It happens to a lot of us. A new LinkedIn connection request pops up without a note, a message, or a reason. Perhaps the person shares a few mutual connections, but they’re essentially a stranger.
Some people are willing to accept any request that comes their way. Others, however, are more guarded, and looking to connect only with people they know personally. But the question remains: Should you accept or decline LinkedIn invitations from an unknown person?
As a career expert at hiring platform Indeed, Priya Rathod often gets these kinds of invitations.
“I personally get several requests where there’s no mutual connections, no note. I’m just left wondering who this person is and why they want to connect with me,” she tells Fortune.
Career experts that Fortune spoke with say there’s no blanket formula for how to treat these invitations. Instead, they emphasize that the choice is a personal one: Some people may prefer a carefully curated professional network, while others see strength in numbers. And they add that while it’s not strictly forbidden to send a LinkedIn request to a stranger, there are some important rules that aspiring networkers should keep in mind.
