7 Ways to Get a Hiring Manager’s Name

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 e-mail 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 is 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 get the all coveted grail: THE NAME.

1. 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.
2. 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 is not the right guy, when your résumé shows up, he will pass it along to the appropriate counterpart in the department.
3. 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.
4. 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 e-mail 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.
5. Network with everyone you know. The rule of six degrees of separation is what LinkedIn is all about. For every person you know, that person knows six people. You can get names from friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, and many, many others.
6. Have access to a powerful tool like Hoovers? If you do, you are in luck. Hoovers has the names of people in virtually every company you can think of, as well as those companies you have never heard of.
7. Get a trade publication. Why you ask? I will tell you why. The trades publish newsworthy information about what is going on in a specific industry and continuously publish the names of people and companies. It is a great way to maintain abreast of industry happenings too. When people are promoted or move to a different company, a name is often published.

The Internet is a wonderful tool. Immediate access to information is only a click away. Properly using the Internet to your advantage takes some practice. There is definitely the ‘art of the search’. While you can spin your wheels a bit, the extra time doing so can prove very fruitful. Leave no stone unturned, I say. There is no such thing as anonymity anymore – if you want to find someone, you most certainly can.

Happy hunting!

[This article was originally posted on an earlier date]

Debra Wheatman, president of Careers Done Write, is globally recognized as an expert in advanced career search techniques.

Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expert

Photo credit: Shutterstock

Write for this blog! Click here » if you're a credible career coach or business.