friends. I am never going to answer a question like this. Security and privacy are important and you don’t go talking to strangers about how their work is.
Don’t immediately ask for a job
This is super common. I understand that you are anxious and want a job, but this is not how you open a conversation with a stranger:
I usually answer with a nice message saying that I am not in the recruiting loop and promise that real human eyes will review their work. This kind of message is uncomfortable because I don’t know them, they are strangers. I am not going to refer someone whom I do not know personally.
Don’t immediately try to sell stuff
I understand LinkedIn is a great way to find your target customer. However, the first words out of your mouth being a sales pitch is rude. It makes you seem like a missionary knocking on my door trying to get me to believe in the gospel.
Usually for this, I just remove the connection and block them.
Better approaches
All of these messages lack general communication etiquette. I know everyone wants something, but you have to approach people with privacy, security, and politeness in mind. For example a person could say, “Thank you for connecting with me, I appreciate it.” and just leave it at that. Let the other person respond if they want to.
Or maybe say, “Thank you for connecting. I am a young designer. Do you ever mentor new designers?” If someone asked me that I would say, “Yes, here is my ADPList link. It’s super easy to book time.”
Understand that you are a stranger and not everyone wants to engage. Make it friendly, but not pushy. Use as few words as possible. Remember, they think you might be a bot, so don’t sound “uncanny valley”.
Posting on LinkedIn
People post tons of articles and activity on LinkedIn. This post, for example, from my WordPress automatically adds it to my LinkedIn and Bluesky feeds. Couple of pieces of advice:
- Don’t post anything political. Don’t say you love Trump or hate Trump. Don’t talk about Trump at all. Don’t talk about politics. LinkedIn is for work, not for personal. Use Bluesky for that.
- Don’t post clickbait. Clickbait on Facebook, not LinkedIn. This is for work. Don’t be lame.
- Don’t post polls. Yeah, I know you will get lots of opinions, but it’s just a waste of everyone’s time. Don’t do it
- Don’t post personal life stories. We don’t need to know you had kids or got married or went to Aruba.
Maybe, I am a curmudgeon. Ok, fine, I am a curmudgeon. I am old now and complain all day. But I think I have always complained about everything. It is my way. Get off my lawn!
What post annoys you on LinkedIn?
Whatya think?