Making direct approaches to companies that interest you
Making good and intelligent approaches to companies and their managers is an essential component of your job search activity for the following reasons:
- There are thousands of jobs out there that are not being advertised and you've a much better chance of finding them if you're being proactive!
- Most companies would love to have more good direct applicants. It saves them thousands on recruitment fees to agencies, which is why most have internal referral schemes.
- Amazingly, very few job hunters make direct approaches to employers these days. The mass of Internet job boards and recruitment agencies make it easier for people not to conduct these types of approaches.
- When well done, this type of approach will help you stand out from the crowd, will get you interviews, along with warm referrals to other departments and managers that might be hiring.
Making good direct approaches requires the following
- A small amount of courage to complete the approach
- A good research process that will help you find the contact details of the right managers
- A good email introduction
- A good follow up call process
A small amount of courage
Following this approach will mean that you're responsible for selling yourself.
It will mean that you're the one plucking up the courage to pick up the phone on people you don't know, and that you're the one getting the possible rejections, (but no more than you get from applying to jobs through recruiters).
This means you just have to adopt the right frame of mind and work with a realistic set of expectations.
- You're going to get rejections
- Not many of your email introductions will get a reply
- Not all of your phone calls will be put through to the managers you try and follow up
But these small set backs don't matter. Your goal is to try and complete the process with a telephone or email conversation to ascertain if there could be any potential openings for you.
Your job search and application process is really a numbers game. If you're making good approaches, to the right people, then with each rejection, you're getting one step nearer to an interview. (Corny but true!)
A good process that will help you find the contact details of the right managers.
You cannot make an intelligent approach until you have the right information. Ie the right name, job title and email address. Ideally this means you need the name of the hiring manager for the departments that your skills are relevant to. The typical job titles your looking for are Manager, Head of, Director of etc. These are the people that know if they have openings now or potentially in the future.
If you cannot find these names then you can approach HR, but it's much more effective to first try and contact the decision maker for that team.
Below is an overview of the process we recommend you adopt to try and find the right names.
Step 1 - Do you have any contacts in your network, that could refer you to the relevant manager, or give the right contact details?
Step 2 - If you don't have relevant names, then search the company for relevant names on the LinkedIn network. Often it will produce the right names, job titles and sometimes their email address. You'll always need to verify these details are still accurate by calling through to the company's reception, which we cover next. Often the trickiest part of the process is to get the right email address. However, a few minutes browsing LinkedIn or the companies website will usually give you the format of the employer's email address. Normally it's first name, dot secondname @ company. com - co.uk - eu
Step 3 - Approaching reception / switchboard to confirm the details you have found.
Below is an outline of the words to use.
“Hello - I wonder if you can help me please.
My name is Mark Abbott - I am wanting to write to your Head of Software.
Can I confirm the details I have are correct please"?
"The name I have is John Smith - is that still correct?
Is the Head of Software still the right job title for him?
The email address I have for him is john.smith@abc.com - is that still correct?
Thank you for your help"
If the person has left or moved role simple ask "Who is doing that role now? - What's their job title? Is their email address Paul.jones@abc.com?"
This approach will work 60% - 70% of time - which are good odds!
If they cannot pass out or confirm this information - be polite, don't take it personally and ask for the HR contact's details - sometimes they will only give you the generic "info at" type email address, but at least you tried.
If you're really keen and committed to getting the right name - phone the company at 6.30pm - often you'll get through to someone else who is not as well trained in the art of gate keeping.
A good email introduction
There are several reasons why you must do a good email introduction.
It's polite and professional to introduce yourselves well, and it will help you to get the information you require.
The introduction email must be short and concise. When done well it should:
- Ensure that more of your follow up calls are taken
- Help generate more email responses to your introductions. Responses could be:
Thank you, but we have no vacancies at the moment
The manager you should approach is Mr X
I've forwarded your details to Y manager
I'll hold onto your details and contact you if anything comes up
However, the best and most realistic expectation to have is that your email approach will not be answered. You know how much email we all receive!
