by Debra Wheatman
11. December 2009 08:59
How does one go about getting the name of someone in human resources or the name of a hiring manager? Job listings posted all over the place simply read: No phone calls and direct résumé to BD or some other letter combination at some post office box or no-reply email 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.
I won’t lie; getting a name can be 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 win the holiday turkey - THE NAME.
- Try calling the receptionist at the company where you are applying. You can ask the receptionist 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.
- When calling a company, ask to be directed to the human resource department; you will likely get the voice mail of a person within the department. Even if he or she is not the right guy or gal, when your résumé shows up, he or she will pass it along to the appropriate counterpart in the department.
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.
- 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 email to one of those people. You never know, you might get a response asking you to send your résumé to them directly, or they might even give you the name of someone to reach out to within the company.
- Network with everyone you know. The rule of six degrees of separation is what LinkedIn is all about. You can get names from friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, and many, many others.
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