Should You Message the Hiring Manager After Applying?

Should you message a hiring manager on LinkedIn after applying? Four independent studies say yes- here’s what the data shows and how to do it right.

Is it OK to message a hiring manager on LinkedIn after applying? This topic sparks a lively debate. Someone (not in HR) will say “don’t,” while a slew of executive recruiters, talent acquisition folks, and career coaches say “do.”

So, how do we answer this question, maybe even put it to rest for you as a job seeker? I say, we look at the data. What do the studies, research, and results say? This will lead us to the answer we need.

The short answer: yes, you should message a hiring manager on LinkedIn after applying. Four independent research sources, including a 35-year federal survey and a meta-analysis of 47 job search studies, classify direct contact with employers as one of the most effective, active job search methods available. Below, I break down exactly what each study found and how to message a hiring manager the right way.

Let’s do a research deep-dive (I promise to only give you the TL:DR highlight reel):

What is the most effective way to get a job?

The data: contacting employers directly produced the highest first-month hiring rate of any job search method tracked over 35 years.

Here’s study #1: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Job Searching: Some Methods Yield Better Than Others

The St. Louis Fed analysis found that the most effective job-search method is directly contacting potential employers, with a first‑month job‑finding rate of around 46%, higher than all other job-search methods.

The authors explicitly state that direct contact with employers was not only the most common method but was also “among the most successful” ways to find a job.

Something super special about this one is that they were specifically looking for info from the long-term unemployed and those laid off during the recession.

What’s also interesting is that this analysis looked at 35 years of The Current Population Survey (CPS)~the main source of information on unemployment dynamics in the U.S. So it had a massive amount of data to pull from to make this assertion.

What makes you more likely to get hired?

The data: job seekers were roughly 2.7 times more likely to get hired when they used proactive outreach behaviors like directly contacting employers.

On to study #2: Effectiveness of Job Search Interventions (Liu et al., 2014)

A meta-analysis summarizing data from 47 experiments and studies of the most effective job search methods found that job seekers were about 2.7 times more likely to get hired when interventions taught job search skills, improved self-presentation, and explicitly encouraged proactive behaviors.

Those proactive behaviors include directly contacting employers for jobs or referrals, which is exactly what you’re doing when you thoughtfully reach out to a hiring manager.

What job search techniques lead to offers?

The data: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies contacting an employer directly as an “active” job search method ~ one of the few behaviors capable of leading straight to an offer.

While not a study per se, this is how the government defines “job searching” when you’re filing for unemployment.

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Active job search methods are those “which have the potential to result in a job offer without any further action on the part of the jobseeker.”

Under the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ own definitions, ‘contacting an employer directly about a job’ is classified as an active job search method (one of the few behaviors that can directly lead to an offer), whereas just browsing postings is not even counted as an active search. Reaching out to a hiring manager is a concrete example of that active, offer‑producing behavior.

What do the most successful job seekers do right?

The data: 67% of job seekers who landed a role in under six months had reached out directly to a contact person at the company.

The Career Advisory Board from Devry University: What The Most Successful Job Seekers Do Right

Devry University looked at what the most successful job seekers did to not only get interviews but also get hired in less than 6 months. One of the findings?

67 percent of job seekers who landed in less than 6 months reached out to the contact person at the company to inquire about the position.

Knowing you should start a conversation and knowing exactly what to say are two very different problems. I don’t want you staring at a blank message box wondering if you sound desperate, weird, or too formal.

That’s why I put together a free 7-Pack of Networking Scripts~ready-to-send, natural-sounding messages for exactly these moments. No guessing, no overthinking, no awkward first drafts.

✨ Grab the free scripts here and skip straight to the conversation.

The bottom line on messaging hiring managers

There you have four independent sources, several of which rely on multiple additional sources to draw their conclusions.

Contacting employers directly is one of the most effective job search methods and is classified as an active job search method and behavior that can directly lead to a job offer.

I hope I’ve made my case and provided enough data to back up my assertion that it is absolutely OK to connect with or contact the hiring manager.

So, the next time you see an off-hand comment on social media from one person’s subjective preference for whether they are contacted by job seekers or not, I hope you’ll remember that the research proves it’s not only OK to do it, but it’s your best shot at landing your next job really fast.

FAQs: Should You Message A Hiring Manager on LinkedIn After Applying?

Q: Is it a good idea to message a hiring manager on LinkedIn? A: Yes! Contacting hiring managers directly is considered a proactive job search behavior and is repeatedly shown in research studies to be the most effective job search method. Additionally, a study from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that 46% of job seekers who contacted employers directly landed their next role in the first month after being laid off.

Q: Can messaging a hiring manager on LinkedIn hurt my chances? A: No, it will likely not hurt your chances. Although you may not always get a response from the hiring manager. It will depend on the content of your message, whether they’re active on LinkedIn, how busy they are, if they’re the right person to contact, and several other factors.

