Here’s a pro tip for your networking efforts — never ever EVER send someone you want to connect with on LinkedIn the standard invite without adding a personal message.
Every time I receive a LinkedIn invitation which doesn’t have one iota of personalized text in it, you are sending me the following signal:
“I don’t care shit about you. All I want is to add you to my collection.”
And you know what my answer is: F’ YOU! I will surely not accept your connection request and make a mental note that you are someone I don’t care to know or be connected to.
The one and only exception to this rule is if you know the person well — and even then I would argue that you won’t develop RSI by typing a short Hi.
And there is a positive side to this note: Your chance of connecting with people increases dramatically when you send a personal message. Try it out!