writing directly to companies with CV/cover letter

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hi again.

just wanted to know what kind of response people have had writing directly to companies concerning possible vacancies.

has anyone had any decent responses or do you find you are typically ignored?

just wondering since i presume the best approach is to write directly to the IT manager in the area you wish to pursue.

have people been able to call companies to get the names of the IT managers or are your applications usually addressed to 'sir/madam' (quite impersonal i guess)?

thanks.

 

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When our IT manager gets letters and CV's directly to him, they tend to go straight in the bin - as strange as it is, in our company the Managers only get the final say in hiring someone - and they can only hire someone that has been vetted legitimately by the HR department. All political tape and jobsworthyness in my opinion, but perhaps there are many other companies that operate the same way?

 

I started sending out emails last week to anyone and everyone, asking for them to be forwarded to the HR department. I've had something like 10% returns so far but nothing really positive ,only one saying they would keep me in mind in the furture.
Some say you should go to companies personally but I thought I'd cover ground alot faster this way.I started by going through the local phone/business directory picking out companies along the way.
Hope this helps, good luck.

 

For our company it has been the rule that you write to HR rather than managers for quite some time.

This seems to be quite common now.

Harry.

 

thanks guys.

i'm not the kind of person to cold call to a company's premises as not only is it time consuming, but more often than not, security will just tell you to go away.

there are several small/med firms which have up to 100 users in our town. I will target these companies as i believe the cvs might have a better chance of at least getting through (or am i being too optimistic?)

i will prob send them to hr and ask if they could forward it to the appropiate person in IT or possibly keep me in their books. also, i may ask which agencies they prefer to use or if they advertise in local papers etc.

as some of you pointed out, a lot will just get binned but there may be a slim chance of being noticed by one person who has the power to hire and fire ...hoping nayway ;-)

 

...but doing so is still a *great* way to get a job. Sure, you'll hear a bunch of "No"s, but all you need is one "Yes". Determination and persistence will enable you to eventually succeed.

Sending out CVs is fine... but you know, if you took the time to travel all the way to my company to see me, I'd realize you were much more serious and motivated than the dude who took no more time and effort than to mail, e-mail, or fax me his resume.

 

Unfortunately, the way of the world is that you almost always (unless you go to a small company) have to go via HR - which generally means you'll need to be 'presented' via one of the agencies they use. Not sure if this is the way of things in the States, but I can state with pretty much 100% confidence that I haven't ever heard of anyone getting a job by touting their CV round even a moderately-sized company directly.

It sickens me to say it, because I put them on the same rung of the ladder as Lawyers, Estate Agents and other similar scum, but you're going to be much better off investing your time in registering with some of the better-known IT agencies than going to all the effort of handing your CV round. Most of the smaller places either don't have regular IT support, or pay a company to do it for them on an 'as needed' basis.

 

Originally posted by- zebulebu;

It sickens me to say it, because I put them on the same rung of the ladder as Lawyers, Estate Agents and other similar scum, but you're going to be much better off investing your time in registering with some of the better-known IT agencies than going to all the effort of handing your CV round. Most of the smaller places either don't have regular IT support, or pay a company to do it for them on an 'as needed' basis.


Very true.

 

Yep, it happens here in the States. Of course, recruiting companies work well too... if you can find a good one. It's hit or miss, here.

 

well, mike, since you seem far more knowledgable than myself, i will trust you. i may try a few companies directly.

what's the best approach. ask to speak to someone in person at reception or perhaps just hand over a hard copy of the cv/cover letter. sorry, bit of a novice here.

i am keen to so will try most things within reason...

in the end, i will have to be patient and take all the rejection as it comes.

cheers.

 

Yeah, I'm not that good at rejection... I was horrible at dating, asking girls out. I'd probably be horrible going door to door looking for jobs... but I'd do it if it meant getting a job, ya know? Whatever it takes. I'd treat finding a job as my 8-hour-a-day job. Cold calls, using recruiters, scouring online job postings, asking other IT professionals in my area if they've heard of any openings (this last method is the absolute *best*).

If it were me, I'd ask to speak to the IT director or CIO, and if I get denied, I'd ask if they'd pass along my resume to the IT director. The worst they can say on either count is "No".