Recruiter Shares The One Thing That Can 'Fast-Track' Your Job Application — & Almost Nobody Does It
We see it as intrusive, but recruiters see it as proactive and efficient.
sturti | Getty Images Signature | Canva Pro If you've been in the job market any time recently, you've no doubt experienced how utterly impersonal, indifferent, and even robotic the hiring process has become. It's disconcerting and can even feel dehumanizing. It's also wildly inefficient.
But what many workers and job seekers may not realize is that it can also be inefficient for recruiters, too. And as the system becomes ever more detached, one recruiter said there's a major tool in the job seekers' toolbox that can make all the difference, and virtually nobody is using it.
A recruiter said reaching out to hiring managers directly can 'fast-track' a job application.
Bonnie Dilber is a veteran recruiter and hiring manager who creates content to demystify the job market and job search process. And in a recent video, she had one overarching piece of advice for job seekers: "Send the email. You will get more interviews."
By "the email," she meant doing that one thing that most of us cringe at the mere thought of: tracking down the hiring manager's email or LinkedIn and messaging them directly about the job, especially if you're not necessarily the "perfect" fit for the position on paper.
Pitching yourself for a job is a nuanced business, which is why today's heavily automated system doesn't work. Applicant tracking systems don't know how to do nuance! Dilber had other tips too, like making sure your resume is full of easily understandable, data-driven insights that illustrate who you are, what you've accomplished, and how your skills transfer.
But when it comes to standing out, she said that her colleagues agree that "taking initiative" to reach out to the hiring manager directly is among the easiest ways to stand out, especially because if you do, you'll often be the only applicant who does so.
Job seekers often think emailing hiring managers is intrusive, but they feel the opposite.
"Hiring managers can help fast-track your application, so connecting with them directly about your interest can really help accelerate your process," Dilber said. Yet most of us assume the opposite, thinking that it will come off as overeager or intrusive and tank our chances. But it's important to remember the recruiter's side of things.
For starters, the perceived efficiency of these impersonal recruiting tech innovations has resulted in massive waves of layoffs of HR and recruiting teams. Combine that with how many people are looking for work, and it means they get bombarded with more applicants than they could ever actually review.
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Reaching out to them directly not only cuts through all that noise, but it gives you an opportunity to actually pitch yourself for the job and break through the stereotyping that the automated hiring process involves. "Often hiring managers will actually have a little bit more flexibility, especially when they're able to have that personal connection with someone via email," Dilber said.
And while you may assume there's no point because they won't respond anyway, Dilber said to rethink this. "Nine times out of 10, they may not [respond]," she said. "But if one out of every 10 responds to you and is excited about you, then that can give you much better results in your job search." That's a 10% return on your efforts, which shooting resumes into the void will never get you. "You have very little to lose," Dilber said.
The recruiter said most hiring managers' contact information can be found with a bit of research.
Some job postings, especially on LinkedIn, make easy work of this. The hiring manager's name is often right there in the listing, frequently with their contact information included. But what do you do if there's no information provided?
Dilber walked through some strategies for sussing it out. For example, many job listings will list who the position reports to. You can often Google the title and the company name to figure out who that person is, and either find their email address or DM them on LinkedIn.
If that fails, Dilber suggested looking in the job description for clues as to who you'll be collaborating with. She showed an open position online, for example, that noted applicants will be "working across marketing science, sales, creative shop marketing, and product engineering."
Searching staff members in those departments can reveal useful contacts who may be able to introduce you to the hiring manager, especially if you're already connected to them on LinkedIn or they went to the same university as you. "Those are people who are more likely to make introductions on [your] behalf."
It may FEEL intrusive, but at the end of the day, this is how the game is played, and it can give you a very real leg up. "I have never heard of outreach to a hiring manager hurting someone's candidacy," Dilber said. "But not doing that outreach could be preventing you from landing interviews." As she said before: Send the email!
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
