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.

This article is exclusively for Career Account members.

Unlock this story now with a 15-day free trial of a Devex Career Account.With a Career Account subscription you will get:

  • Full access to our jobs board, including over 1,000 exclusive jobs
  • Your Devex profile highlighted in recruiter search results
  • Connections to recruiters and industry experts through online and live Devex events
Start my 15-day free trial