Googling your interviewers' job history before meeting them isn't creepy — it can be impressive if you do it right

• Research company employees and ask interview questions about their careers.
• According to Lillian Landrum, head of talent acquisition at The Muse, you'll seem dedicated and prepared.
• You might also want to look specifically for things you have in common with your interviewers.

It's pretty standard practice for job candidates to scour the website of the organization they're interviewing with, looking for clues to the company's culture, mission, and current projects.

In fact, if you show up at an interview without having done your research, you're probably in trouble.

But some interviewers are looking for candidates who have gone one step further. Lillian Landrum, head of talent acquisition at job-search and career-advice platform The Muse, said she's impressed when candidates research the careers of other company employees, including their interviewers.

Landrum recommended asking about someone's work history, and how they got to their current role.

But don't worry about coming off as creepy, Landrum said. "It just shows that they're interested, they're dedicated, and they're going beyond what is expected of them to make sure they're fully set up properly for the interview," she said about the extra research.

Read more: An organizational psychologist has a sneaky job-interview question to figure out what it's really like to work somewhere

Another HR expert at The Muse, Toni Thompson, previously told Business Insider something similar. 

Thompson said she once interviewed someone who "had done their homework on me," and knew she'd started at The Muse a few months earlier.

"They asked me about some of the things I was most proud of since starting at my company and some of the challenges I faced."

"It was a memorable question," she said, "because it showed that they did their research and were genuinely listening to the answer and were curious about the response."

You can also do some sleuthing to figure out what you and your interviewers have in common: Maybe you worked for the same company or graduated from the same school.

"When you can discuss your commonalities, the hiring manager also has a better perspective about how you would 'fit' into the organization," career coach Anita S. Attridge told The Washington Post.

If there's a question you want to ask the interviewer but aren't sure about, Landrum recommended running it by the recruiter first (if there is one). "We're your safe space," she said.

SEE ALSO: An HR exec says she gets excited every time a job candidate asks her a simple question about learning on the job

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