Written by Vaclav Koranda

Should You Reach Out to the Hiring Manager Directly?

Reaching out to the hiring manager directly has its pros and cons. On one hand, it can help you avoid the recruitment “black hole,” create a direct connection with the hiring manager, and possibly gain an advantage over competitors vying for the same job opportunity. On the other hand, by bypassing the official recruitment process, you risk breaching professional boundaries and potentially causing irritation among the hiring manager and recruiters.

My Personal Experience

Ever since the early days of LinkedIn, I’ve received messages from job seekers multiple times a week. Unfortunately, most of the time, their qualifications didn’t align with what we were searching for, and often, they did not even fit within our industry. I would always respond politely, explaining that there were no current openings matching their profile, and I would recommend checking our career pages for any suitable roles in the future. Only one of these interactions resulted in a successful hire. This occurred when I was searching for a trainee for my own team, and coincidentally, a recent graduate with a degree in HR contacted me, expressing interest in joining us.

On the other hand, there was a time when I applied for a job through our company’s internal career page. Since nothing happened for a few weeks and I really wanted that job, I decided to take action. I found out the hiring manager’s identity through my professional network. It showed that a friend of mine knew her personally, so I asked him to inquire about my application and convey my interest in the role. To my surprise, she responded that she had never received my application through the internal system and requested that I send my CV directly to her. To cut a long story short, after a few months, several interviews, and an assessment center evaluation, I got the job. Without my proactive approach in finding and directly contacting her however, I would never have secured the position.

The Guide

All in all, if contacting the hiring manager directly can indeed yield positive results, how should you go about it correctly? Here are the most important guidelines to follow:

  1. Get a great, comprehensive, tailored resume. Learn how to do it here: Your Complete Guide to Writing a Perfect Resume (Plus a Free Template)
  2. Max out your LinkedIn profile’s potential. Learn how to do it here: Master LinkedIn for Your Job Search Success
  3. Always apply through the official recruitment channel first.
  4. Consider direct contact as a supplementary step to support your application.
  5. Always reference a particular job position rather than simply sending your CV saying you need a job.
  6. Make sure you’re reaching out to the right individual. Ideally, you should aim to contact the hiring manager for the specific role. While you can attempt to get in touch with the recruiter, it’s likely that they will redirect you to the official application process because they might not be particularly motivated to give your application preferential treatment.
  7. Avoid sending your CV to random people within the company, including those in HR, unless, of course, they are also the hiring manager for the position.
  8. Ideally, establish this contact through a mutual acquaintance whom you both know well and trust. In other words, choose someone you can rely on to convey accurate information about you, and someone the hiring manager can trust to deliver the message effectively. To achieve this, having a strong professional network is essential. Learn how to build yours here: The Power of Networking
  9. If you don’t have anyone who can serve as a middleman, you can still attempt to send an email to the hiring manager or message them directly on LinkedIn. However, a cold contact is likely to be less successful. This approach might be more effective if you applied to a small company or a startup where formal processes may not be firmly established. In contrast, large companies typically adhere to strict HR procedures, and your efforts may yield little result.

Conclusion

Contacting the hiring manager directly can lead to positive or negative outcomes, depending on the situation. It’s important to carefully assess whether this approach would be beneficial for your case and make your decision wisely. If you do choose to reach out, be sure to follow the guidelines provided above to ensure you do it correctly.

Want to discover all the insider secrets of job searching and learn how to leverage them to your advantage? Check out my book Get Your Dream Job – it’s all in there!

Good luck!

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