Send a 'pain letter' to get noticed by a hiring manager

By Dave Greenbaum

If very long ago you ever applied for a corporate job and had to go through an online application process, you know it was rather impersonal. One loses the ability to stand out among applicants.

But did you ever try sending a letter directly to the hiring manager to tell them you understand their challenges? Liz Ryan suggests sending a "pain letter" to a hiring manager instead of following the approved application process.

Here's how it would go: Ignore those instructions. You can find your hiring manager using LinkedIn, Google and the company's own websites, and write to him or her directly. Write a pain letter, which is a little like a cover letter, but much more specific to the hiring manager's situation. It's more friendly and human than a cover letter is, too.

Send your pain letter in a white envelope along with your human-voiced resume straight to the hiring manager's desk through the postal service and you'll avoid the black hole completely. This tip could be risky depending on the job.

It could imply you're breaking the rules before you even start and who knows, you might have just got the job by applying through the normal application process. You have been warned.