I just got an email from LinkedIn telling me Tom and Sue (not their real names) have endorsed me. The thing is the endorsement from Sue is worth something. She’s someone I respect and whom I have known for several years now. Her endorsement is real while Tom’s is not. I have never known Tom in a professional capacity or worked with him. I know him from school and he is endorsing me for things that are not even on my profile. This leads me to my top three most annoying LinkedIn behaviors.
#3: Fake endorsements
I am really not sure why people do this. Do they want a fake endorsement in return? Is it fun to play with LinkedIn? What is it?
#2: Posting too much and about non-business topics
Yes, I guess this could be two behaviors, but in my experience they go hand-in-hand. People who post too much are also posting about extraneous stuff. Remember that you want to showcase what you do, and unless you are a veterinarian, that stuff about how kittens need extra blankets in the winter is great for Facebook but has no place on LinkedIn.
#1: Sending generic LinkedIn invitations (perennial “winner”)
Stop doing this. I don’t understand why people you don’t know in person, who feel they would like to connect with you , can’t seem to scare up a couple of lines to provide some context, some reason, or some personality.
What annoys you on LinkedIn? Yes, you can vent right here!
About Deborah Brody
Deborah Brody writes and edits anything related to marketing communications. Most blog posts are written under the influence of caffeine.
Biggest pet peeve with LinkedIn: recruiters constantly trying to “friend” me. Seriously, connecting is only for people who know each other. I don’t mind recruiters sending me all the email they want (sure I want to ditch my permanent job in the place I love to come work for your startup in South Dakota on a 3 month contract…), but stop trying to “friend” me! We’ve never met, ergo we cannot possibly be friends at this moment in time. #EndRant
Tracy, yes! That’s a common one too. I would connect if they told me why, but often, they just send a generic invite. I had one recruiter attempt to (generically) LinkIn, then leave a message on my voice mail, then send an email. And it was for me to use her to hire someone, not for her to try to place me.
Yes! #1 drives me crazy! If someone wants to take the time to connect, could they be so kind as to remind you how/why you know each other. It’s to the point that I simply ignore generic invitations.
Serenety, I am with you! I also don’t respond to generic invitations (unless it is someone I do know).
The mobile apps mess up #1 – one touch and the generic is sent, there’s no pause or chance to edit; hate that. As for endorsements, it’s the gamification of LI (see also, K). I made up a bogus category but really, I’m not approving any except from those who know for real. AND I’m considering opting out of them all together.
My other 2 peeves go hand in hand; using social rather than being social. First, participating in groups and what not.. only to post your own links. Second, the random LI invite from total strangers w/ zero basis. Just b/c I want to network doesn’t mean any and everyone. If we’ve never crossed paths, follow my Twitter, read my blog, etc. But if you’re in a place we’ll never meet, an industry I’d likely never work for, aren’t looking for anything more than vanity numbers and/or people to spam as you look to get jobs or sell crap.. that is NOT networking, NOT social. FWIW.
Endorsements bug me. They’re the zipless you-know-what of LinkedIn. Recommendations required that the writer actually know you, have worked with you, and had something to say (and took the time to write something up); they weren’t easy to create or earn.
And yes, the generic invites bug me too. If you want to be added to my contacts list, the least you could do is personalize the reason and let me know HOW you know me (if we’re not old friends/colleagues) or why I should add you to my connections (like “so and so said we should be connected”).
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