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I know that some job coaches advise applicants to try to talk to the person that has the power to hire them, usually the hiring manager. However, my hiring managers prefer HR to field the resumes and do not want calls directly to them. I have had situations where an applicant contacted upper level management, that had nothing to do with the position. Senior level management does not have time to field the candidates as that is the service HR provides.
Is there a diplomatic way to inform candidates in a posting not to contact the hiring manager or any other person, other than the representative listed in the posting?
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I understand your hiring manager not wanting to be contacted directly, but there really isn't any way you can personally keep that from happening, that is what I can think of. Perhaps your hiring manager can just forward responses directly to you...
I do have a comment on HR and hiring managers responding. I worked for a large telecom for over 10 years, 8 years of which I was a hiring manager. The number of applicants made it nearly impossible to respond to all of them. I literally would have people who flip hamburgers at McDonalds applying for retail store manager roles. The easy thing to do would be to not respond to them at all. However, the reputation the company got from not responding to all applicants was detrimental. We found that it really decreased our applicants significantly. So it is very important to respond to EVERY applicant, qualified or not. This is for TPR and HR departments alike.
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Hi Coral,
I don't think there is any way you can completely stop people from contacting the hiring manager directly. Writing in the ad 'only reply to this ad' is not goig to stop someone who is aggressive. With the availability of information today, it is nearly impossible to stop people from getting access to others. It may be as simple as having the manager forward the calls to HR and dealing with the fact that people are going to call. That being said, HR needs to make sure they follow up with all of these people and not let them fall into the black hole. Unfortunately, I think the main reason so many people try to circumvent HR is because (in many/most cases) they know it will get them nowhere. Can you blame them?
Rob
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Coral,
I'd suggest some language at the bottom of the job posting like this:
We appreciate the time you've spent considering this opportunity with COMPANY. In respect of the time you've taken be assured that we will make all efforts to review your information in a timely manner to quickly determine if you will be considered further for the opportunity. We thank you in advance for cooperating with our selection process.
Mike
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Some of the candidates have researched the hiring manager and went directly to the hiring manager. The hiring manager does not want this to continue. Should I write in the posting, "please apply to this ad only."
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Coral, the bind many job seekers are in is that the HR person listed in the ad may be the most junior, least competent individual, without the ability to adequately discern.
Great story another headhunter wrote about was how one of the original developers of UNIX (yes, you read that right), didn't get a response from HR, networked his way to the head of engineering who interviewed him immediately.
When HR questioned the behavior, the manager rebuked them for their lack of action.
The applicant was hired shortly thereafter.
AND
I hear you. Most people do not have that pedigree and do have the capability to do an adequate job presenting themselves when they call.
So, in my e-book (shameless plug coming) Get Yourself Hired NOW! The Big Game Hunter's Guide to Head Hunting Your Next Job and Every Job After That" (available at www.getyourselfhiredNOW.com), I layout the scenario I just did (without the story), suggest they try channels fisrst and if they have submitted a resume that would make a six yeart old see the fit in their background with the job, follow up with back channel calls to insure that an overworked recruiter didn't fail to forward it.
One more story.
I recently helped someone find a job with a client whose resume I "missed" in my in-box. It sat there for a week or so when he called, prompting me to dg it out, find a good fit, submit him to a client who found him to be a perfect fit.
We are all overworked and mistakes occur. Unfortunately, an organization suffers when one occurs and an individual suffers from missed opportunity.
Best wishes,
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