Find a Job You Really Want In
You’ve found your dream job posting, tailored your resume and cover letter to fit the job requirements perfectly, then just crossed your fingers, and hit send. Now you need a way to boost your chances of getting your resume looked at and land the job.
It only takes minutes to draft an email to send to a hiring manager. You just need to let them know that you applied for a position at the company and you’re eager to learn more. You should include something specific about the role that excites you or why you’re interested in working for the company.
You can even make the email personal and try to build a relationship with the hiring manager. As long as you keep it concise and focus on the job opening, you’ll be sure to get the hiring manager’s attention and make them remember you.
Key Takeaways:
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You can find a company’s hiring manager by researching through networking sites or Google searches.
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Hiring managers oversee every step of the hiring process from beginning to end, so knowing who they are and building a good relationship with them is crucial.
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Sending a short introduction message to the hiring manager after applying for a job can help to set yourself apart and create a more personal connection.
How to Find the Hiring Manager of a Company Through Networking Sites
The most common way to find a hiring manager is through networking sites like LinkedIn. There are two main ways to find a hiring manager on a networking site.
First, you can do a people search for the company you’re applying to and any keywords associated with the department you’re applying to. For example, suppose you submit your resume and cover letter for a sales associate position at ABC Company. In that case, you can go to LinkedIn and search “sales director ABC Company,” and you might find the company’s director of sales or similar high-up position.
Or, you can do a business search and manually sort through the company’s employees. This method might give you a better sense of who works there in what positions and pick the best person to reach out to. If you use this method for the same sales associate position at ABC Company, you can search “ABC Company” on LinkedIn, then go to their profile. At the top of the page, there should be a link to see current employees, and everyone who has a LinkedIn profile that includes a current role at ABC Company will appear.
With either method, you can easily send a short message on LinkedIn and get yourself in front of the hiring manager. It’s a good idea to include your email address or phone number in your message so you can continue the conversion outside of LinkedIn.
How to Find the Hiring Manager of a Company With Google
Another way to find a hiring manager is to do some digging with Google. Odds are the company you’re applying to has an “about us” or “team” page that shows who works at the company, especially for higher-up executives and managers. Just taking a look at the company’s site is a good idea and might lead you to a page with a directory.
If you can’t find anything like that on the company’s site, you can also try searching for the company and the position or department you’re looking for. For example, if you’re applying for a marketing coordinator position at XYZ Company, you can google “XYZ Company marketing director.”
Make sure you switch up your search terms if you don’t get it right on the first try. Other words like “chief marketing officer” or “marketing department” might get your better results. It might take you a few attempts to get the right search, but you should be able to find a hiring manager’s name that way.
What Is a Hiring Manager?
Hiring managers are crucial to the hiring process. They’re the ones who request a new hire, work with the team that’s hiring the new employee, and liaise with the human resources department to settle compensation and benefits.
A lot of responsibility falls on a hiring manager since they oversee the entire hiring process, from creating a job description to supporting the new hire during the first few months. Because of this, they’re extremely concerned with finding someone who not only fits the skill requirements but is also a good personality fit for the company.
As the person most invested in the hiring process, they typically have the biggest say in who’s hired. You definitely want to get on their good side and avoid their bad side at all costs. They are often the significant deciding factor in the hiring decision, though other people will weigh in as well. Sometimes they have veto power for a candidate that the hiring committee suggests, so getting their support is crucial to landing the job.
Hiring managers see tons of applications, so it’s essential to stand out and differentiate yourself from other candidates. Sending a quick introduction email is a great way to do this. Not only will you bring attention to yourself and your application, but you’ll have a chance to build rapport with this person and show them your personality.
Where to Find Hiring Managers
Once you have the hiring manager’s name, getting in touch with them is the easy part. There are two main ways to get the hiring manager’s contact information: through networking and searching.
If you decide to go through your network and find them, you might boost your chances to score an introduction. Otherwise, you can use LinkedIn to use your connections until you can get in touch with the hiring manager. Since you can see your connections on LinkedIn, you can try to go through your network until you reach the hiring manager.
Otherwise, you can try searching for their name and the company. Looking for a company directory is a good way to go. You should be able to find contact information for at least executive and director level employees, if not the hiring manager you’re looking for.
If you can’t find their information, but you see an email address for a colleague, you can try to replicate their email address for the hiring manager you’re looking for. For example, if you’re looking for the hiring director Susan Jones, but you find the email address for someone else in the company named Derek Smith, you can guess Susan’s email. If Derek’s is “derek.smith@company.com,” then you can assume that Susan’s would be “susan.jones@company.com” and send the email.
Author
Amanda is a writer with experience in various industries, including travel, real estate, and career advice. After taking on internships and entry-level jobs, she is familiar with the job search process and landing that crucial first job. Included in her experience is work at an employer/intern matching startup where she marketed an intern database to employers and supported college interns looking for work experience.
