You Do Not Need To Accept Every Connection Request
I've been hearing a number of stories recently that made my skin crawl.
The unprofessional practice of trawling through people's connection lists, mass-connecting with people they've never met (including their family members and clients) and in some instances, immediately sliding into their DMs trying to initiate a coffee meeting. Creepy AF
If you've had that 'something's off' feeling about a connection request or DM—trust it. That instinct exists for a reason.
Here's your reminder: you don't need to accept every connection request, even if you have mutuals. Your network, your rules.
How to lock down your connections list (via desktop only):
- By default, your 1st-degree connections can browse your entire connections list. Most people use this professionally, but some exploit it to build an inflated network (to seem more influential, perhaps?) and cross boundaries that would never be okay in real life.
To protect your privacy:
1) Click Me icon > Settings & Privacy
2) Click Visibility (left pane)
3) Under Visibility of your profile & network, click Connections
4) Switch toggle to Off/No
What this does:
- Only you can see your full connections list. Others won't see the "Connections" link on your profile.
Worth knowing:
- You can't hide mutual connections (people still see who you both know)
- LinkedIn operates on a "give to get" philosophy. If you want to see who other people are connected to, you have to allow others to see who you are connected to.
To limit updates being shared to your feed:
1) Click Me icon > Settings & Privacy
2) Click Visibility (left pane)
3) Scroll down to the section titled Visibility of your LinkedIn activity
4) Find the option: "Share job changes, education changes, and work anniversaries from profile".
5) 'Share key profile updates' - switch toggle to Off/No
Already connected with someone crossing boundaries, 3 options:
1) Remove connection: Their profile > More (three dots) > Remove connection (no notification sent)
2) Block them: Their profile > More > Report/Block > Block [name]
3) Report inappropriate or unwanted DMs: Three dots on message > Report
You're not obligated to stay connected with anyone who makes you uncomfortable, full stop.
Connection strategy reminder:
- Quality over quantity, always
- Connect with people who genuinely matter to your work, industry, or goals; not random strangers from someone else's connections list.
Your network should be full of people you'd actually want to have a conversation with, not people you're hoping won't notice you've never crossed paths.
Find out more/book a LinkedIn Power Hour with Debbie
Connect with Debbie here on LinkedIn
