How to email a recruiter about a LinkedIn hiring post

A LinkedIn hiring post is written by a person: a founder hiring their first engineers, a team lead, someone in HR, or a recruiter hiring for a client. When they write “send your resume to” an address, they are asking to be written to. Your email lands with them, not in a pile of portal applications.

It works best at startups and small companies, where the person who posts is often the person who decides, and while the post is fresh. In the job search Jobreach grew out of, the fastest replies came to posts only hours old; posts three days old mostly got polite acknowledgements.

1. 1

   Check how old the post is

   LinkedIn shows its age under the author's name (2h, 1d, 1w). Write the same day if you can. Past a week, the role may be filled.
2. 2

   Read what it asks for

   Note the must-have skills, the years of experience, the place and work mode, and any batch-year or CGPA limit. If you clearly miss a hard limit, skip it: one good email beats ten that don't fit.
3. 3

   Use the address in the post

   Write to the address the post gives. If it gives none, look for a hiring address on the company's own careers page. Don't guess one from a name pattern: see how to find the right address.
4. 4

   Pick your one best piece of proof

   The project, internship or job that answers the post's first requirement, with a real number if you have one (users, speed, size). One strong example says more than a list of skills.
5. 5

   Write three short paragraphs

   Who you are and which post you are answering. Your proof, in two or three sentences. Why this company, and what you'd like: a short call, or a look at your resume. Under 150 words in all.
6. 6

   Attach a resume made for this job

   One page, as a PDF, with the work that matches the post at the top. Name the file with your name and the role, so it is easy to find later.
7. 7

   Send it from your own address

   Your own Gmail, under your name, with a plain signature: your name, your phone, and your GitHub or portfolio.

Riya, a founder, posts an opening for a backend intern and asks for resumes by email. Rohan is a final-year student. This is the whole email.

What makes it work:

• The first line says which post, so Riya knows why it arrived.
• One project, chosen because it uses the stack the post names, with a number Rohan can stand behind.
• No list of every skill: the resume carries that.
• A clear, small ask at the end.

Name the role and yourself, in the words of the post: Backend Developer Intern: Rohan Das, B.Tech 2027. The person who posted may have several openings; the role first tells them which one. Avoid subjects like “Job application” or “Resume” that say nothing.

• Dear Sir/Madam. The post has a name on it: use it.
• A long email. If it doesn't fit on a phone screen without scrolling much, cut it.
• Claims you can't back up. Anything you write may come up in the interview.
• The same email to five people at the company. Write to the one who posted.
• A generic resume. The person reading compares it with their post, line by line.
• Guessed addresses. A bounce makes your Gmail look less trustworthy to other inboxes.

If you hear nothing, one short follow-up in the same thread about a week later is fine: a line saying you are still interested, and anything new since you wrote. After that, move on to fresher posts.