16 Aug 2023
If you’re recruiting, and you usually take the initial step to email candidates to alert them to a potential job match, are you sure your emails are getting the right attention?
You’ll know that when candidates start actively searching for a new job, there is the possibility that a number of agencies / recruiters will be aware that they are in the market for a move. This means that any candidate could potentially receive numerous daily emails, both from job boards and recruiters alike. If emails are how you make your initial approach, are you making sure they stand out from the rest?
When sending an email for this purpose, it’s important to grab the candidate’s interest quickly! Here are our top tips for writing an email which delivers results:
1. Make sure it’s personalised
Firstly, this may seem like a basic step, but many recruiters still send generic emails or use a basic template that doesn’t have any personalisation. So, it’s vitally important to include the candidate's name in your introduction. Most modern email software solutions such as Mailchimp allow for this functionality.
Emails that don’t have any personalisation tend to get caught in spam filters quite a lot because they are seen as being generic and not necessarily intended for the person who received them.
Secondly, the subject line is your sales point! It needs to grab their attention and interest so that they actually open the email, so make sure it contains some text which brings the candidate some hope.
2. Introduce yourself
It’s important that you provide a brief introduction about who you are and why you’re contacting the candidate. This should be no more than a few sentences as you don’t want to put them off reading the rest of the email.
3. Add enough detail about the job, the benefits and the hiring company
If it’s possible, try to add the job description or as much information as you can about the job. Add the salary and location also as this can help minimise any wasted time if the job doesn’t meet the candidate’s basic requirements.
Avoid sending emails which say "We would like to discuss a job with you, please let us know when you’re free for a call”. This is very frustrating to candidates and the chances are they will email to ask for a job description or not get back to you at all as their free time may be limited.
4. End on a good note
Include a brief explanation about why you personally think this job is a good match for the candidate. This lets them see that you’ve actually taken a proper interest in them and that they would be a good fit for the recruiter.
Add some compliments and point out additional skills they could add to the position; this will make them feel good about their background and will allow a better relationship to develop between the recruiter and candidate, should you reach a stage where the candidate has been offered an interview.
