You read a job posting and feel excitement. Wow! You know that you clearly have the skill-set for the this job. In fact, you’d be perfect for it. But now comes the hard part: Letting the potential employer know why you’re the right fit for this role in the form of a friendly email along with your attached resume.
You probably send emails every day, but have you ever thought about the way you craft your messages? Are you getting the right point across?
Here are some tips to getting noticed, to go from Inbox to Interview:
- Think about the Subject Line. You may view this as the least important aspect of the email, but it actually may be the most crucial. Just as marketing emails incorporate catchy or memorable subject lines, you may want to use similar tactics. You could use your name in the subject line, but the prospective employer doesn’t know you yet. Instead, try something like, “This Week” and then the message may contain information about you applying for the position and how you’d love to talk about it “this week.” There’s an urgency to this subject line that makes it clickable.
- Email at Off-Peak Hours. Many employers take work home with them, checking their emails after hours. So instead of emailing at noon on a Tuesday, you may want to consider sending a message at 7 p.m. on a Wednesday or even on the weekends, when there’s less competition for email messages.
- Personalize the message. If you have any kind of personal connection to this person, let them know such as (“I met you at. . .”). If you don’t have a personal connection, demonstrate knowledge of their business or even discuss specific ideas of what you would bring to the role. Also, feel free to ask questions here, to engage conversation.
While there’s a lot of emphasis on the interview process, sometimes the interview starts the moment you click “send.”
Bernie Reifkind is the CEO and founder of Premier Search, Inc. a nationwide executive search and placement firm. In addition, Bernie provides career guidance and strategic interviewing techniques to professionals at all levels. P: 1(800) 801-1400 or email at ceo@premiersearch.com.