Cold email templates for recruiters and hiring managers
Five short emails to copy. Each one has brackets for your own facts: the role, your best piece of work, and why this company. Replace every bracket; an email with a bracket left in it is worse than none.
Updated
Before you use one
- Write to the address in the post, or a hiring address on the company's site. Never a guessed one.
- Write the same day the post went up, if you can.
- One piece of proof, with a real number if you have one. Nothing you can't talk about in an interview.
- Attach a one-page resume fitted to this job, as a PDF.
- Keep it under 150 words.
Answering a hiring post
- To
- [the address in the post]
- Subject
- [Role from the post]: [Your name], [your current role or degree]
Hi [Name],
I saw your post [today / yesterday] for the [role] role at [Company]. I'm a [your role or year and degree], and [the main thing the post asks for] is what I have been doing.
[Your best piece of work for this job: what you built or did, the tools, and one real result, in two sentences.]
[One honest line on why this company.] My resume for this role is attached; I'd be glad to talk whenever suits you.
[Your name]
[Phone]
[GitHub, portfolio or LinkedIn]
Asking a startup for an internship
- To
- [careers@ or the founder's published address]
- Subject
- [Role] intern: [Your name], [degree] [year], from [month]
Hello [Name, or the team],
I'm a [year] [degree] student at [college], writing about the [role] internship [on your careers page / in your post]. I can start in [month] for [duration].
[The project closest to the role: what it does, the stack, and one result.]
[Why this startup, in one line.] My resume is attached. Could we talk for ten minutes this week or next?
[Your name]
[Phone]
[GitHub or portfolio]
Switching careers
- To
- [the hiring manager's published address]
- Subject
- [Role]: [Your name], [years] years in [current field]
Hi [Name],
I read your post for the [role] role. I have spent [years] years as a [current role] at [company or kind of company], and I am moving into [new kind of role].
[The part of your work that already is the new role: what you did, how often, and one result. For example, the reporting you ran for your sales team, for a data analyst role.]
[What you have done to fill the gap: a course, a project, a certificate.] My resume is attached; my notice period is [weeks].
[Your name]
[Phone]
[LinkedIn]
Mention the notice period only if the post asks for it, or if it is short enough to help you.
Asking for a referral
- To
- [the employee's published address]
- Subject
- Referral for [Role] at [Company]?
Hi [Name],
You posted that [Company] is hiring a [role] and offered referrals. I'd be grateful for one if my profile fits.
[Your best piece of proof for this role, in two sentences.]
My resume is attached, and here is the job's link: [link]. Thank you for offering.
[Your name]
[Phone]
Following up
- To
- [the same address, in the same thread]
- Subject
- Re: [your original subject]
Hi [Name],
Following up on my email about the [role] role. I'm still very interested. [One new thing since you wrote, if there is one.]
[Your name]
Once, about a week after the first email. If there is still no answer, move on to fresher posts.