Should I contact a hiring manager directly?

When applying to jobs in the competitive field of international development, it can be a challenge to stand out in a sea of candidates. HR and recruitment professionals are often the gatekeepers in the hiring process, leaving the fate of your application in their hands. Some recruiters have a deep understanding of the role and what a hiring manager is looking for in candidates, while some have only a perfunctory idea. This isn’t always the fault of the recruiter, many hiring managers are bad at communicating what they need in a new hire and take an “I’ll know it when I see it” approach. So knowing this, should a job seeker circumvent the formal hiring procedures and go straight to the hiring manager? That is what one Devex member asked me via Twitter. Angie Pol @angi_pol324 recently tweeted: @DevexCareers-should job searchers try contacting a manager/supervisor of a position via@LinkedIn,@devex? Some say yes; is it too forward? I too have heard conflicting advice on this question and have seen it play out both ways. I’ve seen cases where applicants were not shortlisted by a recruitment team, but then end up getting the job when they met the hiring manager and hit it off. I’ve also seen applicants contact a hiring manager directly only to get rebuffed. And in the process, they annoy both the hiring manager and the recruiter — not the best tactic for landing a job. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t contact a hiring manager: • Some hiring managers get annoyed when approached directly by applicants. The reason they have a recruitment team screen resumes is that they do not have time to do so themselves. Going directly to some managers could communicate to them that you do not respect their time or are not someone who will comply with rules and procedures. Some take a less hostile approach, but will just forward your email, resume or inquiry right back to the human resources. • Contacting the manager directly is unlikely to win you advocates in the recruitment department. This can communicate to them that you do not respect their role in the process, or their judgment. Fair or not, the recruiter may be less likely to recommend you if they feel you stepped over their heads. However, given these potential drawbacks, here are reasons why I think you should go ahead and contact the manager anyway: • If a hiring manager is annoyed you reached out to them directly, it is likely because they do not think you are right for the job. So the people you risk annoying are likely the ones who wouldn’t hire you anyway. • Recruiters can overlook candidates for a variety of reasons — human error, lack of subject matter expertise, or just the sheer volume of applicants or positions on their plate. A recruiter may be juggling multiple positions while a hiring manager may only be focused on theirs. If it is your dream job, you don’t want to risk being overlooked. • If framed correctly, contacting a hiring manager can demonstrate your interest in the position and help you stand out among what may be many qualified candidates. So how should you go about contacting a hiring manager? Much like the advice I gave in a previous post on how to ask for an informational interview, I suggest always contacting people by email, or a messaging platform on Devex or LinkedIn. Cold phone calls are almost never well received and will likely come across as too aggressive. Make sure you have applied via the formal recruitment process first. For compliance and reporting purposes, most organizations cannot consider a candidate unless they have officially applied. Not doing so increases your chances of upsetting the manager or recruiter and will reinforce the idea that you are not one to follow standard procedures — not an ideal trait in a potential employee. Do not mention that you have applied but haven’t heard back from HR. This will either create bad blood between you and the recruitment team or it will raise flags to the manager as to why the HR team hasn’t shortlisted you. Assume your message will be forwarded to the recruitment team. Acknowledge that you have applied to the position — and that you realize you are stepping out of the formal application process — but you want to reach out to reiterate your strong interest in the position. If you can, reference something you know and admire from their bio — and why you want to work for them specifically — a little flattery can go a long way. But don’t lay it on too thick. Keep it short. Again, hiring managers do not have a lot of time to screen resumes, so brevity will be appreciated and is more likely to get noticed. Focus on the three main reasons why you are a good fit for the role. And include your resume as an attachment. If you can get introduced by a mutual contact to the hiring manager, or at the minimum reference their name (and make sure they give you permission to do so first) it is much more likely to get noticed. Contacting the hiring manager directly can be a bit of a gamble. But if done in the right way, and if it’s a job that is ultimately meant for you, then it can pay off in the end. Tell us: Have you reached out to a hiring manager directly? How did they respond? Looking to make a career move? Visit our career center for expert advice on how to navigate your job search - all you need is a Devex Career Account to get started.