Tech IndustryAug 14, 2018
Lero LabslyVd32

When should you delete someone from LinkedIn?

I’m a big believer in quality of professional relationships versus quantity. There’s no point in saying you have over 2000 connections if you cannot rely on many of them to either give you advice, or connect you with opportunities. What criteria should I use to delete my existing LinkedIn connections? Some of them tend to be CEOs of start ups who have been executives at big companies in the past that have sent me a LinkedIn request, others have been startup CEOs. But when I send them a note to ask them a question or comment on one of their posts, I don’t get a response at all. So what’s the point in even keeping these kinds of high-level people on your LinkedIn?

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Volvo fcvP36 Aug 14, 2018

Curious to see how this pull gonna end up with ... I had that question crossing my mind days ago

LinkedIn YumeWo Aug 14, 2018

I just keep everyone so I know when they get promoted or start a new position cuz I’m nosy like that

Expedia Fiddle Aug 14, 2018

I keep people I can rely on and who can rely on me. I also have a list of people to watch out for, those I keep specifically so that I know if they come anywhere near my company/org supply chain, etc so that I can GTFO asap when that happens.

Google QuadLovin Aug 14, 2018

Look at it this way, what does deleting a contact really mean? Is it a feel-good move or a way to punish someone for not living up to our expectations? There was a reason why you added that person. If they don’t respond to your InMail they may not find your request worthy of a response or they may simply be busy. My criteria is spam. I only delete someone if they spam me with info or requests that I do not care about.

Microsoft Tier 1 Aug 14, 2018

Delete all the useless recruiters and other useless people once your network is big enough. Some former colleagues simply might not be using LinkedIn much at the moment. They may be useful in future. Plus it is somewhat rude to delete them, and the industry is fairly small.

Lero Labs lyVd32 OP Aug 14, 2018

Agreed with the recruiters. But what if former colleagues or business partners don’t respond to a follow up LinkedIn InMail on the same topic? By following up, you are indicating that there is an important topic that you would like their help on. If they still don’t respond, doesn’t that indicate their unwillingness to look at you as someone valuable?

Amazon tBnv11 Aug 14, 2018

I keep it to keep my numbers high

Lero Labs lyVd32 OP Aug 14, 2018

What good is keeping your “numbers“ high if you have no relationship with them? How does that help you?

Amazon tBnv11 Aug 14, 2018

It doesn't. Just for appearances. I never bother with linkedin cause I can get interviews through referrals or just applying online.