Pushy job application?

June 5, 2008 7:43 PM

I'm applying for a job at a nonprofit, and the posting says to send apps to the HR director. Is it too pushy to cc: the executive director if I think that him reading it directly would help?

I haven't met the Executive Director but know of him because we have similar backgrounds in fields not entirely related to the one in which this organization works. My references are all people who know him personally and have worked with him. Any harm in sending him my resume and cover letter as well?

posted by anonymous to work & money (18 comments total)

Do you have any way to directly network with him? (ie, have a friend who knows him personally recommend you for the position?). It might leave a bad flavor in his mouth to send your resume/app to him directly, or it might not.. its nearly impossible to say.
posted by SirStan at 7:51 PM on June 5, 2008

I don't think it would hurt if you to send your resume to him, but he might not see it. Whoever sorts the mail might redirect a resume to the HR director, regardless of who it is addressed to.
posted by donajo at 8:00 PM on June 5, 2008

I would not cc the executive director -- to me that would seem weird and as though you're not following directions. It would be better to have one of your references call the ED.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 8:03 PM on June 5, 2008

I would definitely not cc him on the email to the HR Director, because it is likely to make the HR Director resentful, if nothing else. Whether it is actually a good idea to contact him directly, I don't know. I would do it, for sure.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 8:04 PM on June 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Fail. Send to HR rep, call him 3-5 days later to confirm receipt. CC'ing the ED of an organization that's large enough to employ an HR Director = instant rejection. He seriously, seriously has more important stuff on his plate than the 300 people applying for that job.

Also, why if you want attention are you emailing a resume? Paper = win.
posted by TomMelee at 8:14 PM on June 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Agree with ClaudiaCenter. On several occasions, I've gotten interviews I probably wouldn't have, because of a call to the ED from a reference or one of his/her peers. (It hasn't gotten me hired yet, but that's another story...)
posted by Sweetie Darling at 8:16 PM on June 5, 2008

Seconding SirStan's suggestion to ask one of your friends to recommend you, instead of the cc. The recommendation will carry a lot more weight than your cc, it'll make sure your name actually reaches him, and it will avoid the possible negative consequences of annoying HR or making it seem like you weren't following directions.

I actually got a great interview once in exactly this way - I sent my resume to HR, but asked a friend to forward a copy to one of the hiring managers (they knew each other). My friend's kind words about me made a big difference in getting me the interview.
posted by kristi at 8:17 PM on June 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

I definitely wouldn't copy the ED. EDs at non-profits are usually really, really busy and would probably find your unsolicited application an annoyance. You also risk sending the message that you don't know how to follow instructions.
posted by loiseau at 8:49 PM on June 5, 2008

DO NOT CC the executive director. Unless it's a really small N-P, you will probably not meet the ED until after the hiring process. It's not going to help you to entangle yourself in a conversation like "Who is this fuck, anonymous, who thinks I'm going to get him a job. And who the fuck said I wanted people to send me attachments?"*

*Actual language of talking at real, actual non-profits.
posted by parmanparman at 9:14 PM on June 5, 2008

I absolutely would not. In my experience, when a job posting says "Send to X', anything not sent to X--and only X--is immediately roundfiled. If you can't follow that simple a direction, why would they hire you?

(This is different if you actually have a reasonable network to the ED, who will submit the application on your behalf)
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:36 PM on June 5, 2008

Would not cc.
posted by zippy at 10:58 PM on June 5, 2008

It looks like you're trying to go over his/her head. What do you do when someone tries to go over your head.

However, if you had a good/close relationship with someone at the company, submitting your resume through them would be good. But what you're suggesting is equivalent to saying "Oh, by the way, I know Bob..." *wink* which is unlikely to make any positive impression on HR.

