How to Send Requests to Existing LinkedIn Members

When you’re on a LinkedIn page and spot the name of a member whom you want to invite to your network, you can follow these steps to send that person a Connection Request to add him to your network:

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Click the person’s name.

This takes you to his profile page. You can use LinkedIn to search the entire user network and find people you want to invite to join your personal network.

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Click the Add Person’s Name to your Network link.

The Invitation page appears.

Choose the connection that describes your relationship.

In some cases, you may have to input the person’s e-mail address to help prove that you actually know the person. If you select the I Don’t Know Person’s Name option, LinkedIn will deny the request, so keep that in mind. If you pick a category such as Colleague or Classmate, LinkedIn will display a drop-down list of options based on your profile. For example, if you pick Colleague, LinkedIn displays a drop-down list of your positions. You need to pick the position you held when you knew this person.

Enter your Invitation text.

You should compose a custom invitation rather than use the standard text. For example, you can remind the person how you recently met, acknowledge one of his achievements, and ask him to connect.