How can you effectively identify hiring managers using the LinkedIn advanced search filters, and what is the strategic advantage of engaging them directly?
Effectively identifying hiring managers on LinkedIn using advanced search filters involves employing a combination of strategic keywords, job titles, and specific departmental filters to target those individuals directly responsible for recruitment decisions within organizations. The process is not just about finding someone with "hiring" in their title, but about locating the relevant professionals with influence over the specific roles you’re targeting.
One key method involves using job titles with hiring responsibilities, such as "Talent Acquisition Manager," "Recruiting Manager," "HR Business Partner," "Hiring Lead," or "Head of Talent." These titles often indicate direct involvement in the hiring process. By entering these titles in the "Title" filter of the advanced search, one can significantly narrow down search results to those actively engaged in recruitment activities. However, not all hiring managers have such obvious titles, and some are more integrated into the operational teams rather than HR. Therefore, relying only on "Recruiting Manager" might miss the professionals most relevant to specific roles.
Another crucial tactic is to combine job title filters with departmental filters. For example, if you are a software developer looking for a new position, you wouldn’t just search for "hiring manager" in general, but instead use filters to find "Engineering Manager," "Development Manager," or "Software Development Lead" within the "Information Technology and Services" industry or specifically the "Software Development" department. These individuals are more likely to be involved in hiring for tech roles and have a direct influence on the technical requirements and skills being sought. This approach ensures that you connect with those who have direct control over technical hiring within that department, instead of a generic HR personnel. Also, by combining the filters with location, this would greatly help in finding the relevant person for each job.
The size of the company also matters, as hiring practices are different in small vs large companies. In smaller organizations, the direct hiring manager is often the head of a specific department or a senior director. In these cases, using filters like "CEO," "CTO," "Head of Engineering," or "Head of Sales" combined with department or industry filters might be more effective. On the other hand, in larger companies, there will likely be a dedicated talent acquisition department. In these cases, the correct approach would be to target specific talent acquisition managers. Therefore, the size of the company needs to be factored in to the hiring manager search using filters.
Additionally, incorporating keywords related to hiring within the "Skills" or "Keywords" filters can yield more targeted results. For example, one can use skills such as "recruitment," "talent acquisition," "interviewing," "sourcing," or "employer branding." The use of these words in a profile would indicate that that person has those responsibilities, regardless of their job title. This combined with filters based on industry, department or specific job, provides an even more granular search.
The strategic advantage of engaging hiring managers directly, as opposed to applying for jobs online, are substantial. Firstly, it allows for a more personalized approach. When reaching out to a hiring manager directly you can highlight your skills and experience based on the specific role and their needs within the organization, rather than being one of many applications to an online job posting. This is particularly beneficial in competitive industries where there is a lot of competition for jobs. You can tailor your outreach and present yourself in a manner that is more relevant and appealing to the hiring manager’s preferences.
Secondly, it speeds up the process. By connecting directly with hiring managers, you bypass the often lengthy and impersonal traditional application process, which can include multiple stages and lengthy delays between each stage. You go directly to the decision maker, allowing for a more direct route to being considered for the opportunity. In many instances, opportunities may never be advertised online, and these can only be discovered through direct outreach with the relevant decision maker.
Thirdly, engaging directly gives you an opportunity to build a professional relationship directly with the person who is in charge of hiring. This type of contact might benefit future job opportunities. Also, you are more likely to get a clear understanding of their needs, expectations, and company culture by discussing these points with a decision maker.
Lastly, it gives you an edge by being proactive. Instead of just reacting to job postings, you are actively seeking out opportunities. This proactive approach demonstrates initiative and ambition to prospective hiring managers, and this can often be seen as a positive trait. By being proactive and engaging directly with hiring managers you are not relying on the usual routes. Therefore, being directly involved in the process is a strategic advantage.
In summary, effectively identifying hiring managers on LinkedIn requires a strategic approach using advanced search filters combining the right job titles with departmental filters, skills, and keywords, with an understanding of company size and hiring structures. The strategic advantage of directly engaging these individuals includes more personalized outreach, a faster route to opportunities, enhanced relationship building, and the advantage of being proactive.