A well written introduction email will be seen by the manager in their Inbox, especially if you follow our example below and personalise the subject line. They will probably open and glance at the email, but they probably won't read it in detail. However, at this point you've already achieved your goal. Then when you follow it up within 24 - 48 hours, they are very likely to remember your polite email, and they're more likely to accept your call.
Subject Line - Hello David..Re - Openings in your x (eg software, broadcast operations, pre - sales) division
Hello David
I'm sorry to interrupt you.
The purpose of this email is to introduce myself before I try and contact you personally.
I am searching for a new position in the (eg software engineering, broadcast operations, pre-sales) sector.
I'm very interested to understand if you or your company may have any suitable openings on the horizon. Your company (eg is known to me, was a competitor, is restructuring, is expanding) - (this sentence demonstrates you have some knowledge or relevant link to the company)
I have x years in the (eg software engineering, broadcast operations, pre-sales) sector, most recently with xyz Ltd. I've been personally responsible for noteworthy achievements in (eg x revenue generation, improved profitability by y, improved efficiency by z, reduced costs by q). (Try and make this achievement sentence, short, relevant, honest, and specific, with a date, name or numeric value)
I'm open to permanent and or contract positions. My last salary was £32k plus benefits. In the current climate I'm flexible on my next package. (Your primary goal is to try and get interviews, then with interviews you'll get offers, with offers you can negotiate)
I have attached my cv. Please feel free to forward it to any of your colleagues.
I will try and contact you over the 24 - 48 hours, to understand if there could be any possible openings, unless I hear from you in the meantime.
Thank you in advance for giving it some consideration.
Kind regards
A good follow up call process
You must try and follow up all your unanswered direct applications within 24 - 48 hours.
The reason for this is that the manager is still likely to remember your email, and is more likely to accept your phone call.
Your goal is to understand if there could be any relevant openings in the short or medium term. If there are, then fantastic! If there aren't, then you move onto the next target employer or manager.
It's this part of the process that most people find most difficult. This is when we need just a little courage to go that one step further than 90% of all other candidates.
It will clearly stand you out from the crowd. It demonstrates you're proactive, resourceful & polite, which are exactly the traits a good manager wants to see.
Below we've outlined the process that we'd recommend you'd follow - I'm sorry it's so simplistic!
- Have your introductory email to hand. You're going to use it as a script or words to help introduce yourself.
- Prepare yourself for a good phone call, with a positive outcome. Set yourself to feel calm and happy on the inside - Put a smile on your face and prepare to speak slowly and clearly.
- Pick up the phone and say "May I speak with Mr X"
- The receptionist will always ask your name and what the call is regarding.
- Your reply is "My name is Mark Abbott. I wrote to Mr X a few days ago regarding a position in his eg Broadcast Operations team"
- If you have a mutual contact then you must drop the name into the intro. It will help more of your calls get answered. "My name is Mark Abbott. I wrote to Mr X a few days ago regarding a position in his eg Broadcast Operations team. We have a mutual friend in Judith Blair from X company"
- Normally the receptionist will now put you through. However if they ask more questions, simply tell them the truth and see where it takes you.
- When you are put through to the manager, just use the same words as in your introductory email.
" Hello Mr X,
Thank you for taking my call.
I emailed you yesterday to enquire if you had any potential openings in your Broadcast operations team.
Do you remember receiving it?
Manager says " I think I remember receiving it."
You reply using the same text as in your introductory email.
"Your company (eg is known to me, was a competitor, is restructuring, is expanding) (this sentence demonstrates you have some knowledge or relevant link to the company)
I have x years in the (eg software engineering, broadcast operations, pre-sales) sector, most recently with xyz Ltd. I've been responsible for noteworthy achievements" in (eg x revenue generation, improved profitability by y, improved efficiency by z, reduced costs by q).
(Try and make this achievement sentence, short, relevant, honest, and specific. with a date, name or numeric value)
I'm open to permanent or contract positions"
Pause and let the manager respond -
From this point you just let the conversation flow and see what happens! - Good luck!