How many times have you found yourself in front of a blank page writing a job application email? Probably too many. The writer’s syndrome can capture even when there is only a few lines to put down, but of fundamental importance. Like those that can decide your future job.
Yes, because if we have already analyzed how to write a perfect CV we have not yet talked about the job application email, which arrives even before the resume. If the latter is your official presentation to your potential employers, it is also true that they could refuse to meet you, perhaps because your spontaneous application via email does not convince them.
How to do then to ensure that the e-mail is received, opened, read and that the attachment is also opened?
5 candidacy email steps to get noticed by recruiters
I know, probably every morning you wake up and consult your usual job search sites, and then go to the CV sending phase. A boring phase, because you don’t even know if your words will be read by someone, and if someone will ever call you back.
So in most cases you limit yourself to setting up an email that you then copy and paste until you no longer feel your fingers.
Here, you’re making a big mistake! This is the first mistake everyone makes, and it often costs them important job opportunities.
From today, you change music: follow these 5 simple steps and you can write a perfect application email, as proof of the most picky recruiter.
1. Attention to the object
Let’s start from the very first element that the recruiter reads, even before opening your candidacy email, which is the subject of the email. It seems a minor detail, but think about it: if the recruiter likes the object, he will open the email. If he likes mail, open the CV. If he likes the CV, he will contact you and ask you the usual interview questions.
The subject of the application email is therefore the first in a long series of steps that can eventually lead you to a new job. Two main indications …
- If it is a spontaneous email application, the object could be “spontaneous application” followed by the desired position.
- If instead we talk about a response to a job announcement, it is a good idea to enter the ad reference.
The object is the only part that, regardless of the work in question, must always be formal and explanatory.
2. Use appropriate language
The most disparate job advertisements are found on the internet. From those written in what looks like Dante’s Vulgate to others who promise you gyms and spritz in the contract.
Your application email must match the tone of voice of the announcement, which is probably the same as the company. This is also one of the reasons why always using the same formula is wrong.
A bank, for example, will require a very formal language, with careful construction of sentences and a clear exposition, free from metaphors and obviously jokes. Better, perhaps, also to use the formulas “send you”, “communicate” them, etc.
A young agency, on the contrary, is probably looking for someone “who knows his stuff”. In this case, the spontaneous application can be lighter, without formalism of any kind, with more space for personal considerations.
3. Highlight your strengths in the application email
A third fundamental aspect is that relating to work experience. The ad you are replying to, or the spontaneous candidacy via email, can be more or less similar to your previous experiences and your studies.
In any case, in the application email you must try to bring out what are your strengths, what could make you positively evaluate for that job.
Example 1: Are you applying for a job as a worker? Also specified in the application email and not only in the CV or cover letter that you have experience in this regard.
List the results achieved, the projects completed and if you have had the opportunity to receive training during that work.
Example 2: you are applying for a position as a baker or pastry chef, but you have no experience in this regard. In this case, you could say that, despite not having professional experience, you have always been passionate about the world of cooking and you can’t wait to put into practice what you already know.
4. Show that you know the company
One of the most frequent mistakes made in an email application is that of speaking only about oneself. Well but it is a candidacy no? Whom should I talk to?
In reality, it is essential to prove that you know the company for which you are applying. This does not mean to write, “I looked at your site, I like you and for this I want to work with us”.
No, it must be something more subtle: talking about oneself in relation to the company. Just leave a few clues here and there, like …
- I would be excited to be part of a growing company like yours / with more than a century of activity like yours / young and dynamic like yours
- I would like to grow in a company that gives space to training and opportunities like yours
And so on!
5. Adjust the shot
Sometimes, even if you build a good email, you won’t get an answer. Of course, we cannot know if the CV was not adequate, the cover letter was not appealing, or who knows what else.
What you can do, however, is to vary: try to use always new formulas, until you find the one that seems to get you results. Change the words, or style, or motivation.
This will also be useful for your next job search!
