The LinkedIn connections who have no time to talk

Many people want the positive side of being active on LinkedIn: the connections that could get them jobs, work, and the other things they need. But they do not especially want to spend time with anyone if they think they might be the one giving.

Most people say they know networking matters. In LinkedIn’s 2017 global survey of 15,905 members in 17 countries, 79 percent agreed that professional networking is valuable for career progression, and 70 percent of people hired in 2016 were hired at a company where they had a connection. Yet 38 percent said they find it hard to stay in touch with their network, and the leading reason, given by 49 percent, was not having enough time. Less than half, 48 percent, said they keep in touch when their career is going well.

I run into it all the time, and you probably do too. Someone accepts the connection request. Then, when you try to have an actual conversation, not pitching anything, just networking, they say, “Sorry, I don’t have time.”

It baffles me. Why be on LinkedIn, accept a connection request, and then shut people down when they try to talk to you? People are weird, and people do weird stuff.

That is a shame, because the people you barely know are often the useful ones. A 2022 study in Science that ran randomized experiments on more than 20 million LinkedIn members found that weaker ties, not close contacts, did the most to help people move into new jobs. Saying no to every conversation with a new connection shuts that off.

So they come up with creative ways of telling you to go away. Here is my favorite so far. I sent a connection request. They accepted it. I sent a message to start a conversation, with no pitch at all. The reply:

“Sorry, no time to chat. My rate is $1,250 an hour if you’d like to book time. Thanks.”

I have nothing to add. That is just hilarious. If you would rather have someone else start those conversations for you, that is what my LinkedIn BizDev service does. Or book a networking chat.