By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Is it rude to contact the hiring manager of a job posting directly and inviting them for a coffee to ask more about the job?
I found this opportunity that has everything I’m looking for right now. I feel I can deliver, however, they ask for 10 years when I bring only 3 years of direct experience with the role and +5 of work experience. I feel I’m better off contacting the hiring manager to ask more questions.
By the way, at the end of this video you will hear me make a little squealing sound because I had trouble finding where to cut off the video. I hope you have a laugh.
I’m Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, the head coach for JobSearch.Community. And I was asked a question I thought was great. Is it rude to contact the hiring manager of a job posting directly and invite them for coffee? I want to ask them more about the job. And then it goes on to say, I found this opportunity that has everything I’m looking for right now.
I feel I can deliver. However, they ask for 10 years when I bring only three years of direct experience with the role and five years of work experience. I feel I’m better better off contacting the hiring manager to ask more questions.
So, is it rude? Absolutely not. Is it likely to be responded to favorably? Absolutely not. And let me explain why.
So, I want to invite you to put yourself in the position of the hiring manager, not the job hunter perspective. So, they have an absolute stranger contacting them who wants to invite them to coffee to ask them for questions and they’re not qualified for the role. Why do I say they’re not qualified for a role? Real simple.
Five years of experience is a different level of individual in most organizations and most functions than someone with 10 years of experience. They haven’t managed people. They may have done some of the functionality but from a staff perspective, not from a leadership perspective.
And thus, when you say you have three years of background, not direct experience and five years overall, what you’re telling me is you don’t fit the job and you want to try and talk your way in. Now, the hiring manager, before he’s going to agree to anything, if they have half a brain in their head, is going to say, not quite yet. Can I see a copy of the resume? I need to see whether it’s worth my time.
Now, if your background screams that you fit this job, well, yeah, they’d be happy to meet you for coffee because they’re going to turn it into an interview and you won’t . . . you’ll have time to ask questions but unless you follow some of my advice, it’ll be at the end of the interview when they’ve already evaluated you. So, is it rude? Absolutely not. Is it likely to be responded to favorably? Absolutely not because you’re not qualified.
You know this already. You’re too junior for the role and, by the way, from a language perspective, and again, I’m not trying to be rude but people use the word feel for think. I feel I would be qualified.
I feel I’m better instead of I think I’m better. When you use the word feel, you indicate you’re insecure about yourself and your capability around something. So you come to the feeling word rather than the think word.
Just switch your language here and be more direct. I feel I can deliver isn’t true. You think you can deliver.
Your feeling about your ability to deliver is irrelevant because you have no data to determine whether you can deliver. Think you can deliver. Think you’re better off contacting the hiring manager.
That’s the accurate statement. Now, if you’d like me to coach you because I work with people worldwide, reach out to me. Email me at jeffaltman at TheBigGameHunter.us and the subject line, put the word coaching.
I look forward to helping you. Take care. I forgot to cut it off.
I apologize. It’s there somewhere. Yes, so it is.
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ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers
easier. Those things can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues.
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3100 episodes.
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