The tricky thing about finding a hiring manager on LinkedIn is that "hiring manager" isn't a job title — it's the person who leads the team the role sits in. So you don't search "hiring manager"; you find the head or manager of the relevant department at the target company. For a marketing coordinator role, that's the marketing director; for a backend engineer role, the engineering manager. Below is how to identify the actual hiring manager and reach them directly — the move that gets candidates past the résumé black hole. (Built on employee search and how to find someone on LinkedIn.)
Step 1: Identify the department and level
Look at the job posting and ask: whose team is this? A role reports up to a manager, director, or head of that function. That person — or their boss — is your hiring manager.
Step 2: Search the company for that leader
- 1.Search the company, open its People tab (or use People search with a Current company filter).
- 2.In the Title field, search the department leader, e.g.:
- 3.
("engineering manager" OR "head of engineering" OR "VP engineering")for an engineering role, or - 4.
("marketing manager" OR "head of marketing" OR "marketing director")for a marketing role. - 5.Cross-check seniority against the role's level — a junior role's hiring manager is usually a manager or senior manager, not the VP.
The LinkedIn job post itself sometimes shows who posted it or "meet the hiring team" — always check there first.
Step 3: Reach out (carefully)
Messaging the hiring manager directly can set you apart — if you do it well:
- Be respectful of the process. Apply through the proper channel too; don't try to bypass it entirely.
- Lead with specific fit for that role and team.
- Keep it short and make it easy to say "send me your details."
- Don't be pushy. One message, one polite follow-up, then let it go.
See connection request templates and the do's-and-don'ts in recruiter message templates.
Find the right hiring managers, faster
Across a list of target companies, identifying the right department leader for each role and reaching out personally is a lot of manual profile-hunting. Conextly helps on LinkedIn: it finds the department leaders at the companies you're targeting, tracks who you've contacted, and drafts a tailored message for each based on their profile and the role — you approve every send. See how the prospecting search works.