Lay the groundwork to get the hiring manager on the phone -- and keep his interest

Q: You suggest that the best way to approach a company about a job is to talk directly with the hiring manager. I am confused as to how to approach a hiring manager on the phone and what to say. Please help!

NICK'S REPLY: Success in that phone call hinges on other calls you should make first. Talk with people connected to the company. This includes employees, customers, vendors, accountants and other consultants. Yes, you have to find them. Their insights will help orient you. These people will tell you what the manager's interests and priorities are and that will help you prepare something useful to discuss.

Keep track of your new contacts as you learn about your quarry. These are the people who can introduce you to the manager. You see, that's your next objective: to use the contacts you've made to get closer to the manager.

This is very similar to getting a date with the object of your affections. You must do some advance work if you want to be successful. If you diplomatically get to know her (or his) friends first, you get closer at the same time that you establish your credibility. The friends provide you with advice about how to make your approach and they are likely to make introductions if you ask. Get it? It's simple. It takes time. But it works. It's how headhunters do it.

Your mission is to make it easy for others to introduce you.

Once you're talking with the manager, start the conversation by expressing interest in the manager's work. Discuss what you learned from your new contacts. Be prepared to say something intelligent about the manager's work. (That's what all your research is for!) Letting the manager talk about himself will diminish your own stress and make the discussion more productive.

Ask questions and let the manager talk about himself. The more you focus on what the manager does, the longer the conversation will last and the more likely it is to pay off.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Should HR report to PR?

A company destroys millions of dollars' worth of good public relations when it fails to return calls, to send thank-you notes and to notify candidates of the outcomes of interviews. Everyone in public relations (PR) knows the hair product commercial that ends with, "... and she told two people, and they told two people, and they told two people ..."

Some human resources (HR) departments go out of their way to be courteous to applicants. I applaud them. But too many treat candidates disrespectfully. These companies should have the PR department conduct an audit of their hiring processes. What are applicants saying after interviews?

When HR is processing too many candidates to create a good image, it's a strategic problem. More is not always better ... especially when it leads to more bad PR.

Here's the tip today: If a company cares about its reputation, then perhaps HR should report to PR.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.