My recommendations for leveraging the contact would be one or more of the following depending on the your relationship:
1) Before you apply, as the director if there is any special handling that an application needs (in other words, subtly ask them if they would submit the resume on your behalf.)
or
2) Getting your references to talk to the director on your behalf.
or
3) A week after you send your resume, ping the director. Mention you have applyed there and humbly ask the status of your application.
or
4) After you send the resume, send an email to the director and CC to your references mention the opportunity and how happy you are to have a chance to apply at the company.

Good luck!
posted by Ookseer at 12:31 AM on June 6, 2008

HR Manager at a non profit here. Also, Communications Manager, Office Manager, Graphic Designer, Event Manager, Membership Manager and so on. If you sent your resume on to both me and the ED she would just forward it on to me, probably, which I would find irritating, since I don't really have time to get duplicate resumes. This would make you that much more likely to go into the Maybe or No pile as opposed to the Yes pile. In other words, what Ignatius J. Reilly said. You're going to piss me off. You don't want to piss me off.

Oh and TomMelee is wrong. If the ad says email your resume, then they want email, not paper. I always do that; one of the things I want to know is that you are capable of emailing me a resume and cover letter. Why? Because, oh gods above, I have encountered people who are not and the sooner I know that, the sooner they go into the NO pile.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:26 AM on June 6, 2008

Unless you personally or professionally know the director, no. If you do know the person, it can't hurt to send a separate email as an FYI- "Hey Bob/Mary- just wanted to let you know that I submitted a resume to the HR person."

Paper = win is becoming increasingly irrelevant- as organizations become more email fluent and paperless (and risk adverse), having everything electronic is easier for them. And while this goes against all the conventional wisdom, I'm not sure I'd want to work for an org that is distracted by the fancy resume paper I bought at Staples or the other "get noticed" tricks. Working for style-over substance people is usually maddening.
posted by gjc at 8:14 AM on June 6, 2008

I don't think a cc to the ED is appropriate, but I agree with gjc, I think you should definitely let your references know that you've made the application. This is good form, and if you're lucky, then one of them will ring him on your behalf and "talk you up".

If you are on good terms with them and you think you can get away with it, you might even ask your reference specifically to make the call. But I definitely think the application should go to the right person, otherwise you'll just piss everyone off.
posted by ranglin at 7:14 PM on June 6, 2008

Lol, mygothlaundry, I've never seen an NPO list an e-mail only resume request. Ever. I'm sure it happens, but all that I've seen are "send resumes to XXX address, email to xaddress, or fax at xnumber."

We just finished a job search where several hundred people applied for 1 position and were allowed to apply by email or mail, and there was no preference given. However, as lots of people have email addresses like "FoxyLady123@server" or "BigBalla@...", many people were turned down before their resume was even seriously perused.

If the posting said email only, then by all means email only. I seriously doubt it said email only.
posted by TomMelee at 8:19 PM on June 6, 2008

TomMelee, I work for a nonprofit that only accepts resumes by email. My last job, also at a nonprofit, was the same. It is becoming more and more usual.

I've been working on hiring for 6 years, and I hate paper resumes. They annoy me, and the people who send them stick in my mind as annoying people. I realize that this is a personal quirk, and that some people feel the opposite way, but I just want to refute the "paper=win" advice. If you're applying for a job with me, "paper=I think you're a little bit pushy and over the top, and you start off just a teensy bit on the wrong foot with me; that is, if your resume doesn't get lost on my desk, precluding my ever reading it in the first place."
posted by decathecting at 2:24 AM on June 8, 2008

Well of course if it says email then email, I mean--do whatever it says. Most of the NPO's I work with and/or for are quite small. Point of reference: I've got a friend with much more education than myself (significantly less experience, but whatever) and she always emails/faxes in resumes. She's applied to several jobs I've applied to via these methods and never even gotten so much as a courtesy call in return. I always have.

But yea---we're so off topic here---do what it says. I stand by my advice to send paper if they give an address.
posted by TomMelee at 11:24 AM on June 8, 2008