Would you approach a hiring manager directly?
Absolutely! In fact, its the secret weapon for getting the job you want instead of the job you end up with. The tactic that Nick Corcodilos at Ask The Headhunter is well known for advocating, works well when responding to posted jobs and produces even better results when you dont just wait for a company to post a help wanted sign then hoping that they recognize your genius out of hundreds or thousands of other applicants. He advises (and I highly agree) that you start by find the companies you'd like to work for and search out the people who would potentially be your boss. This can be in response to job ads or applied to companies that you simply think you are a good match for. The more detailed previous Quora response can be found here: How do I get more interviews from my job applications? If you are interested in landing a work from home job, I offer webinars on how to get the best work from home jobs from anywhere without previous experience. You can get an alert for the next one at Webinar Alerts | Work From Home.