Messaging on LinkedIn after applying for a job?

[W201_190e]

ClaphamGT3 said:

W201_190e said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

When interviewing I always check that the candidate has checked my LinkedIn profile and am not impressed if they haven’t.

Provided it wasn’t pushy, was well written and professional, I’d see a message following an application as a positive.

You're assuming everyone uses it, I don't have a profile.

Which would be a concern to me as a potential employer.

I have never thought about it that way. Does almost everyone have one?

[anonymous-user]

I don't. Many people I know don't. Never been questioned or prevented me getting roles. I never check anyone's either.

I wouldn't want to work for anyone who uses LinkedIn profile viewing as a sifting tool.

I suppose it depends on industry, and insecurity.

[W201_190e]

01WE01 said:

I don't. Many people I know don't. Never been questioned or prevented me getting roles. I never check anyone's either.

I wouldn't want to work for anyone who uses LinkedIn profile viewing as a sifting tool.

I suppose it depends on industry, and insecurity.

Well yes, I've not used it, or admittedly even heard of it till around 5 years ago. Just applied the old fashioned way.

[anonymous-user]

Because some people have different attitudes to LinkedIn and we are sharing them.

If I had a profile, and someone messaged me, or members of my wider teams before, during or after an interview process I would think them a bit weird.

More useful than you bumping your post count with pointless comments.

[talksthetorque]

Getting round HR to the hiring manager is one of the tools of recruiters.
As someone pointed out, a lot of HR people haven't got a clue what most people in a business do.
We ended up inviting ours to a team meeting and on a site visit to give them a clue as to what the hell we do ( and possibly why we moan so much )

A note that hits the right tone with the hiring manager for a position that requires ingenuity and/or networking skills can only be a good thing.
Hint, don't guess at the right tone, just be yourself. If it works, you and your possible manager are probably going to get along.

edited for spelling - just in case my next employer is doing a seaarch and grammar is important to them

Edited by talksthetorque on Wednesday 3rd March 22:14

[Macneil]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It's very professional and the comment was meant to be laughable, we just don't do linkedin bullst. Too busy working.

[DanL]

If their HR department is any good, they’ll have seen some CVs but won’t have any idea which is yours - as a result, I don’t suppose there’s anything to be gained ahead of interview... Equally, if you’re not going to be called for interview an approach via LinkedIn wouldn’t add you to my shortlist. It’ll just make me feel a bit awkward.

After interview, assuming it wasn’t a car crash, it can’t hurt to send a note thanking them for their time, reiterating your interest in the role, etc.

[ClaphamGT3]

W201_190e said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

W201_190e said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

When interviewing I always check that the candidate has checked my LinkedIn profile and am not impressed if they haven’t.

Provided it wasn’t pushy, was well written and professional, I’d see a message following an application as a positive.

You're assuming everyone uses it, I don't have a profile.

Which would be a concern to me as a potential employer.

I have never thought about it that way. Does almost everyone have one?

It is vanishingly rare not to have one in my profession. We strongly encourage all our people to use LinkedIn actively

[okgo]

It’s pretty unusual for people not to have LinkedIn these days.

Without it I’d be genuinely lost in my role tbh. It’s a huge resource.

[CAPP0]

ClaphamGT3 said:

W201_190e said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

W201_190e said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

When interviewing I always check that the candidate has checked my LinkedIn profile and am not impressed if they haven’t.

Provided it wasn’t pushy, was well written and professional, I’d see a message following an application as a positive.

You're assuming everyone uses it, I don't have a profile.

Which would be a concern to me as a potential employer.

I have never thought about it that way. Does almost everyone have one?

It is vanishingly rare not to have one in my profession. We strongly encourage all our people to use LinkedIn actively

I've had people message me after applying. For me it's all down to what they say and how they say it. Be positive, bright, interested, and don't be beggy or creepy!

[dibblecorse]

No reason not to, depending on the process internally, some will have an internal recruitment team and some will mange their hiring directly, it will have one of two effects, they will either respond with an update, or they will flick your chase up over to their recruiter internally to get back to you, happens all the time here, mainly on higher volume application reqs where the recruiter can't always keep up with the applications daily.

I get them regularly as I run EMEA hiring so just send them on to my recruiter and ask they follow up with the candidate.

