How do you connect on LinkedIn?
There are lots of scammers out there - folks trying to setup
business deals but mostly marketers trying to get your business. Over the past
year I've received invitations to connect on LinkedIn from folks all over the
world. When you see an invitation from someone with a title like Chairman,
Founder or President, the tendency is to accept the invitation. No, I don't - I
am more cautious with such titles ☺
How do you know whether the person requesting the invitation
is real?
Simple - verify, verify and verify.
Here is how I do it:
Verify that the
person exists
This morning I received an invitation from a CEO (with no profile
picture). A LinkedIn profile with no profile picture is perfect for an
anonymous scammer. If the title is CEO or something suggesting senior
management, check out the website of the company they claim to be representing.
The CEO had two common connections with me. Having common connections is no
reason to connect, because the common
connections may have been fooled. Also this CEO had 2000+ connections on
LinkedIn. Imagine how many people have been fooled already by this profile
alone!
Never get carried away by number of connections. There are lots of profiles on Twitter with a
huge number of connections - and these days you can buy connections for a dime.
I use Twitter to connect with everyone, real or not. Back to the LinkedIn
invitation I received, I called the President of the company and verified that
there is no such person. Matter closed.
Wouldn't it be nice if LinkedIn had a 'Verified Account' badge for their authentic users?
Nothing validates a
person better than recommendations
Even if a person has a very illustrious looking LinkedIn
profile with numerous endorsements, large number of connections, great title
and an awesome profile picture, it doesn't mean they are genuine. Because
anyone can write a whole bunch of stuff about themselves.
However, there is nothing that validates a person
better than LinkedIn recommendations. This
is the main reason I have a profile on LinkedIn. And I am ever thankful to
those who follow my company page and have recommended me on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn recommendations are written by others about you and
they can be verified. I'd trust someone is real if they have at least five
recommendations for five different companies they have worked for over a span
of several years.
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