I don’t see military veterans look shocked and appalled all that often. As the transition master coach for Military.com’s Veteran Employment Project, I can tell you most of our users don’t shock all that easily. That is, until I told them they were supposed to research the interviewer on LinkedIn before the interview.
Cue the shock. The disdain. The contempt. “That just seems creepy,” a transitioning service member told me recently. “What kind of person reads up on where the interviewer went to college and what their job titles used to be? What kind of job seeker does that?”
The employed kind, that’s who.
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For military members, I understand completely how researching the interviewer’s profile before an interview might seem super creepy. While there are creepy intel behaviors I will tell you about in a bit, rest assured that out here in Civilianland, looking up the interviewer on LinkedIn before the interview is not creepy.
Whether this is a formal interview, a screening call, an informational interview or a networking introduction, looking up the employer on LinkedIn is considered good attention to detail. In the civilian world, it is expected.
For example, I talked to a hiring manager this week who is in the middle of interviewing a group of job seekers for an executive position. The group happens to include quite a few veterans and military spouses, which is great. We love our Top Veteran Employers and Top Military Spouse Employers.
The hiring manager told me that some of the candidates would be surprised to know they were knocked out of the running for a simple reason.
“They did not even bother to look me up on LinkedIn,” the hiring manager told me. “I mean, it’s right there.”
The unprepared candidates got caught because they did not realize the interviewer had been in the military for more than 10 years. They talked down to her as if she was an outsider. It was seen as a marker for a lack of attention to detail -- something required for the job.
No one will tell you.
“Did you call them on it?” I asked, picturing all those candidates who had clicked off Zoom thinking they rocked that interview.
“No. The information is there. It is expected that you will have the courtesy to look it up,” said the hiring manager.
What Is Good Attention to Detail?
I’ve heard the same thing from many hiring managers and a few veteran recruiters, too. My own rule of thumb is that if I am asking someone for their time and attention, I take a minute and look them up. Sometimes it is just to make sure we are already connected on LinkedIn. Or to see whether there is any indicator of something we have in common, such as the great state of Ohio. Or whether we have ever been stationed together. Or whether there is some kind of help I might be able to offer them. It only takes me a minute.
I also will connect with them on LinkedIn if we are not previously connected. It allows the interviewer to have a quick preview of you, too. I always send the connection request with a quick note, such as: “Looking forward to meeting with you on Thursday.”
What Are Creepy Intel Behaviors?
Admittedly, there are things you would do with information about an interviewer that would be in the creepy department. Mentioning you like their blouse is creepy. Telling someone you are glad they shaved that mustache is kinda creepy. Reciting their current address and credit score is exceedingly creepy.
What you are expected to do is to know how to spell their name, their job title and/or understand how they fit into their company. In the age of artificial intelligence (AI), you are also expected to find out something about their company and the kind of business problems they might face in their industry.
Getting a job is all about fitting in. You are constantly signaling to an interviewer, a recruiter or a hiring manager that you have done this kind of work before, that you can adapt your skills to help them solve their problems and that you would be a pleasant member of their team. Scanning the interviewer’s profile before you meet is just one way to nail your first impression.
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