All these 'don't need a stalker / would go in the bin' I just don't get, professionalism is free !!!

[reapercushions]

100% on the side of it being a great tool when job hunting.

Clearly we have a cross-section of industries here but in my world (SaaS / Tech) it is highly used and very much a positive if you are seen to use and utilize it.

As per the GT3 chap above.. anyone who does it to me gets extra points. The best process would be:

View profile
Connection request.
Polite note about the application stating their interest and welcoming a view of their profile ahead of the HR / recruitment process happening.

If that happens to me, I ask our recruitment team to put them in the front of the line barring any other resume issues.

[RoVoFob]

Interesting to see the animosity towards LinkedIn from some people.

I work in online publishing and was approached about my current job on LinkedIn - a role that I wouldn’t have applied for otherwise - and having a LinkedIn profile played a part in me getting shortlisted and subsequently hired for two of my previous roles that I heard about through networking.

So, why wouldn’t you want to use LinkedIn? It’s free and can reduce the effort needed to get a new job. I simply update my profile whenever I tweak my CV. Easy.

I’ve also use LinkedIn to approach freelancers who seem to have relevant skills for work I’m commissioning. What gets me, though, is people who go to the effort of setting up a profile and then just put job titles in with absolutely no detail about what they did.

What’s the point?! I’m not going to contact them and waste my time trying to work out if they have any relevant experience at all. They clearly have no initiative, so I’ll skip over them and contact others who have bothered to write something.

[anonymous-user]

Lots of reasons. I think primarily it depends on the industry.

Just like some companies don't need to advertise because they are busy enough, some people don't need to advertise their career successes or that they are available for work.

Some sectors don't need networking, or freelancing; or if they do, there are well established channels. Also, for some sectors it's a security risk and, finally, some people just don't like social media!

[anonymous-user]

01WE01 said:

Lots of reasons. I think primarily it depends on the industry.

Just like some companies don't need to advertise because they are busy enough, some people don't need to advertise their career successes or that they are available for work.

Some sectors don't need networking, or freelancing; or if they do, there are well established channels. Also, for some sectors it's a security risk and, finally, some people just don't like social media!

Personally speaking, I wouldn't class LinkedIn as social media. I would call it business networking and a place for your CV online.

I use it almost exclusively as an online CV, with a bit of news and events thrown in. If you follow the right people or businesses within your industry, you can use it as a handy news feed to know what is happening out there, and what events are coming up that might be good to attend.

As others have said, LinkedIn is free and can be massively useful, even if you don't think you need it.

An example:

Last year, I was approached totally at random by a recruitment business who specialise in Board and Non-Exec positions. They had been trawling through LinkedIn looking for a suitable person for a board position and come across me. I had never previously considered Board type stuff, but they had a chat with me and encouraged me to apply. I did, and now I'm a non-executive director for a University, getting paid £7800 a year to attend about 6 or 7 meetings per year by Zoom.

That would not have happened if I had not been on LinkedIn, and I am very grateful that it did, as I have now got my foot on the ladder of paid board positions, and it is something else on my CV, plus the additional money each year.

The company I do most of my consultancy work though generally keep me busy which is good, but I have picked up extra assignments here and there simply by being approached through LinkedIn.

I keep my profile professional and up to date, and this probably takes me less than 10 mins or so every couple of months.

As others have said, you would be amazed at how often someone takes a look at your profile on LinkedIn before they meet you for whatever reason. I had a recruiter tell me recently to "make sure you go on LinkedIn and check out the people who you will be working for during the next assessment as it always looks good", so make of that what you will.

LinkedIn isn't for everyone, and clearly some people will get very little out of it, but I would certainly recommend trying it.

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 10th March 22:59

[RoVoFob]

01WE01 said:

Lots of reasons. I think primarily it depends on the industry.

Just like some companies don't need to advertise because they are busy enough, some people don't need to advertise their career successes or that they are available for work.

Some sectors don't need networking, or freelancing; or if they do, there are well established channels. Also, for some sectors it's a security risk and, finally, some people just don't like social media!

Maybe, but isn’t it better to have multiple job/freelancing options and you pick the best/most suitable/most lucrative ones rather than be rushed off your feet with any old work?

I hate social media, but still find LinkedIn more than worth the effort. It’s a business tool after all...