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Who is the best person to cold-call to get you a job in a company, the direct supervisor or CEO?

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    • Avatar of dollfacedollface
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        • CFA Level 2
        08 May 2019 at 5:58 pm
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        I’m considering cold-emailing / cold-calling a few target companies to secure a role, this technique has worked in the past for me. However I’m undecided which is the better target – do I call the direct supervisor of the role I’m targeting (i.e. my future boss if I’m hired), or call the head of the company?

        Context:

        • Not all of them are actively looking for someone, so in some cases I may be asking them to either create a role, or keep me in mind when they do look for someone
        • All of my target companies are <100 employees based in Canada or US

        Thoughts on calling direct supervisor:

        • Presumably if he/she gets on board they would be best placed to fight for my hiring.

        Thoughts on calling CEO:

        • If I can convince the CEO presumably it’s a stronger case? However, ultimately I think the direct supervisor will have the final say in most cases.
        • Might be harder to convince and/or get time to make my case.

        Any thoughts at all are welcome!!!

      • Avatar of artyeaselartyeasel
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          12 May 2019 at 3:24 pm
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          I would go for the CEO – they usually pass it on to the right person anyway, but you get the halo of their boss telling them to get it done. Good luck!

        • Avatar of mincemeat23mincemeat23
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            • CFA Level 1
            09 May 2019 at 3:10 pm
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            CEO is the better contact in smaller companies. Supervisor come and go as well – I’ve had a few setups where halfway through the conversation my potential hiring manager just left.

          • Avatar of hairyfairyhairyfairy
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              • Undecided
              16 May 2019 at 3:30 pm
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              In my experience it strongly depends on what industry and firm size. AM teams tend to be smaller, so CEO might be a good bet especially in a small firm, but investment banking teams tend to be larger, in which case an MD might be a better bet. The best place to aim for is one level higher than your direct boss.

            • Avatar of rutadanielrutadaniel
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                • CFA Level 2
                14 Oct 2019 at 6:02 am
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                Just started a job last week where I contacted the CEO for a position, company has 150 employees. It works, but I agree that I can’t see it happening in a mega-huge company.

              • Avatar of dollfacedollface
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                  • CFA Level 2
                  14 May 2019 at 3:11 pm
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                  Thanks – hit a few last week and in the process. Thanks for the input. If there’s anyone who’s had similar experiences would appreciate any tips!

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