Connecting with the Hiring Manager – No Recruiters, HR or Gate Keepers
LinkedIn is, without a doubt, one of the greatest tools for job seekers in finding potential employers. But, if you view it as your primary way of connecting with potential contacts versus a robust resource for information, you could be making your search more difficult than it needs to be. Let me explain what I mean as I walk you through this “how to” session.
I want you to think of LinkedIn like your personal White Pages. The more first degree connections you have, the larger your phonebook. I’ve written before about my philosophy that out of quantity, quality is born. The tool I highly recommend to all my clients for building a vast 1st level of likeminded networkers is OpenNetworker. After signing up with them, you will see your connections grow exponentially…as well as your ability to find the people with whom you want an audience. In my case, simply by signing up, my connections went from around 1000 about 18 months ago (which took me almost 4 years to build) to over 10,000 as of this blog…connecting me to over 17,000,000 LinkedIn users.
What I am going to walk you through today is only one of the techniques I teach in my Bootcamp. Adopting this approach, I want to show you how you can get in front of more hiring managers and take control of what they are hearing and seeing about you:
1. Getting Started – Here are the basics that you need:
• The name of the company,
• The role (you can select more than one, if you are uncertain) to which you would be reporting. You are looking for decision makers here – not HR or recruiters. In the video, I walk through this step-by-step (there is more information on this below).
2. Searching on LinkedIn – Using this criteria, conduct a search on LinkedIn to find the right point of contact – who you would be reporting to in your ideal role. Write down their full name. If you are on the fence about who your ideal contact is, take down all the possible options you can find in LinkedIn.
Tip: I recommend starting your search as broad as possible. Run it by company only, and then start adding in criteria like location, title or keywords. It’s always better to cast a wide net to begin with and then narrow your search.
3. Googling the Email Format – Since you are going to be reaching out to this contact on your own, we are going to move from LinkedIn to Google. If you think you might have a good contact to use instead of making your own introduction, that’s fine. But, I recommend using my “Litmus Test” in the tip below before relying on someone else to get you in the door. You need to know exactly how good an advocate they are going to be.
Tip: When trying to decide whether you should use a connection for an introduction or go it alone, use this easy litmus test. Ask your connection if they are willing to make a call to the contact you are trying to reach. If they are reluctant to do so and only offer to email – or worse yet, put your resume in front of someone in HR – politely thank them and go it alone. Someone with a solid relationship that bears weight won’t hesitate to pick up the phone. Anything else is simply an introduction with no teeth and a missed opportunity to make a meaningful first impression.
Using Google, add the “@” sign in front of the URL of the company in the search box. In the video, I use the example of Applied Robotics. You can see below what that search looks like.
You may need to dig through a page or two of search results to find the format. I also share some secrets on uncovering hard-to-find email format in the video walking you through this technique. If you enter your name and email below, I will send you a link to the short video that includes more tips and walks you through this process step-by-step.
Once you have found the format, use the contact name you found through LinkedIn and apply the format to it. You can then reach out directly to this potential hiring manager without being concerned about HR, recruiters or any other gate keepers.
As always, share your comments below. I always want to hear that you think!
Great Advice!
Thanks Kevin,
Brief and to the point.
I have had problems in the past, trying to find a contact person’s e-mail.
This will undoubtedly come in handy. Simple, yet we don’t think about it!
I always find your information meaningful amd well thought out. I agree with your blog about “Connecting with the Hiring Manager – No Recruiters, HR or Gate Keepers”. The suprise for me is limiting indroductions through people who are willing to call. I will try to get this next time I have need of a contact. My only thought is – isn’t an email contact better than nothing if you can not find someone willing to call your contact?
Great tip. Learnt something new and useful about Google and LinkedIn.
Thanks
Well done Kevin, but, could you go into more about what to say to the hiring manager after you find out all the necessary information about him?
Joe,
Let us know how it goes for you!
Kevin
Harry,
My problem with readily accepting someone’s offer to email on your behalf is knowing the solidity of the relationship. In the video I comment on this. Speaking for myslef, if someone wanted an introduction from me and I a) think highly of the person asking and b) know the person well (meaning my call/recommendation holds weight) to whom the introduction is being made, I would definitely do it via phone. It not only shows that I truly have a relationship (I would only make a call that I would expect to be received) but I can also have a conversation about why I think they need to talk.
