How can you get a hiring manager’s name? Job listings posted all over the place simply read: “No phone calls” and “direct resume to BD,” or some other letter combination at some post office box or no-reply e-mail address.
Getting a name is like pulling a needle from a haystack. A good read might be something from Sherlock Holmes or a day with reruns of “Get Smart” to help solve the dilemma.
How To Get A Hiring Manager’s Name
I won’t lie; getting a name is tough, very tough. It can be done, though! It takes work and a bit of sleuthing. Anything that is worth something is worth working for – right? So, here are some ways to get the all coveted grail: THE NAME.
1. Call The Receptionist
Try calling the receptionist at the company where you are applying. You can ask him or her for the name of a person in human resources. If you are nice and engage the person on the phone, you will likely come away with a name.
2. Ask To Be Directed To The HR Department
When calling a company, ask to be directed to the human resource department; you will likely get the voicemail of a person within the department. Even if he is not the right guy, when your resume shows up, he will pass it along to the appropriate counterpart in the department.
3. Use Social Media
Looking for the name of a hiring manager? This takes more digging. Use LinkedIn and Facebook to find people. If you are on LinkedIn, you will need to do a lot of looking to identify people that are associated with the company you are targeting. Join affiliated groups so that you can write to those people directly without an introduction.
Is that sneaky? No. LinkedIn is a tool like any other. You need to know how to use it. From there, you can introduce yourself to a person at your targeted company, network with them and obtain a name. Facebook takes a little more work, because you need to introduce yourself and be added as a friend.
4. Find A Listing Of Senior Management
Traditional research also works. When doing research on a company, oftentimes the company will have a listing of senior management. You can start there. Send a letter or e-mail to one of those people. You never know, you might get a response asking you to send your resume to them directly, or they might even give you the name of someone to reach out to within the company.
5. Network With Everyone You Know
The rule of six degrees of separation is what LinkedIn is all about. For every person you know, that person knows six people. You can get names from friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, and many, many others.
6. Use Hoovers
Have access to a powerful tool like Hoovers? If you do, you are in luck. Hoovers has the names of people in virtually every company you can think of, as well as those companies you have never heard of.
7. Get A Trade Publication
Why you ask? I will tell you why. The trades publish newsworthy information about what is going on in a specific industry and continuously publish the names of people and companies. It is a great way to maintain abreast of industry happenings, too. When people are promoted or move to a different company, a name is often published.
The Internet is a wonderful tool. Immediate access to information is only a click away. Properly using the Internet to your advantage takes some practice. There is definitely the ‘art of the search.’ While you can spin your wheels a bit, the extra time doing so can prove very fruitful. Leave no stone unturned, I say. There is no such thing as anonymity anymore – if you want to find someone, you most certainly can.
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