To increase the likelihood that you’ll get a reply to your message, make sure that you do the following:

• Communicate what you can offer the company (make sure you connect the dots)
• Don’t outright ask for a job or referral. Let them know you applied and for what role.
• Look at their activity to determine if they’re active on LinkedIn. If they haven’t been on lately, consider emailing them instead.
• Mention a common connection. If you share a connection or were referred, make sure you mention any other connection points, like if you’re both alumni of the same university or worked for the same company in the past but at different times.

I also recommend contacting your personal network to see if their employers are hiring. You never know who may be able to refer you.

Q: Does messaging a hiring manager on LinkedIn work? A: Yes, but cold outreach isn’t as effective as warm outreach, and you need to leverage LinkedIn’s search filters to ensure you’re contacting the right person (and that they’re active on LinkedIn).

Q: Why aren’t my messages to hiring managers on LinkedIn getting responses? A: There are a few reasons why your messages to hiring managers on LinkedIn aren’t getting responses:

• You reached out to the wrong person.
• The person you reached out to is overwhelmed, because, well, life. And they don’t have the bandwidth to respond.
• Your message was too long, asked for too much, or didn’t give them the information they wanted.
• They’re not active on LinkedIn and didn’t see your message.

If you’ve done your research and found the right person, but you’re not quite sure how to introduce yourself and reach out in a way that doesn’t harm your chances, this article walks you through exactly how to introduce yourself to the hiring manager on LinkedIn and increase your chances of getting a response.

Q: What do most job seekers get wrong about messaging hiring managers on LinkedIn? A: The problem with most messages to hiring managers on LinkedIn is that job seekers aren’t doing cold outreach right.

There are two types of outreach: warm and cold. If your messages aren’t getting responses, you’re likely doing cold outreach.

Warm outreach is leveraging existing connections—talking to people who already know, like, and trust you. They’re more likely to respond because they already know you.

Cold outreach is reaching out to strangers online. It’s when you send that hiring manager or recruiter a connection message out of the blue with no prior contact. Cold outreach is not as effective.

With cold outreach, you’re more likely to be ignored if you:

• Don’t make any attempts to warm up the connection/introduction first
• Don’t take the time to mention any common points of connection
• Jump straight to asking for something without building rapport

So, when you reach out to a hiring manager on LinkedIn after you’ve applied, make sure you warm up the connection, introduce yourself correctly, and communicate what you offer the company.

I cannot overstate the importance of connecting the dots for the employer. Make it easy for them. They’re not going to rack their brains trying to figure out if/how you’re a fit for the job.

Q: What should I message a hiring manager on LinkedIn after applying? A: LinkedIn’s data shows that brevity is key – messages under 400 characters get 22% better response rates. Instead of using LinkedIn’s AI-generated templates:

• Keep your message concise and focused
• Mention specific things you have in common
• Mention who referred you or your mutual connection
• Reference their recent content or work
• Explain why you want to connect
• Include a clear call to action

Pro tip: Only 10% of all LinkedIn messages are under 400 characters, which means shorter messages naturally stand out from 90% of other messages people receive.

Q: Is there a smarter way to message hiring managers on LinkedIn? A: Before I give you a script for what to say when reaching out to hiring managers, I want to share a couple of best practices with you.

Cold outreach is less effective, so if you know someone who can introduce you to the hiring manager, that referral is 10X more effective.

When you do reach out, make sure you communicate what you offer the company and why it matters. It must be relevant.

OK, now that we have that out of the way, let’s start with the easiest ask first: a connection request.

When you find a hiring manager you want to connect with, send them a message with the request to let them know why you’d like to connect.

When sending a connection request to hiring managers, identify common ground so you can mention it in your message.

Hi James,

I saw your post about the challenges that recruiters are facing in the midst of this rocky economy, and it resonated with me. I’d appreciate connecting with you so that I can follow your posts.

Hi Jennifer,

I’m new to the field of sales, and I saw your post hiring entry-level sales reps. I’d like to follow you so that I can stay up-to-date with roles you’re posting and share them with my network. I’d also appreciate the opportunity to connect and learn from the content you share.

Ready to Start Having Authentic, Purposeful Conversations?

Now that you know it’s OK (and smart) to message a hiring manager, the next question is usually: what do I actually say?

To make it as easy as humanly possible, I created a free 7-Pack of Networking Scripts. These are the exact, natural-sounding messages you can send today to open doors, catch up with old friends, and find your next move without the awkwardness.

I wrote these for a close friend launching her job search, and she used them to land 4 conversations, 3 interviews, and two offers within 14 days of starting her search.

✨ Grab the free scripts here and start those conversations naturally!

Want more help connecting with hiring managers, attracting recruiters, and networking with ease?

Messaging the right hiring manager is one piece of the puzzle~but what happens before that message (an optimized, magnetic profile) and after it (turning a reply into momentum) matters just as much.

That’s exactly what I teach inside LinkedIn Unlocked: how to find and message the hiring managers who actually have the power to hire you, how to attract recruiters so they come to you, and how to network with ease instead of dread.

If messaging felt easier after reading this, imagine what your whole job search could look like with a system behind it.

Learn more about LinkedIn Unlocked here.