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Cold emails for jobs, role by role

A good job email has the same shape in every role: a fresh post, a published address, three short paragraphs and one piece of proof. What changes from role to role is the proof. These guides say what to lead with, as a fresher or as someone switching in, with an example email for each.

Updated

What every role has in common

  • Write to the address in the post, or a hiring address on the company’s own site. Never a guessed one.
  • Write the day the post goes up, if you can. Past a week, the role may be filled.
  • A greeting and three short paragraphs: who you are and which post, your one best proof, and why this company. Under 150 words.
  • A one-page resume, as a PDF, with the work that answers the post at the top.
  • Send it from your own address, under your name, with your phone and your links in the sign-off.

Guides by role

  • Software developer (backend, frontend, full stack)

    Backend, frontend and full stack roles: what the posts ask for, the project to lead with, and an example email.

    Lead with: One deployed project, or one change that went to production, in the stack the post names.

  • Data analyst

    SQL, Excel and dashboards: how to show an analysis that changed a decision, with an example email from a switcher.

    Lead with: One analysis that ended in a decision: the question, the data, the tool and what changed.

  • Data science, AI and ML

    Data scientist, ML engineer and GenAI roles: which of the three a post wants, and the measured project to lead with.

    Lead with: One model or GenAI system, measured against a baseline, and running somewhere if the role is engineering.

  • Product manager

    APM and PM roles: show a product decision you made and what it changed, with an example from an engineer switching in.

    Lead with: One product decision you made: the problem, what you chose not to build, and the result.

  • UI/UX designer

    UI/UX and product designer roles: point to one case study, and make sure the portfolio link opens.

    Lead with: One case study with research, a decision and a tested result, linked from the email.

  • Digital marketing

    Performance, SEO, social and content roles: lead with something you grew, in the platform’s own numbers.

    Lead with: Something you grew, with the budget or time it took and the platform’s own numbers.

  • Sales and business development

    BDE, SDR, inside sales and account executive roles: a target, your result against it, and a short, sharp email.

    Lead with: A target and your result against it, and the one habit that got you there.

  • HR and recruiter

    Recruiter, talent acquisition and HR executive roles: show hiring you did, in the numbers recruiters use.

    Lead with: Hiring you did or supported, in recruiters’ own numbers: CVs screened, interviews, joinings.

Your role isn’t here?

The same shape works for QA, DevOps, mobile, operations, finance and customer success roles. Read what the post asks for first, then lead with the one piece of your work that answers it. Start from the cold email templates, and find posts with LinkedIn searches that work.