Sometimes the most direct route is around something.

This is the blog post I wish I'd written. Liz Ryan writes about the idea of networking directly with hiring managers and skipping the job site "black hole". While I don't agree that every job site is a resume super nova (in fact, I do know some companies where recruiters are required to review every resume submitted for a position), I know what it's like to be a recruiter at an employer whose every job posting gets hundreds, if not thousands, of resume submissions. Using searches to cut through the bulk was a necessity; it was a survival skill.

I always engaged my hiring teams as partners in the process of finding candidates. And so when a manager said "I have a candidate for this position," I was thrilled. They were holding up their end of the bargain by also being talent finders. Plus they knew that if they brought that candidate on campus for anything even resembling an interview without me kicking off the process, I would hunt them down, because you just do not mess with legal compliance. I'm boring that way.

So the scenario where a candidate reaches out to a manager with a compelling message about why they can help relieve that manager of some of the job pain they are in? I am all for that biznaz. You're not working around recruiting, you are networking with hiring authorities. And frankly, you are getting your resume viewed by one of the key deciders. You should go do this. I still recommend you work through official processes as well, but definitely be networking like this.