Submitted by martinoriordan on
in
Forums
BLUF: Should I reach out to an internal hiring manger before applying?
I work in supply chain in a global player (+140k employees) with multiple divisions. On the internal job site, a position came up within the commercial org of a different division. On paper, the job looks good & suited to my skill set. Is it ok to reach out to the hiring manager to try to understand the role in more detail / what they are looking for before applying?
Thnaks for the guidance.
Let me generalize
In less specific terms, your quesiton becomes:
"I have a decision to make. Should I gather more information?"
Unless you can come up with some reason not to ask for it, I can see no harm in asking for more information.
Also consider...
Also consider speaking to your own manager too. In my experience in large organisations the first thing the hiring manager will do after talking to you is to speak to your manager. If this happens, it would be better if your manager has been pre-prepared by you. Your manager also may need to sign off on any internal transfer.
Otherwise as DONM says too, I think it's a very good idea to speak to the hiring manager to get a better idea of the role.
Good luck!
Agree with the above posts
Yes, reach out to the manager for more information.
But prep your boss. One of the reasons is that bosses hate surprises and they certainly don't want to be caught off guard in front of a colleague. It makes boss look good if they appear to know what is going on with their staff and are able to give a reasoned response to any inquiries.
My thought on this
Personally I do not care for this approach, I am often approached by employes from other divisions looking for a "pre interview" I prefer for a candidate to apply, after that I am happy to discuss the position. The application process ensures that I have all the detailed information I need to screen and advise the candidate if I do not think it is the right fit.
I do not like the quick call to help decide if you should apply to my opportunity not very efficient or respectful of my time.
My advice apply.
Another idea
After CBROWN2001's feedback, another idea is that you speak to someone in the hiring manager's team, preferably someone doing the role, to get an idea of the job. I'd still also speak to your own manager first as well.