What are your thoughts on connecting with a recruiter on LinkedIn after applying for job?

[MsMajeika]

Hi all,

I've recently applied for a job that I'm very interested in on the company website. I got a standard email from the recruiter saying they received my application.

Much of the advice online says it's totally acceptable to connect with the recruiter on LinkedIn afterwards and just send a quick note. I create content on LinkedIn so feel this would go in my favour.

I haven't worked in the UK for 20 years and it's a UK company. Is this bad form or could it help my chances?

I tend to add external recruiters but not normally internal. It’s very unlikely to actively help your chance in anyway but it wouldn’t harm it, if they don’t want to add you they can just reject the invite.

I've done this before. I'm not sure if I connected as such, but I sent an internal recruiter a quick DM - literally a couple of sentences just saying that I'd applied and why I thought I was a good fit for the role and that I'd appreciate it if she could keep an eye out for my application. Not sure if it helped, but I got the job so it clearly didn't do any harm! A good trick is to find a reason to drop them a message - i.e. if you want to enquire about the salary, hybrid working arrangement, etc.

Thanks a lot for your thoughts @Lemondenim and @Sunglassesweather. I really like the idea of finding a reason to drop them a note.

I work in recruitment and I’m on LinkedIn a lot. I’d have no issue getting an invite or Inmail from an applicant. If there’s quite a few CV’s to get through, a message or invite can stand out from the crowd. I will say though usually when the skills are relevant to the role rather than a random application with no relevant background to the role

A polite message heads up is acceptable, but harrassing before or after shortlist is not

When I used to apply to white collar agencies I use to call and ask if they had jobs(obvs they did)
Then they'd ask me to send a CV to their personal address
This reduces risk of being lost in email traffic. If they liked it you've done them a favour and they'll be glad for it