One of the most common questions we get from job seekers is, “I saw this posting which looks like it could be a great fit! Should I reach out to the hiring manager or a connection in the company first? Or should I apply and then reach out?”

In general, when you don’t have a connection to the company, it makes sense to draft and submit your application and then reach out. Most of the time hiring managers or recruiters are happy to hear from you, but will still say something like ‘I look forward to seeing your application.’ Plus, in order to create an inclusive and equitable hiring process, some companies discourage conversations with potential applicants so there’s a level playing field. So you’re probably going to have to take the time to apply anyway. 

But there are times when it might make sense to reach out first. Here are four:

When the job posting has been up for more than 30 days.

No one wants to spend tons of time crafting a great application to find out a day after submitting it that they have already filled the role. If the posting has been up for 3 or 4 or more weeks, depending on how fast the company and industry hires, you may want to reach out first. 

Last week, one of our clients reached out when she saw a great role that had been posted for over 3 weeks on a specific company’s website. In this case, there was an executive search firm leading the search process, so she found the recruiter and reached out with this text in a LinkedIn message:

Hi Sam, I've been running [type of responsibilities/work that the job description details] for [employer] for [length of time] and saw [hiring company] is hiring a [job title]. I noticed the job posting is still active but has been up for a while. Before I take the time to draft a great application, I'd love to make sure that you're still actively looking for candidates. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Erin

In this instance, Sam wrote back right away saying they were still accepting applications and would look forward to seeing hers. It never hurts to check if you’re not sure, but we can’t guarantee you’ll get an answer. If you reach out, be sure to state right up front the specific experience you have that ties to what the employer is looking for so they see you could be a great potential candidate.

When someone needs to submit an internal referral so you are flagged in the system.

There are some large-scale companies that put a lot of emphasis on and have a robust internal referral program (Google, Salesforce, Accenture are a few). If you’ve got an internal connection at the company, you’ll want to reach out to your contact to let them know that you’re planning to apply for a role before you submit your application. Oftentimes your contact will send you a specific referral link to apply so you are flagged internally through the company’s Human Resource Information System (HRIS). 

If you’re not sure that the organization has a referral system like this, you’ll likely need to apply and then reach out because if someone is passing you along to the hiring manager, they’ll want your application in hand to pass along when they put in a word for you.

Keep in mind that having an internal referral isn’t a guarantee you’ll get an interview so you do still want to take the time to put together a great application. 

If you've interviewed with the organization before.

If you’ve interviewed previously at the company, there’s a good chance they’ve already determined you have some key skills, experiences and values that might fit with the team. So this is another time when it makes sense to reach back out to make sure they know you’re interested in this new opportunity. Here’s some sample text a past Pivot client used in this situation:

Hi [person who you spoke with previously], I just saw you all are hiring for a [job title]. [Make reference to what this means given your inside knowledge like ‘I hope this means that you were able to secure funding for this new program - that’s great to hear!’] I wanted to send you a quick note to let you know I’m putting together an application for the role. After leading [type of responsibilities/work that the job description details] for [your employer] for [length of time], I think I could really add value to [this team/initiative/piece of work/goal]. I hope to get a chance to talk with you about how I might [contribute to the work/bring my xyz skills to accomplish a specific goal]. -Tonya

There’s a good chance you’ll still need to put an application together, but we have seen times where an employer knows enough about a candidate to fast track them into a hiring process using a previous resume on file. It usually depends on how different the role is from the one they’ve previously applied for, how long ago they last interviewed, and how quickly they’re looking to fill the role.

If having insider info will help you write a better application. 

Sometimes job descriptions are vague or short and you know there’s more to why the role is being posted than the posted description. If you know someone at the organization who can give you insight beyond the posting, it might make sense to reach out before applying. 

We’ve seen many jobseekers use a close connection to someone at a company to get helpful insight into what the hiring manager is really looking for and/or why it’s been hard to fill the role. 

More recently, I worked with a man who was applying for fundraising roles in education nonprofits. He knew someone at one organization he was planning to apply for a job at and reached out with this note:

Hi Julia, I hope you’ve been well since we last saw each other pre pandemic! What a crazy few years it’s been. I see you’re still at Teach for All and that one of the teams is hiring a corporate partnerships director. I’m considering applying but it would be so helpful to hear how your experience has been more recently at TFA, and to get any sense as to what I should be sure to stress in my application. Would you be willing to chat for a quick 15 min about this? -Martin

Sure enough, Julia and Martin connected and he got helpful insight into what didn’t work out with the previous corporate partnerships director and what skills and experiences TFA is prioritizing for the next person they hire. From there, Martin’s application was a lot more targeted and he used his cover letter to address the specific skills and experiences that were most pressing given what he learned from Julia. Plus, Julia was able to flag his resume with the hiring manager who she knew.

Unfortunately, most of the time you wouldn’t have direct access to someone on the team. But that doesn’t mean that sending an application without reaching out ahead of time isn’t going to land you an interview.

But here’s the thing: When you do apply without reaching out first, we can’t stress enough how important it is to follow up. 

We have dozens of examples of clients we’ve worked with who have had trouble getting their applications seen, and then when they follow up with a hiring manager or recruiter, BAM! - they start getting interviews. Need some examples of how to follow up with a hiring manager after applying? Read this.