Applying for a job not publicly advertised

You recently heard from a friend at ABC Company that there will be a managerial position opening at the company within the next two weeks. The position has not yet been posted but from what your friend has explained this could be your dream job.

Your friend gives you the name of the hiring manager for that area (Mary Smith) but asks you to please not use his name when applying for the job since the information he's told you is currently confidential. You've decided not to wait for the job to be posted and have elected to contact the hiring manager immediately:

For this assignment you will need to prepare a paper addressing how you would go about applying for this position. Within your paper address the following questions:

1. What would be the best way to contact the hiring manager? By mail, email or by phone? Explain and support your selection.

2. How would you explain that you know about this position without identifying your friend?

3. Since you don't know the specifics for the position, what questions should you be prepared to ask and what information should you be prepared to discuss with the hiring manager?

4. What are the downsides (negatives) of contacting the hiring manager now?