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I recently applied for a Research Fellow (post-doc) position in political science/social sciences at a European institution. The day after I submitted my application (September 30), the PI sent me a request to connect on LinkedIn, which I accepted. I haven’t heard anything since, and it’s now October 9.

I’m wondering what this LinkedIn connection might mean. Is it a positive sign of interest, or something PIs sometimes do as a professional courtesy? Would it be inappropriate to send a short message (e.g., “Thank you for connecting—I just wanted to reiterate my strong interest in the project”) or should I wait until the shortlist/interview stage?

I’m trying not to overthink, but the timing and silence have me second-guessing what’s appropriate in the European academic context. Any insight from people who’ve hired postdocs (or went through this when applying to such positions) would be appreciated.

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    You are overthinking. Also, it could help if you would specify your field. Commented Oct 12 at 17:10
  • Sorry, I added that information! Political science/social sciences. Commented Oct 12 at 17:13
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    Note that 9 days is next to no time. Be patient. Commented Oct 12 at 19:27
  • Do you know the deadline? When do you expect they will make a decision? If that time is nearby (unlikely), send them a message. Meanwhile, look for other opportunities. Life is long but at the same time too short for you to wait (you probably are not :)) Commented Oct 13 at 3:36
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    Sounds to me as if he's connected as a way to see what you're like. If he's liked one of your posts, that isn't a bad thing, but don't read a lot into it. You should always assume your LinkedIn posts are public and might be seen by anyone. Commented Oct 14 at 12:19

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You are overthinking this. Some people want to befriend everyone they meet in their lives on Facebook. Others do the same on LinkedIn, perhaps because they are actually interested in the person, or perhaps simply because they like to rack up their number of LinkedIn contacts into the hundreds or thousands. I would not read anything into it.

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    I have the impression that LinkedIn sometimes generates its own "connect" requests based on your profile. I wouldn't expect much. Commented Oct 13 at 13:28
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Clarify by communicating. Message the PI on LinkedIn:

  • with what you suggested you might say; or
  • with a message saying that you would be glad to have a chat in addition to your formal application, or to provide additional information which may be of interest to them when evaluating the application; or
  • with some question about recent activity/publication by the PI's group; or
  • saying that, with and without regard to your application, you would be interested in visiting that group (that is, assuming that's true), and asking whether it would be possible to set something like this up.
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