I was recently looking for the implementation of a particular algorithm I needed for work, and came across the personal webpage of a developer which was discussing a very similar problem in a blog post. This developer currently works for a small/medium sized company that does some great work and for which I think I would be a very good fit. The company does not currently have any open positions listed on their website, but this employee has similar skill and interests, works in the department that, I think, would be the most suitable for me, and judging from their employment history we have some work acquaintances in common.

I would like to send this person an email (their address is publicly available on their website) expressing my interest for the company. I wouldn't be attaching my CV, asking them to pass it on to their HR department, but at the same time I would like to show that I could be a very good fit (it's a small and specialized field) and ask them how they find it there and if they think there could be new openings in the future.

Would this considered to be too blunt/inappropriate?

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  • How can it hurt? All they can say is no, or just ignore you. – Jane S Oct 24 '17 at 23:46
  • It might be better to go through LinkedIn, if possible. People are generally busy when checking their email, whereas linkedin is more of a leisure activity. You might have a better chance of getting a response. Research the company thoroughly and explain what you can bring to the table and why you'd be a good fit. – AffableAmbler Oct 25 '17 at 1:21
  • What is your location? In Finland all employers I've worked for have had employee referral programs that are worth 500 - 2500 € for the existing employee if the referred person joins and stays past probation. Ie. very lucrative for both you and the employee. The reason for this is that it is hard to find skilled candidates. – Juha Untinen Oct 25 '17 at 5:23

Would this considered to be too blunt/inappropriate?

Most likely not, at most it may suggest you are really interested in the company and that you may know about the subject (as you were reading a blog about it).

It may be that they don't have offers right now, but in the future they might and you would have already made an initial approach, giving you better chances. Worst case they just ignore your message, so it seems you have nothing to lose.

As already suggested, you could try contacting them via LinkedIn instead/additionally, as it is a network more fit for such purposes and is also more likely to be seen than a personal or corporate mail (usually with higher message traffic).

In my experience, I have had some occasions in the past where people came by to the office to leave their CV and related information, even though we were not actively hiring. Some time later we were in need of hiring, so I went back to those recruits and most of them turned out to be good candidates when interviewed (maybe because that attitude is common among proactive people, which in turn tend to have more drive and commitment to their activities, but that is just a guess).

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