Getting to Hiring Managers

There are several ways to get in front of hiring managers. Here are a few of them.

• Networking is the number one job lead source when it comes to getting in front of the hiring authority. (Which is why scenario #2 is a winner.) It doesn't matter if you just graduated from high school or you're a CFO candidate. Networking can "work" for you.

  What it takes is being willing to go outside your comfort zone and share your goals with people you know (your networking contacts).
  
  This could be done through casual networking. Or, depending on your level of experience, it could also mean attending more formal networking venues or getting introductions to new contacts as you build a network.

  Utilizing on-line communities are another way to get your candidacy out there. LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook or My Space all want to facilitate the expansion of your network.
  
  

• Headhunters or Staffing Professionals can offer a more direct route to the decision maker. At first glance this may appear to have the same probability of getting your candidacy in front of the hiring authority as going through Human Resources. Fortunately that's not always the case.

  A professional recruiter very often has direct access to the hiring authority. She spends her days sourcing, screening and matching candidates to hiring managers' needs. She knows what she is doing and to stay in business she must be tuned in to what the hiring authority wants.

  Assuming you have the necessary skills and experience, if you have a good recruiter in your corner, you have a much improved chance of both having your candidacy placed before the hiring authority and landing an interview. (There are other good reasons to work with a recruiter as well.)

• Snail Mail offers another possibility for bringing your candidacy to the attention of the hiring manager. Yes, you read that correctly.

  In scenario #1 above, if Sally had been able to learn the hiring manager's name, she would have been able to utilize another effective strategy to get her candidacy noticed.

  There are many places to look to find the hiring authority. Start with the company's web site and annual statement. Most of them list information about their highest level executives.

  Pay attention to how departments and areas of functional responsibility are named and divided. Use this information to search for people by company name, department name and/or location on LinkedIn or other social networking sites.

  If the position you're interested in is at the local branch of a national company, look at branch information on-line. Or call the office to find out the name of the person 'in charge'.

  If you're looking for work at a post secondary educational institution, course catalogs and other publications may very well lead you to the correct name.

  Once you have the name, send your marketing materials (most commonly a position specific cover letter and resume), via snail mail to that person's attention. Write confidential in the lower left hand corner of the envelope.

  This tactic has excellent odds of netting you an interview with the hiring manager. (Assuming of course that your marketing materials effectively illustrate how you're uniquely qualified for the job.)

  This may sound like a bunch of old fashioned nonsense to some. And for positions in highly technical fields, this tactic may not work. But I know this strategy works and have seen it do so more than once. In fact, it netted one of my clients an interview just this month. (6/09)

If you're serious about winning the job you can't afford to overlook the importance of bringing your candidacy to the hiring manager's attention. So go put this information to good use and get yourself an interview!



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