Mastering the LinkedIn Unvite

shutterstock_301955957There are times when you realize you need to pull back.

I’m talking about LinkedIn invites.

And, there is nothing wrong with this.

Why Unvites are OK and When to Use Them (video)

Reality Check

Have you ever sent out a bunch of LinkedIn invitations? Who hasn’t?

  • Maybe you just joined a new company or volunteered on a board.
  • Maybe you wanted to reach out to a group in your industry.
  • Then realized … some of the people haven’t accepted.
  • Now what?

Not to worry. This is not a big deal and it’s not a career ender.

As far as I can tell you are the only one that can tell if you have outstanding LinkedIn invitations.

It’s very easy to check what you’ve sent. And it’s just as easy to make an adjustment. I’ll show you the steps below and in this video. This is a short 90 second video that shows you how to quickly and easily Execute an Unvite.

Why Unvite Someone?

  • Simple, people change. Jobs change. Life changes.
  • We move on. People move on. Deal with it.
  • Unviting someone is OK.

Also, it might feel just a little bit empowering to think to yourself …

Bam!   That Just Happened!!    Invite Revoked!!!

Making the Unvite Happen

On LinkedIn they make it possible to “Withdraw” invitations you have sent. I call these The Unvite.

I don’t think we, the user, are penalized for having multiple invitations out there. However, I am pretty LinkedIn has some level of backend tracking that factors how many “unaccepted” invitations you have sitting out there. As mentioned above only you can see the outstanding invitations. And, of course, the specific person that you invited.

In a perfect world … LinkedIn would have a weighing factor for how many you have being sent to you that you haven’t responded to … yet. (kind of like the Twitter Follower/Following Ratio)

Why Unvite Someone?

Not to belabor the point, but there are a lot of reasons why you might want to withdraw a LinkedIn request.

  • Sometimes you just don’t want to connect with them anymore.
  • Other times you realize you want to change the note you sent
    • Pro Tip: Send a personalized note with every invitation (A topic for another post)
  • Or, you may have sent the connection request by accident.
  • It’s just good hygiene.

The Fix is In … and it’s really easy.

It’s very easy to check for outstanding invitations and to withdraw them if you so choose.

How to Unvite someone in 90 seconds (video)

How to Unvite Someone? (watch the video and follow these steps)

Simple.

  • Log into LinkedIn
  • Go to top right corner – “Grow My Network” (it’s the icon to the left of your profile picture.
  • Click on See All
  • Click on Manage Invitations
  • Click on Sent Invitations
  • Click on the one(s) you want to Withdraw
  • Click on Cancel Requests
  • Repeat as necessary

LinkedIn Profile Hygiene

As a general rule it’s a good idea to prune you LinkedIn invites periodically. At least once every three months. While you are at it take a look around your profile too. Make sure you current job – role, title and responsibilities are accurate.

By keeping your LinkedIn invites, profile and other details you will Stand Out in Your Career. While this kind of clean up may not be incredibly noticeable to others these little things do add up. At a minimum you will be know you’ve taken a positive step forward for managing your career.

What LinkedIn Tips do you have?

What LinkedIn topics would you like to see more and learn more about?

Add your thoughts here and we’ll see what we can do … together.

Picture of Jeff Shuey

Jeff Shuey

Jeff is an expert in the Enterprise Content Management industry. He brings over 20 years of Channel Sales, Partner Marketing and Alliance expertise to audiences around the world in speaking engagements and via his writing. He has worked for Microsoft, Kodak, and K2. He is currently consulting with Microsoft and partners to drive Community Engagement and Alliances. Follow him on Twitter @jshuey or on LinkedIn: in/JeffShuey

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