The Direct Line is a practical, evidence-led guide to creating a legitimate route to the person who owns the role — without relying entirely on the application queue.
Most job-search advice focuses on the part of the process you can see: the application. The Direct Line looks at what happens around it.
It explains how applications are screened, how candidates get represented inside structured hiring processes, why other channels matter, and how to approach the person responsible for a role when doing so is appropriate.
Gem's 2026 recruiting benchmark analysed 165 million applications, 15 million candidates and 1.2 million hires across more than 1,200 companies.
Roughly half of hires arrive through other channels — direct sourcing, referrals and internal moves — from a far smaller share of applications.
That doesn't mean you should stop applying. It means applying shouldn't be your only channel.
The Direct Line closes that gap.
Turn your experience into evidence others can act on.
Structure outreach that gives someone a reason to reply.
Say something specific and non-obvious about their problem.
Research the company, role and decision-maker in 45 minutes.
Access isn't the strategy. Judgment is.
What happens after you submit, and how screening and internal representation work.
A model for identifying where your applications are most likely stalling.
Find the person most likely to own the problem — using public information.
Extract credible evidence from your experience, including when you have no numbers.
A structure for messages that are short, relevant and easy to answer.
The one thing you can write that a recruiter structurally cannot.
A concise post-screen recap that makes your strongest evidence easy to retrieve.
Nine worksheets that turn the method into a repeatable weekly process.
The free preview is Chapters 1 and 2 of the actual book — not a watered-down teaser. It includes the diagnostic and its own sources section.
Read the argument. Check the evidence. Decide whether the rest is worth paying for. No email required.
Read 30 pages freeThe full book isn't on sale yet. Read the first 30 pages free in the meantime — you'll be the first to hear when it's out.
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No. Hiring decisions depend on many factors outside your control. This book teaches a method for creating additional opportunities for relevant human consideration.
No. The application channel works — around half of hires come through it. The argument is that it shouldn't be your only channel.
No. The book explains what screening systems can and cannot do, and focuses on the broader hiring process rather than tricks.
No. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it does nothing, and in some circumstances it can hurt. Knowing when not to make contact is a substantial part of the method.
A downloadable PDF. Read it on any device, or print what you need.
Yes. The first 30 pages — Chapters 1 and 2 — are available free on this page.