Is contacting the recruiter directly on LinkedIn unprofessional?

Question

I have been invited to 1st round interviews from a Middle East office of a consulting firm a couple months ago, however no specific interview date has been scheduled yet.

I tried to reach HR by phone, since they're either responding late or not at all to emails, twice, but the front office did not want to contact me with them and just told me to send an email.

Recently I was lucky that the person who picked up the phone at least gave me the email address of a recruiter, after I explained her that I got an offer from another firm with a decision deadline.

I sent an email to the recruiter immediately. However, in case she does not respond within 1-2 days (since the deadline of the other offer is relatively close), I thought about contacting her on LinkedIn and explaining the situation (I found her profile).

Would this be unprofessional, even in this case, so that it would harm my chances?

Answer 1

Hello there,

There is nothing unprofessional about contacting a person who have put up their profile on a public domain such as LinkedIn. Reaching out through people from Linkedin is a completely acceptable way to expand your network and engage in professional matters as the platform is tailored to provide such functions.

What will determine whether the outreach is professional or not is the tone and delivery of your message. General best practices such as utilizing polite dictions and be respectful of their time / not being pushy works perfectly.

Another note, actively reaching out would actually showcase your strong interest towards the firm and let them know you are someone who will proactively pursue things, a desirable traits of a prospective candidate.

Hope it helps.

Kind regards,

Nathan

Answer 2

Hi,
I confirm there is nothing strange in contacting them in all the ways you can. I recommend to try again with e-mail, call and LinkedIn: HR are there to help you during the recruiting process and they will understand your motivation in joining the firm.

Hope it helps,
Antonello

Answer 3

Hi,

Recruiters are not the decision-makers in consulting companies. You can easily contact them on Linkedin - no issues here

Best

Answer 4

Hi Anonymous,

I would recommend trying to call the office again rather than contacting the person via LinkedIn if she doesn’t respond – I don’t see major advantages in sending another message (it will still be delivered as an email) and could be perceived as pushy. This would also be a faster way to possibly get a response.

In terms of the offer you have, you may decide to sign the contract anyway in case you don’t manage to complete the process with the second firm in time and then opt to join that firm – it is not ideal but would be the only possible solution in that case.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 5

Dear A,

Linkeding is professional network, so it's ok to connect there. I would recommend you to repeat with e-mail and then try Linkedin.

Wish you best of luck,

André