I could write at great length about the issues I have with email as a primary form of communication. People have a tendancy to write things they wouldn’t say. Not to mention, unless the person emailing is a solid wordsmith, many times the real strength of the request or introduction can be lost. But, the real measurement here is how well they know the person (getting off what might be a rant and back on topic
). And, often a person who is willing to email may not be as good (or better) than you being your own advocate…because many think they are more “connected” and “regarded” than they actually are (something I saw happen MANY times in the search business when candidates started name dropping…which is a variation on the same theme).
So, I stand by the phone call litmus test. If someone is willing to call, they more than likely have a realationship worth leveraging. Otherwise, you need to ask yourself: who is a better advocate for my search – them or me?
Kevin
Peter,
Thank you…and that is part of what I will tackle in next week’s blog. Stay tuned!
Kevin
Kevin, as usual, this is well thought-out and practical advice. First, great tip on the search and figuring out the email address. I completely agree that the phone call….and preferably not leaving a voicemail…is the best way to introduce someone who is worth the call. Thank you for this….looking forward to what you would say to the hiring manager in the next installment!
Great ideas, Kevin. Thank you for sharing so many really useful tips and techniques for jobseekers. This will certainly open up the hidden job market for them.
Kevin,
Thanks for the beneficial and useful tips on successfully circumventing the gatekeepers and reaching the intended targets. Like Peter, I’m interested in your advice on engaging the hiring manager once you’ve identified him/her. Keep the solid advice coming.
Great advice, Kevin. Your litmus test makes sense and is a great guideline. Looking forward to your next steps. Thanks very much for sharing.
It does not matter if you have a network 17,000 people verses 50 people. Who could possibly follow or connect with them all? The quality of the relationship is key, not a bunch of loose, impersonal connections purported to be made through “people you know and trust.”
Such a network accumulates a flood of daily impersonal SPAM messages, so much so that many will attest they have stopped routinely checking their social media accounts.
Roy,
I agree with you – quality of relationships is what matters. That is why I am suggesting you change how you look at LinkedIn. The virtual connection with someone isn’t the relationship, it is merely a way to broaden your awareness of who is out there…so you can find the people with whom you want to connect. I’m also not suggesting that you leverage these connections like you would a relationship (exactly why I offer up the litmus test). I believe we are all our own best advocates….and, if one doesn’t believe this I think a larger issue lies beneath the surface.
Sure, I get a few more LinkedIn emails than other (I am assuming). It is also a byproduct of putting yourself out there and networking in a larger, more transparent and public way. And, as far as spam is concerned – garbage in, garbage out. But, when I want to find someone I can do it quickly and connect with them on a meaningful level. That latter part is up to me and has zero to do with whether I have one or a million connections.
Thanks for your comment and I look forward to “seeing” you on the blog more!
Building Your Success,
Kevin
“Connecting with the Hiring Manager – No Recruiters, HR or Gate Keepers” is very hard, Kevin. Hiring Managers don’t have a time to use Linkedin or to read scientific investment books I wrote. If You have contact with some Hiring Manager, I have a team of Croatian investment experts with Ph.D., my education and CFA designation. We are ready to work in Croatia for $1.500,00-$2.000,00 net monthly salary. Some of us are willing to move to GB or USA for $2.000,00 with paid expenses (accomodation and food). Kind Regards, Tomislav
Tomislav,
You hit on a few points here that I’ll be covering in the coming blog posts…so hang tight, my friend.
Building Your Success,
Kevin
There is an article on the web that describes etiquette in networking or (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette) and important appropriate choices you should make in these personal relationships. It could probably be pasted to the side of everyone’s monitor for reference or should be memorized to keep your network alive.
I only saw the text, not the video but want to say – YES! I can’t understand why more people don’t use that approach. However, I wonder why you suggest emailing the person rather than talking to them directly? I usually recommend to my clients to speak to them directly and set up a meeting/information interview.
@Isabella – I couldn’t agree more! The aim here is to make a connection and start the “know-like-trust” process sooner rather than later. Conversations (phone or, ideally, in person) are the preferred way to communicate every time!
Great advice!! thanks for sharing…