There are times when you realize you need to pull back.
When you realize you might have gone too far.
I’m talking about LinkedIn invites. And that you might want to Withdraw one, two or a few of them every so often.
And, there is nothing wrong with this.
Reality Check 1:
Have you ever sent out a bunch of LinkedIn invitations? I mean … 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 you invited 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 invitations in LinkedIn.. And, it’s easy to check to see if you have any. And, equally important it’s just as easy to make an adjustment. I’ll show you the steps below.
Note: I say adjustment here because sending out LinkedIn invites is not a wrong or a bad thing. Sometimes you just realize you may want to pull a few of them back.
Why Unvite Someone?
- Simple, people change. Jobs change. Life changes.
- We move on. People move on. We 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. As you can gather … I call these The Unvite.
Reality Check 2: I don’t think we, the user, are penalized for having multiple invitations out there. However, I am pretty there is some level of tracking that shows how many “unaccepted” invitations you have sitting out there. This might change the way recommendations are made and it might also change the way
In a perfect world … the would have a weighing factor for how many you have being sent to you that you haven’t responded to … yet.
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. (Hint: Always send a personalized note)
The Good News – 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 Six Easy Steps:
- Go to Messages (hover over the envelope icon on the top right side of the LinkedIn Menu bar and click)
- Click on Sent (In the window that pops up – select Sent)
- Search for “Join my network on LinkedIn” – Note: this can be a multi-page search. It may take a few minutes.
- Click on the one(s) you want to Withdraw
- Select Withdraw
- Repeat as necessary
Keeping it Tight
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. If you need a refresher take a look at this – 7 Steps to Spring Clean your LinkedIn Profile.
By keeping your LinkedIn invites, profile and other details you will Stand Out in Your Career while showing your authentic self. It’s true that 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 in managing your career.
So, get to it. Check to see how many Invitations you might want to Withdraw. Who knows you might find a reason to reach out again or realize that they weren’t the right contact for your in the first place.
Good luck. Drop a note in the comments if you have found other ways to manage your LinkedIn profile.
