• by Beverly Weinstein , March 10, 2009

The name game can cut both ways, so think twice before you decide to play. Mentioning the right name can be a conversational ice breaker. The wrong name not only won't help, but in fact may hurt your chances to make the right impression. Drop too many names and it could mean game over.

Know your Audience: Do some homework on the person who will be interviewing you. LinkedIn is a good place to start your investigation. Find out where he or she has worked in the past, and what clients he or she has worked with. Your goal should be to get a better sense of whose name you might want to drop. If your research leads to someone you have in common with the interviewer, better still. Reach out to that mutual friend and find out as much as you can in advance of the interview.

Unintended Reference: Before you drop a name, consider that you may be providing a reference. It's not unusual for people in the hiring chain - recruiters, human resources executives or hiring managers - to do some off the record reference checks. Any name you mention becomes an easy starting point to check you out.

Don't Oversell Your Relationship: You'll look pretty clueless if your "good pal," whose name you've dropped, says he or she doesn't know you well enough to give an opinion on your skills or work record.

There's a Limit: Drop a few names - no problem. Drop too many names and you risk coming off as arrogant. If your intention is to convey you're connected, there are better ways to do it.

Two Can Play: It's not unusual for an interviewer to try to gage your relationships. Anticipate some name gaming from the other side of the desk. He or she usually wants to get a sense of how wide and how deep your relationships are, and whether you've interfaced with stake holders who will be helpful to you in this new job. Be warned again, this is another way to collect some off the record references.

Bottom line: Be a conservative name dropper. Make those contacts work for you, not against you.