Reader,

The generic "apply and pray" approach doesn't do anything.

It sends you straight to the bottom of a pile that a recruiter may never actually touch.

As someone who works in technical recruiting, I want to pull back the curtain a bit. Because the people who actually hear back are playing the game smarter.

And it all starts with who to contact.

Step 1: Find the Right Recruiter

What you want is a recruiter who is actively working in your space, ideally the one listed directly on the job posting. If their name is there, that's your person. Start there.

But a lot of postings don't list a name.
In that case, go to LinkedIn and do a people search at the company.

Scroll through anyone with a title like Recruiter or Talent Acquisition Partner and look for signals that they work in your area (I start locally but that’s just a preference).

For example, if you're a software engineer and you see a recruiter whose recent activity, posted roles, or bio leans toward IT or engineering…that's your target.

What if you genuinely can't find the right person?

Don't just give up.

If you find a recruiter who covers a completely different function but has strong tenure in the company (looks like they might know their peers) it's still worth a short message:

If you can get someone to point you in the right direction, a warm internal referral to the right person is worth more than ten cold messages to the wrong one.

Step 2: Play a Two-Track Game

Here's something that works really well and almost nobody does it:

To the recruiter, your message should be about the role. Ask a genuine, specific question about the position. Or simply ask if they're still actively searching. Keep it professional, keep it brief, and make it clear you did your homework.

To the hiring manager, don't ask for anything at all.

Seriously.

Add them on LinkedIn and if they accept send a short intro. Perhaps something like:

That's it.

• No ask
• No resume
• No pitch

You're just planting a flag.

Some managers won't respond. Some will. Either way, you're on their radar before you've even had a conversation and that's where you want to be.

Step 3: Timing Actually Matters

You might not think the time of day you send a message makes a difference. It does, or at least it can.

Early morning or later afternoon tends to work better than the middle of the day based on my experience but you’ll need to test the waters and see what works best for the people you’re trying to get a hold of.

The logic is simple:

You're more likely to get a thoughtful read when things are quieter.

Think about it from the other side. If you're a recruiter and you get 40 LinkedIn messages between 9am and noon on a Tuesday, how carefully are you reading each one?

Now imagine one lands at 7:45am before the chaos starts. Different experience entirely.

This isn't a magic formula, it's just putting a little thought into your timing instead of firing off messages whenever you happen to think of it.

I know when to catch my audience. Do you?

Coming Friday: Part 2 — What to Actually Say

Now that you know who to contact and when, the next piece is the hardest part for most people: the message itself.

On Friday I'll break down what makes a message land versus what makes a recruiter scroll right past it including the most common mistakes I see over and over again.

Spoiler: it's not about being more "professional." It's about making yourself relevant without making it all about you.

See you Friday.

-Jaclyn
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