How to Message a Hiring Manager on LinkedIn (Templates)

To message a hiring manager on LinkedIn about a remote job, send a connection request with a note of three sentences: which role you applied for or want, one proof number that matches the job post, and where you are plus the hours you can work in their time zone. Under 300 characters, because that is the limit for a connection note. No "I hope this finds you well", no attachment, no request for a call. The goal of the first message is a reply, not an interview.

Below are the five messages you will actually need (before applying, after applying, after a referral, after silence, and after a rejection), each with the character limit it has to fit, and the three mistakes that get a message ignored.

Key takeaways

• Connection notes are capped at 300 characters, InMail subjects at 200 and bodies at 2,000, and direct messages at 8,000. Write for the smallest box.
• The first line names the role and the proof. The hiring manager decides in that line whether to read the second.
• For a remote role, your location and your overlap hours belong in the message, in their time zone. It is the first objection, so answer it first.
• One message, one follow-up a week later, then stop. The third message costs you more than it gains.
• Message the person who would be your manager, not the recruiter, unless the post names the recruiter as the contact.

Who should you message?

The person the role reports to. On most job posts that is not named, so find them: open the company page, filter people by title (Head of Sales, Marketing Director, Engineering Manager) and by the team the post describes. If two people fit, pick the one who has posted about the team or the hiring in the last month. Recruiters are the right contact when the post names them, when the company is large enough to have a talent team, or when the manager has no public activity at all.

Before you write, read the job post twice and pull out one number or one tool you can match. "Outbound SDR, German market, 30 meetings a quarter" gives you a proof to answer with. The sentence that does that is the positioning statement from the guide to positioning yourself for remote jobs, and it goes into every message below.

What are the LinkedIn character limits?

According to AuthoredUp's list of LinkedIn limits, a connection request note is 300 characters, an InMail subject is 200 and its body 2,000, and a direct message to a connection is 8,000. Free accounts get a limited number of personalized connection notes a month, so each one counts. The practical rule: the first message is written to 300 characters so it works as a note; once you are connected you have room, but the reader's attention does not grow with the box.

The five messages, ready to adapt

Replace the brackets. Keep the structure: role, proof, location and hours, one small ask.

1. Before you apply (connection note, under 300 characters)

Hi [Name], I am applying for the [Role] on your team. I run outbound for [company type] and booked [number] qualified meetings last quarter. Based in [City], I work [hours] [their zone]. Happy to connect either way.

That is 214 characters with typical values. "Happy to connect either way" removes the pressure; it is the line that gets accepted.

2. After you apply (direct message once connected, or a second note)

Thanks for connecting, [Name]. I applied for the [Role] on [date], application under [your name]. The part of the post I can speak to most is [requirement]: at [Company] I [proof with a number]. I am in [City] and keep [hours] [their zone], so I overlap with your [morning/afternoon]. If it helps to have a 15-minute call, I can do [two options]; if not, no reply needed.

3. With a referral

Hi [Name], [Referrer] suggested I write to you about the [Role]. I [one-line proof]. [Referrer] mentioned the team needs [what the referrer said]; that is the work I did at [Company] for [period]. I am in [City], available [hours] [their zone]. Would it help if I sent a short summary of how I would approach the first 90 days?

Name the referrer in the first sentence, because it is the only reason this message gets read ahead of the others.

4. After silence (one follow-up, seven days later)

Hi [Name], one short follow-up on the [Role]. Since I wrote, I [new proof: shipped, closed, published, finished]. Still very interested, and still available [hours] [their zone]. If the role has moved on, a one-line reply would save us both time.

Add something new or do not send it. A follow-up that only says "following up" tells the reader you have nothing to add.

5. After a rejection

Thanks for letting me know, [Name]. If you are open to it, one thing I could have done better in the process would help me more than the standard reply. Either way, I would like to stay in touch; if [team] opens a similar role in the next year, I would apply again.

Half of hiring managers will answer this with something useful, and a few will come back when the hire they made does not work out. It costs 40 seconds.

These messages get you a reply. What gets you the role is the work behind them: a profile that says the same thing as the message, and a CV that reads in seven seconds. Both are the subject of the Land a Great Remote Job accelerator program, a 2-week program with 4 live classes and 10 seats, for professionals based in Europe. The waitlist is open.

What gets a message ignored?

• No role in the first line. "I came across your profile" is read as spam because it usually is. Name the job.
• Asking for time before giving a reason. "Can we hop on a quick call?" is a request for 30 minutes from a stranger. Give the proof first; let them ask for the call.
• Hiding your location. A hiring manager with a remote role reads "based in Lisbon, available 13:00 to 21:00 WET, which is 9:00 to 17:00 Eastern" as a solved problem. A message without it is a question they have to ask. The US hours conversion table gives the numbers.
• Attachments and links in the first note. A connection note cannot carry them, and a first direct message with a CV attached reads as mass mail. Offer the summary; send it when asked.
• Messaging five people at the same company. They compare notes. One manager, one recruiter at most.

Most of these overlap with the seven reasons remote applications get rejected, because the message is the application in miniature.

When is the message not worth sending?

When the post says "Remote (US only)" or "must be authorized to work in the US" and you are in Europe. No message changes that; the recruiter cannot waive it. When the role was posted more than three weeks ago with no activity, the manager is probably already interviewing. And when the pay, converted to your situation, is below your floor: run the number through the jobseeker calculator before you spend the message on it. The Euro Remote Talent job board lists roles open to people in Europe with the location line visible, so the first check takes a second.

FAQ

Should I message the hiring manager or the recruiter?

The hiring manager, unless the post names the recruiter as the contact or the company is large enough to have a talent team. The manager knows whether your proof matters; the recruiter knows whether your application exists. If you message both, keep it to one each and say the same thing.

How long should a LinkedIn message to a hiring manager be?

Under 300 characters for the first note, which is the connection request limit. Once connected, under 120 words. The reader is on a phone between meetings. Role, proof, location and hours, one small ask, and stop.

Is it ok to message a hiring manager before applying?

Yes, and it is often better, because the message then arrives before the pile of applications. Say you are applying, not that you might. Apply the same day so the name in the message and the name in the system match when they look.

How many times should I follow up?

Once, seven days later, with something new. After that, stop and move on. A third message rarely gets a reply and often gets a block. If the role is reposted later, you can write again as if for the first time.

Can I use these as a LinkedIn message to recruiter template?

Yes. Keep the same three parts (the role, one proof number that matches the job post, and where you are plus your hours) and stay under 300 characters for a connection note. The recruiter knows whether your application exists, so name the role you applied for.

What should a cold message for a job say?

Three sentences: the role you want, one proof number that matches the job post, and where you are plus the hours you can work in their time zone. The goal is a reply, not an interview, so leave out the attachment and the request for a call.

The short version

Message the person the role reports to, in under 300 characters: the role, one proof number from the post, your city and your hours in their time zone, and a small ask. Follow up once a week later with something new, then stop. Use the five templates above and keep the profile saying the same thing as the message. To find roles where the location line is visible before you write, browse the remote jobs open to people in Europe. To work on the positioning behind the message with a headhunter, join the waitlist for the Land a Great Remote Job accelerator program.