Why Managers May Be the New Front Line in Finding Talent

In a recent LinkedIn post, Roberta Matuson discusses how strong candidates may be reaching out to managers directly rather than waiting in an application queue. Her post frames this shift as a change in who is responsible for building relationships with prospective hires. This article reports on Matuson’s LinkedIn commentary; it is not written by her.

“Your best candidates aren’t in the applicant pile.”

A changing route into the hiring process

Matuson contrasts conventional applications with direct outreach, writing that promising candidates “are emailing your managers.” She connects that behavior to pressure on recruiting teams, stating that “Recruiting teams shrank by half. Applications per recruiter tripled.” The post does not specify a timeframe or provide a source for those figures, but uses them to explain why job seekers may try to reach decision-makers outside the standard process.

According to Matuson, this creates a practical question for employers: whether managers respond when candidates make contact. Her post suggests that a slow or absent reply could mean overlooking people who have taken the initiative to express interest.

Managers and the talent bench

Matuson presents talent discovery as work that begins before a vacancy appears. She says the edition she is promoting examines “why managers, not HR, now own the bench,” positioning managers as active participants in maintaining connections with potential candidates. The phrasing signals a shift in emphasis, rather than a claim that recruiting teams have no role.

In Matuson’s view, managers can be better prepared for future hiring when they stay attentive to people who could fit their teams. The post points toward relationship-building ahead of an open role, though it does not spell out the specific practices in the five habits it references.

“The only question is whether anyone on your team writes back.”

Small routines, ongoing attention

Matuson says the habits she discusses take “under an hour a week,” underscoring that she sees talent outreach as something that can fit into a regular management routine. The post does not detail those habits, so its central message is the value of consistent attention and responsiveness rather than a step-by-step recruiting plan.

She closes by asking readers how their best managers find talent before a job opens and invites them to share the post with a leader preparing to advertise a role. That question reinforces the post’s core argument: candidate discovery may start before formal hiring begins, and managers’ responses can shape whether those early connections develop.