Most job ads tell you more about the hiring manager than they seem to: the reporting line, the team, the location and the recruiter's name. Start there, then search the company's People tab on LinkedIn by function and location, and ask someone inside if you're still unsure. Once you have a name, look for someone you both know before you write to them directly.
The application goes to a system, but the decision is made by a person, usually the manager the role reports to. If you can find out who that is, you stop being one of hundreds of files and start being someone they've heard of. It takes less detective work than most people expect, often fifteen or twenty minutes, and it puts some control back in a process that mostly leaves you waiting.
Why should you find the hiring manager?
Because a name gives you options the apply button doesn't. Greenhouse counted 244 applications per job in 2025, up from 116 in 2022. LinkedIn's Economic Graph research found that applicants already connected to an employee at the company were 3.6 times more likely to be hired. Knowing who makes the decision lets you look for that connection, aim your application at what they care about, and follow up with someone rather than something.
It's also a quiet test of the role. If you can't find any sign of the team the ad describes, that's worth knowing before you spend an evening on it.
What does the job ad tell you about the hiring manager?
More than it seems. Read it for four things:
- The reporting line. "Reporting to the Head of Finance" gives you the title outright.
- The team. A Senior Product Designer in the Payments team usually reports to the design or product lead for Payments.
- The location. A role based in Melbourne narrows a national team to the few people there.
- The recruiter's name. An internal recruiter named on the ad works with the hiring manager every day, and can be a polite first contact.
If the ad gives no reporting line, work one level up from the job title. A manager usually reports to a senior manager or director in the same function, and a director usually reports to a general manager or an executive.
How do you find the hiring manager on LinkedIn?
Start with the job post itself. Some LinkedIn job posts show a "Meet the hiring team" section with the person who posted it, who may be the hiring manager or may be the recruiter. If there's nothing there, go to the company's LinkedIn page and open People. Search by the function in the ad, such as finance, product or operations, and narrow it by location. Read the titles against the reporting line you worked out, and look for anyone who has recently posted about growing their team or shared the role. Hiring managers often do.
Then check the profile against the ad. Someone whose team matches, whose location matches and who has been there long enough to be hiring is probably your person. If two people could fit, note both.
What if you still can't work out who it is?
Ask. Someone you know at the company, even loosely, can usually tell you in a sentence who runs the team. Acquaintances are often more useful here than close friends, because they sit in different parts of the business. If you know nobody there, look one step out: a former colleague who used to work there, or someone in your network who is connected to someone inside.
Beyond that, the company's own website, its news releases, conference speaker lists and industry podcasts often name team leaders. And the recruiter named on the ad is a fair person to ask, politely. They want strong candidates in front of the hiring manager too.
What should you do once you've found the hiring manager?
Before you write to them, look for someone you both know. An introduction from a person they already trust is warmer than any message you could write: in Ashby's study of 38 million applications, 40 percent of referred applicants got an interview, against 3 percent of people who applied cold. How to ask for a referral covers that ask.
If there's nobody to introduce you, reach out to the hiring manager on LinkedIn directly: a short connection request, then a brief message that names the role and gives one specific reason you fit. If a recruiter is running the role, let them know you've been in touch. You're working with them, not around them.
Before: "Hi, I've applied for the role in your team and would love to connect. Please let me know if you'd like to see my resume." Nothing about them, and nothing they can act on.
After: "Hi Maria, I've applied for the Senior Product Designer role in Payments. I spent the last four years redesigning checkout for a card issuer, most recently cutting drop-off at the payment step by a third. Happy to share how, if it's useful." Their team, one result that matters to them, and an easy next step.
If they don't reply, following up with the hiring manager covers what to write next, and when to stop.
Where FutureDay fits
FutureDay doesn't search for people. The finding stays yours, and FutureDay keeps the trail. When you save a role with nobody on it, Home asks you the next day to find a person there before you apply, and if you already have contacts at that company, it tells you how many. A target company brings a card asking you to find someone inside it, with "Show me how" if you're stuck. Once you have a name, add them in Contacts, put them on the role in your Job Tracker, and Home brings your next message up when it's due. You send it yourself.
A name turns an application into a conversation: applicants connected to an employee were 3.6 times more likely to be hired (LinkedIn Economic Graph).
The ad often gives it away: the reporting line, the team, the location and the recruiter's name.
On LinkedIn, check the job post for its hiring team, then search the company's People by function and location.
Still stuck? Ask someone inside, or ask the recruiter, politely.
Once you have a name, look for someone you both know first, then write briefly with one specific reason you fit.
21 pages, a 15-minute read
