Why You Should Track Down the Hiring Manager

An excerpt from the award-winning Down & Dirty Job Search course

Believe it or not, many managers – meaning, your actual future boss - are just as frustrated with the HR department as the job seekers. Why? Well, as HR relies on automated screening tools, even qualified candidates get cut for the silliest of reasons, such as not having enough keywords or failing to send a simple document. While HR is messing around with their procedures and rules, the hiring manager is waiting and often pulling their hair out as yet another day goes by, leaving their team short-staffed and overworked.

Additionally, hiring managers know what real-world qualifications their ideal candidate should possess. Managers not only understand the technical skills required but also the passion necessary to perform the work well. They want someone with the right drive, personality, and soft skills to complement their team.

HR only sends survivors, not the best candidates.

Think about it this way: Many times, the candidates that HR sends to the hiring manager are not the most qualified. Like the two teams in the Super Bowl every year, these are the survivors who possessed the right mix of talent AND luck, along with the fewest injuries to their key players. Final round candidates are the same: lucky survivors who didn't get too beaten up by the recruitment process.

Executives know that the ATS is screening out qualified people.

It's a real, pervasive problem. In 2021, the Harvard Business School conducted a study on the recruitment practices of 760 US employers, including many Fortune 500 companies. In their survey, 9 out of 10 executives said they "know the software they use to filter applicants prevents them from seeing good candidates." (Dill, K. "Companies Need More Workers. Why Do They Reject Millions of Résumés?" Wall Street Journal, 9-2-2021. https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-need-more-workers-why-do-they-reject-millions-of-resumes-11630728008).

Additionally, the study revealed that more than 10 MILLION candidates are excluded every year from hiring discussions because of the applicant tracking system (ATS). If you think that is bleak, check this out: 99% of Fortune 500 companies and 75% of the survey participants were using the Taleo system by Oracle.

Bottom line: Of the executives that Harvard surveyed, 90% believed the highly skilled prospects were being weeded out because they didn't meet all the criteria listed in the job description. Yes, all those stupid keywords are literally costing millions of people a chance at a good job.

No wonder hiring managers are frustrated!

It's almost like they are stuck... in quicksand.

Other sources that managers use: 

To escape the recruitment quicksand trap, hiring managers will tap into other sources for qualified candidates, including:

• Recruiters and headhunters.
• Their personal and professional networks.
• Professional associations.
• Current employees.
• Referral programs.
• Being approached by job seekers directly.

Managers can resurrect you from the dead.

Even if the HR department cuts you, the hiring manager can insist that you get an interview – so long as you reach them directly and impress them with your materials.

Is this cheating?

No.

Even though HR tends to be dismissive of candidates, such as overlooking messages or connection requests on LinkedIn, it is not against the rules to reach out to managers. Besides, even if they are not receptive to your approach, they won't cut you from the running.

I do want to be clear: This is not cheating.

One of my past clients had a real problem with reaching out to hiring managers. In his mind, it was cheating.

Specifically, he just graduated with his MBA, earning high marks in a highly competitive and well-recognized school. The problem was his current job. As the Assistant Manager of a Wal-Mart store, he could not get through the screening process from HR. They would see the large retailer role and immediately discount his credentials, even though it was a multimillion-dollar location with over 100 employees under his management.

He continued to apply to firms with strong management training programs like Charles Schwab, Abbott Pharmaceuticals, and Randstad US. Yet he could not land an interview. For weeks, I encouraged him to track down managers, even to the point of looking up the decision-makers for him. He even refused to reach out to alums from his school who worked in his top-choice companies.

Finally, he admitted his hang-up. "This feels like cheating," he said. "With all the hard work I put in on my degree and my accomplishments at Wal-Mart, my credentials should stand on their own."

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. HR must cut 95% of the candidates, which means that their bias is just as big of a problem as the stupid screening keywords.

In conclusion: 

Candidates have been seeking decision-makers for over 50 years. We just have better tools to find and connect with them today.

However, don't blow off HR entirely. You still need to apply and prove that you can follow the written instructions in the job posting. Plus, that is how you legally apply for the job. After all, you can't be saved if you never follow the established procedure.

 Want to learn more about how to track down hiring managers?

Learn the exact techniques to find your future boss and a whole lot more in our Down & Dirty Job Search course! Selected for the 2024 Career Innovator Award, this self-directed online course will teach you how to work with recruiters, connect with key decision-makers, and implement advanced networking techniques to land a great job quickly.

Want a more personalized experience? We offer the Down & Dirty Job Search as either a group or private coaching program.

Learn more here:

https://www.personaltouchcareerservices.com/down-dirty-job-search