Ensuring your job application lands in the hands of the hiring manager can be just the boost you need to land at the top of the stack.
Unfortunately, the hiring manager’s email address typically isn’t handed to you or even easy to find. Instead, get ready to do a little digging and start your search in the following places.
But first, should you even contact the hiring manager?
Before even conducting the research and reaching out to the hiring manager, consider if it will help or hurt your chances.
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Complete the application process first. Don’t bypass the necessary steps spelled out in the job posting. If the job description says to send your application materials to a general email address, do so.
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Don’t contact the hiring manager if the posting says not to. If the job application says something like, “Do not contact directly," then your email will be unwelcome.
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Be sensible about follow-ups. You don’t want to bombard the hiring manager, so wait at least a week to follow up for the first time. After that, follow the 3x3 rule: reach out no more than three times at least three business days apart.
In most cases, if you need the hiring manager’s email, it will be given to you, but still, sometimes people accidentally leave out important information.
Read More: How to Follow Up on a Job Application
6 places to find a hiring manager's email address
Within the job description
For starters, carefully comb through the job posting to check if the hiring manager’s name or email was listed. Also, scan the content for clues such as, “In this position, you will report to the [insert title name]”.
It may also be useful to check if the job was listed on other job boards with additional information.
Company website
A company’s website is also a gold mine for employee contact information. Find the organization’s “Meet Our Team,” “About Us,” or “Directory” pages to see if the hiring manager is among the bios. You can even do a site search (Google sitename.com:hiring manager name) for the name or title.
If the details you’re searching for are missing, take a look at the structure of the company email addresses, as they may follow a pattern. For example, if all the emails contain firstname.lastname@company.com, you can simply plug in the hiring manager’s name.
Start at the company’s LinkedIn page, and on the left-hand side click the “People” tab. From there, use the search bar to sift through all the company’s employees by title, keyword, or school attended. If you find the hiring manager you’re looking for, check to see if their email is listed within their contact information. If not, sending a request to connect along with a brief message could do the trick.
If you need a more specific search, use LinkedIn’s advanced filters. Under the search bar at the very top of the page, select the “People” option. Once redirected, you can refine down by many factors including name, industry, company, location, etc.
Read more: To Whom It May Concern: Please Stop Using This Greeting
Your current network
While you’re scouring LinkedIn, you might find you already have a connection with the company you’re applying to. They might be able to assist you with finding the information you need, so reach out.
The same goes for anyone in your offline network who may be connected to the hiring manager in some way.
Google search
Look through the results when you search the hiring manager’s name to see if a social media or professional profile contains their email address.
Continue to try different combinations of the hiring manager’s name, title, company, and the names of email services to see what pops up. For example, try searching:
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Jill Smith @gmail.com
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Jill Smith Greenhouse Company
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Financial Manager Greenhouse Company
Call or email the company directly
As a last-ditch effort, try calling the company’s HR team or main number or emailing their general contact to ask for the email address of the employee in charge of the open role. Worst-case scenario, they will inform you that information is private and can’t be shared with applicants.
Read More: How to Write an Email Like the Professional You Are
