In today’s job market, technologies and business models are evolving by the minute. Organizations are experiencing a change in the workforce skills they need in order to thrive and grow.
According to a survey on future work needs, 9 in 10 executives and managers say their companies face skill gaps currently. Either that, or they expect these gaps to develop within the next 5 years.
So, what is one thing companies doing to tackle this issue? They are optimizing the way they are writing cold recruitment emails.
Recruitment emails have always been required to be nothing short of extraordinary. However, this fact is made more important than ever for companies today – when the competition is fierce and it has become crucial for businesses to stand out and attract the best candidates.
With that said, let’s have a look at how recruiters can up their outreach skills.
1. Create an Email Outline
Before you write and send an email, you need to create an outline for it. Cold emails are often pretty run-of-the-mill in their format and messaging. This is one of the biggest reasons why companies fail to attract the right talent.
Create an outline that keeps your email concise, relevant to the candidate, and unique.
Keep the following in mind while designing an email outline:
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Who am I sending this email to?
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Does the email need attachments?
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What is the goal of this email?
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What tone should be used?
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How and where should I place the Call to Action (CTA)?
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How should I start and end the email?
Your email outline would allow you to scale and automate your recruitment strategies to a large number of candidates. You should have room for personalization and improvisation depending on the type of recipient or the messaging of the email.
2. Write a Compelling Subject Line
Around 33% of recipients open emails based on the subject line. Hence, subject line count is no joke.
While writing a subject line, put yourself in the recipient’s shoes. An effective passive candidate email does the following:
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Flatter the recipient. A little flattery goes a long way. In fact, a study found that even overtly manipulative flattery had a positive impact on a receiver. Use words like “Great Profile” or “Impressive skill set.” They may sound simple but can actually go a long way in catching a candidate’s attention.
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Spark curiosity. You want to write a subject line that prompts the recipient to open the email. You want to give them a reason to open the message. The best way to do that is by sparking their curiosity. Instead of giving everything away in the subject line, write something vague that draw the recipient in enough to open the email.
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Do some research about the candidate. Research plays a key role in every aspect of cold recruitment emails. As a recruiter, you should go over a candidate’s information that is useful for the job and perform deep research on their career. This could include previous job positions and the companies they have worked at, and their career goals.
3. Personalize the Emails
Personalization works. 96% of marketing executives agree that personalization helps boost customer relationships.
Of course, customizing every single email can be a chore that no one has the bandwidth for. Instead, recruiters should try and personalize bulk emails.
They could customize the following aspects of an email:
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Name
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City
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Job title
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Interests
4. Make Responding Easier
You should know 43% of email opens happened from mobile devices in 2021. That means that there is a big chance that your candidate reads the email on their phone. As we will discuss in the next point, every email should end with a CTA so that your recipient can respond.
You should optimize your CTA in a way that makes it easier for people on phones to respond. For instance, it is better to ask a candidate to check their calendar and pitch a few dates or times that they will be available on for a call instead of asking them for their resumes. A passive candidate won't have their resume on their phone.
5. Include a Call to Action
When it comes to adding a call-to-action (CTA) at the end of an email, keep it as simple as possible. Your CTA should be convenient enough for the candidate to respond.
For example, instead of asking a candidate to schedule a call whenever they are free, tell them that you plan on calling them.
This kind of CTA accomplishes two things:
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It sets the stage for a phone call to be expected unless they state otherwise.
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It encourages a response whether the candidate is interested or not.
In either of these instances, you are getting a response, allowing you to take action from there.
Final Thoughts
Cold emailing can be tough, but with a little practice, and by following these five steps, you'll be more likely to get your message across and receive a response!
