Why it’s not OK to connect with your interviewer on LinkedIn

Being invited to an interview is exciting, and you may be keen to make an instant good impression on the employer and interviewer.  One way not to do so, however, is to send a LinkedIn connection request to the interviewer.

Appropriate use of social media for jobseekers

Social media is an important networking tool, but when job searching it is crucial to understand that there are professional boundaries.

Jobseekers therefore need to be aware of the appropriate way to use social media before and after a job interview. It makes complete sense for jobseekers to look at publicly available information on social media as part of their pre-interview research, but there is a difference between researching in order to prepare for your interview and crossing the line from an enthusiastic candidate to a pushy and aggressive one.

If you get the job by all means connect, but until then it can make you seem presumptuous

That line definitely gets crossed when a candidate sends a request to their interviewer before or immediately after an interview to connect on LinkedIn. If you get the job by all means connect, but until then it can make you seem presumptuous as you are implying a level of familiarity that doesn’t exist.

The same rule applies to all social media – so do not send a Facebook friend request to your interviewer. It is not appropriate and more than anything points to your inexperience when it comes to professional business conduct.

A tool for your job search research

So what can you do? Well, it’s perfectly acceptable to research your interviewer on social media, provided you focus on:

• Determining how their role relates to the role you have applied for – This can give you a better idea of how to focus your answers, for example on the technical aspects or on the implementation process.
• The culture of the organisation – You can get a feel for the type of person who is likely to excel in the organisation.
• Projects and clients – You can go into your interview understanding the type of projects or clients the organisation works on and with.
• 1st degree connections in common – You can check if you have any former work colleagues in common. If you do, ask if they can tell you anything more about the company.
• Published blogs or articles – Read any published blogs or articles written by your interviewer. It’ll give you an insight into his or her point of view on current industry trends.
• Comments – You can comment on one or two of their industry-related blog posts. If you make an insightful comment your interviewer may recognise your name when it comes time for your interview, but don’t overdo it.

Get social media savvy

A sound understanding of social media is the least that’s now expected of jobseekers within most industries. There are many ways that you can prove your social media savvyness without invading the interviewer’s privacy, read about some of them here.

Read the original version of this article of the Hays Singapore website here.

• A simple guide to writing the perfect resume/CV
• How to impress a recruiter with your resume/CV
• How to optimise your LinkedIn profile
• How to make full use of technology during your job search
• Common cover letter mistakes
• How to market yourself in your job search
• Focus your interview on fit
• Stop making these common job search mistakes
• Make your interviewer love you

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