Reaching out to HR?

22 Comments

1. Erin AskewJanuary 7,2024 at 11:44PM UTC

   Hi! It can never hurt to send an enthusiastic expression of interest in the job you anticipate for March. Explain how you found them, and express your appreciation if they are the correct contact, and apologize if they are not.

   A quick pitch for why you and that is all. Avoid putting any expectations on them!!!!

   That's my advice as recruiting head for the last 20 years or so!

2. AnonymousJanuary 8,2024 at 2:40AM UTC

   I agree, Erin! It can't hurt to send a brief message to the company stating your enthusiasm for the role and for the possibility of working for the company.

   And I also think the OP should send out connection requests to those 2 HR people she saw on LinkedIn.

3. AnonymousJanuary 8,2024 at 12:12AM UTC

   I'd let it go. Unfortunately, as great a fit for the role, move on. Also, maybe their EOY budget changed things for them.

   If I received a random email from a stranger as you described, I'd delete it- but that's me

4. AnonymousJanuary 8,2024 at 12:45AM UTC

   Time to move on, they went with someone else. I’m so sorry.

5. AnonymousJanuary 8,2024 at 1:17AM UTC

   No I wouldn’t and I don’t think it would help.

   keep looking

6. AnonymousJanuary 8,2024 at 1:39AM UTC

   A bit of real talk. Just because you self-assess to be perfect for the role you have no idea what they are actually looking for or even if the person who wrote the job description actually knows what they are looking for. So, really, while it is great you think it is a good match, that doesn't guarantee you a call. And that is even before the possibility they decided not to hire for the role or had an internal candidate. I think it is time to let this one go and if you happen to get a call, be pleasantly surprised. But I am not sure that sending an email to random HR people will help.

7. AyianJanuary 8,2024 at 2:25PM UTC

   Contacting those individuals is a great idea in general to get connected with the organization. Networking is huge, but the job is no longer available. Getting connected is a long term goal to enter the company.

8. AnonymousJanuary 8,2024 at 3:36PM UTC

   Was the employer in touch with you for an initial screening call? I agree with others, just because you deemed yourself fit for the role doesn’t guarantee an invitation to interview. Hiring typically doesn’t work like that.

9. AnonymousJanuary 8,2024 at 5:05PM UTC

   Does the company HR have a phone number where you could call and just generally ask if the position has been filled? Between Thanksgiving & Christmas is 4 weeks. Very little work is completed that week before the holiday or the first week of Jan. Many folks use their vacation time. It’s possible they are just interviewing or calling for interviews this week. You should have a back up plan regardless but see if you can call and ask about the status of the position.

   edit: if the posting closed right before Christmas they’re just now reviewing applications.

10. AnonymousJanuary 8,2024 at 7:38PM UTC

    So you applied and heard nothing? Like they didn't reach out and say "hey, your resume looks great, we'd like to schedule a call to discuss further" kinda thing? If you haven't heard from them at all, reaching out to HR really is not going to get you what you want. If you haven't heard from them, I'd write them off and move on.

11. AnonymousJanuary 9,2024 at 5:00PM UTC

    The posting came down because they stopped taking applications. I would perhaps write a follow up note to the same email you applied to. Make it something simple as in my interest in this role is still strong. If it is a larger company it is likely that they will stack rank the applicants and referrals and then go through and short list the folks they want to vet for the role. You can reach out but perhaps a better suggestion would be to select one person- the higher ranking one of the 2 and address the note to them. Don't be too pushy because you may just push yourself out of consideration. It is not likely that HR is the decisionmaker unless the role is within their department. Perhaps a better option if you choose to reach out would be to search for the most likely person that might be the manager of this role. Waiting for them would be foolish but if you took something else and then they showed interest in you, you could still speak to them about your interest.

12. AnonymousJanuary 10,2024 at 1:54PM UTC

    If the posting was taken down then I would just move on; it doesn't sound like the position is open any longer. Many companies have had to close open job postings due to budget reasons.

13. AnonymousJanuary 11,2024 at 2:55PM UTC

    This happened to me as well. A company posted two jobs in November but advised they couldn't hire until the 2024 budget was finalized in the new year. I thought it was disrespectful to job applicants to post a job they didn't know if they would have the budget to hire for another two months. I moved on.

14. Kris WolframJanuary 11,2024 at 3:27PM UTC

    We posted a job for a week and had over 250 applicants. It’s a tough market right now.

15. Stephanie Branch LekowskiJanuary 12,2024 at 4:06PM UTC

    Take a chance, you have nothing to lose.

16. AprilJanuary 13,2024 at 4:44AM UTC

    I would be cautious reaching out to current employees . You do not know how they may report your inquiry. Rely on your own experience to get a response. If you do not—- know that it is not you- several are looking for jobs… definitely do not stop looking . If the job has come down -that could mean that most companies are satisfied with their candidate pool.

17. Catherine SchneiderJanuary 13,2024 at 2:26PM UTC

    You've been ghosted

18. KristenJanuary 13,2024 at 3:30PM UTC

    It's not prudent with any online application to just apply and wait. Follow the company and use their "I'm Interested" option on LinkedIn. Reach out to people who work there (be smart about it.) Use your own network to identify contacts. Simply put, you don't know the volume of applications they received... it's your responsibility to make yourself standout. Good luck!

19. AnonymousJanuary 14,2024 at 4:06AM UTC

    You can mention that you are responding to their requisition and enquiring about your application. However, this is an extra step that people usually do not do.

20. AnonymousJanuary 14,2024 at 1:31PM UTC

    I would not reach out to anyone in HR. The position could already be filled, place on hold, have hundreds of applicants, etc.. I have applied to many roles where my resume lines up perfectly and never hear a thing. We are in an age of AI where your resume is being screened for word usage as compared to their posting. Few companies have actual people looking at resumes. Just move on to the next application you make as contacting them is a waste of your time and looks a little desperate from their side of the coin. I work in HR and reaching out like that is a bit strange.

21. AnonymousJanuary 15,2024 at 1:50PM UTC

    Yes, I feel that you should contact HR employee if you are really interested in that position. I have applied for a job and waited six months with an acceptance letter. I finally found someone in HR and she worked magic. I then turned down the job because they where very unprofessional. It's your choice

22. Kaitlin SmithJanuary 15,2024 at 6:25PM UTC

    I don't think there is a downside to reaching out to them. You have to make yourself stand out, and honestly that's a wonderful way to show you are actively invested in the job opportunity.