Need to send a pitch to a company but don’t know who the decision-maker is? Here is how to find the hiring manager.
COMPANY WEBSITE
Go to the company’s website – do they have an about or team page?
- If yes, look for people with titles in the department you’re interested in.
- If the company has under 200 employees, there’s a good chance the most senior person in the department is involved in every hire.
Go to their careers page, as well. Look at the job postings. See if the description indicates who the role would report to. If it lists a title, go find that person on LinkedIn.
COMPANY LINKEDIN PAGE:
Go to the company’s LinkedIn page. Click “See all employees on LinkedIn”
Filter your results by the department you’re interested in.
If the company has more than 200 employees, make a list of people with “Manager”, “Director”, or “VP” in their titles that report into the department you’re interested in.
If the business has more than one office, then filter by the location / city.
If you can’t reach a confident conclusion about who is most likely the hiring manager, then I suggest trying both of these approaches. I suggest LinkedIn InMail, email, or both (use this guide to find their email address).
1. Find someone with the same (or similar) title to the role you’re applying for. Reach out to them with an email explaining your situation:
“Hey First Name,I’m just starting my career and came across your company in my research. I’m really excited about what you all are doing at [COMPANY NAME], and would love to hear firsthand from someone who’s in XYZ role what it’s like to work for you all.Here are a couple of the questions I have:Question 1Question 2Could I buy you a coffee this week or next in exchange for a few minutes learning from you about the role?Talk soon!Your NameYour EmailYour Cell Number
^The goal of this email is to find a champion inside the company. Someone you can get to know and learn more about the role, and who can also refer you directly to the right person.
2. Find someone with a manager, director, or VP title, and reach out to them (you could also do this in addition to the above approach):
“Hi First Name,I’m just starting my career and came across your company in my research. I’m really excited about what you all are doing at [COMPANY NAME], and would love to learn more about what it takes to succeed as part of your team. I’m very interested in [OPEN POSITION], because I think it’s where I could really add the most value. Could I borrow 15 minutes of your time this week or next to bounce a few questions off you? I’ll bring you a coffee as a thank you in advance. Talk soon!Your NameYour EmailYour Cell Number
And don’t forget to follow up if you don’t hear back right away!
