Step 1
Identify the likely owner
Work backward from the function, team, seniority, location, and reporting clues in the job description.
Find the hiring managerHiring manager outreach hub
Find the person. Verify the path. Write the note.
Direct outreach is not one tactic. It is a sequence of decisions: who owns the work, whether contact is appropriate, which channel fits, and what context is actually useful.
Step 2
Verify the decision path
Map a likely role owner and alternate path, then confirm the person and distinguish inferred from verified contact data.
Open the finder previewStep 3
Choose the right recipient
Use the question you need answered to decide whether the recruiter, hiring manager, or neither person should receive a note.
Compare manager and recruiterStep 4
Choose the right channel
Choose LinkedIn when recognition and a low-pressure introduction matter more than a direct inbox.
Use the LinkedIn guideStep 5
Write the email
Connect one public team priority to one credible proof point from your background. Keep the ask small.
Use the email guideStep 6
Follow up responsibly
After an unanswered direct note, wait for the stated timeline, add useful new context once, and then stop.
Use the no-response guideChannel decision
Contact the person who can answer the question you actually have.
Hiring manager email
You applied, can identify the team owner, and have a role-specific proof point.
Recruiter email
Your question is about process, eligibility, timing, or routing rather than the team's work.
LinkedIn message
You cannot verify a work email or want a lower-pressure first interaction with clear context.
Application only
The posting says not to contact the team, the owner is unclear, or your note would only repeat the resume.
Start with the person, not the template.
The public finder preview will show the likely decision path and the assumptions you still need to verify, then provide a short editable draft built only from the visible inputs.
Open the hiring manager finder