An interesting point to think about when writing the initial email is: how well known is our company? How interested are people in working here? There are the dream companies for candidates - companies with good branding, visibility, and credibility. That's not the reality for most SMBs trying to compete in today's competitive job market. Whether a company is not known within the market in which it operates. Including a summary of its history, main objectives, and culture in initial outreach email to a candidate is highly recommended.
When attracting top talent, it's critical for your opening message to include elements that address the question "what's in it for me?" These should be accurate, authentic attraction points that tie into specifics around the culture of the organization, development opportunities, future strategies and growth plans, etc. Remember, top talent has choices of where they work and who they work for. Regardless of market conditions, which ebb and flow but currently favor the candidate, more passive individuals need a compelling message grabs their attention and piques their curiosity.
Donald Miller said something that has stuck with me on the topic of marketing... "If you confuse, you lose". In a world where most folks view emails on their phones and skim through the message, the last thing we want to do is have multiple asks. How often do we receive emails that ask for us to submit availability through a link, answer multiple questions, qualify the opportunity, subscribe to a blog and exchange a CV??? That information overload becomes a burden for the candidate. A clear message with one simple CTA (Call to Action) will cut through the noise, increase the response rate and start a conversation that hopefully converts.
When reaching out to a candidate regarding a job you feel they would be a good fit for, don’t pitch the job in your initial outreach. Think about it; you are likely reaching out to this person for the first time and judging their next career move solely based on their resume, therefore you don’t know if the role or the type of company will be what they are seeking. They might not be ready to make a move yet! Especially when reaching out to top candidates, you should start by inviting them to have an initial conversation so you can understand what their ‘must-haves’ are in their next role and their motivators to make a move, which will then cultivate a relationship. Only then if you feel the position aligns, you should pitch the role. If you’ve already created a relationship with them earlier on and you know the role could be a perfect fit for them, then by all means pitch it!
When reaching out to candidates, I find it helpful to include any perks that allow your company to stand out from the rest. Examples of these perks can include anything from flexible schedule options, unlimited PTO, paid time off to volunteer, etc. Conversations with countless job seekers and passive candidates have allowed me to understand that people want to be part of a company that cares about them on a holistic level. They want to work for a company that allows them to come in a little later so they can drop their kids off at school or allow them paid time off to volunteer for a cause close to their heart. Even if the best perks your company offers are casual Fridays, free coffee, and free parking, include that in your email- you never know who is looking for what you have to offer!
I spend most of my day sourcing and sending candidate outreach on LinkedIn, I can put as much fluff in that outreach as I want, and I still get the most common comeback of "what are the salary expectations?" To save my and the candidate's time, I now put the salary range in the outreach, as now more than ever, salary is a big driver of a move. You've only got a short time frame to capture a candidate's attention if they are willing to move, so you need to give them all the information the first time they hear from you, so you can move them along in the process quickly before they get picked up by someone else.
Your initial outreach email should feel enthusiastic. It should create excitement about the potential opportunity and a desire to learn more. Every position has positive qualities and how you create this excitement is unique to the position. Brainstorm and craft your message to reflect that. It could be a new position, a position with a huge opportunity for growth or an opportunity to work with a collaborative team. It's imperative that you are authentic and transparent and that the enthusiasm isn't false or misleading.
Personalization is worthwhile when it is about a candidate's unique career path. I won't comment on a software engineer's general experience with X language as though it is incredibly special, because it is not. I also stay away from "chit-chat" personalization because while it may return a kind response, it distracts from the objective of getting an answer about the job. Don't: "Great profile picture, I love amusement parks too!" Do: "Our sales team is focusing on building out Enterprise relationships on the West coast, and your 10 years of experience in West coast partnerships stands out to me".
Organizational Psychologist & Culture Impact Strategist at Angela R. Howard Consulting
Answered 4 years ago
Ensure that you share as much information up front about the opportunity. This is to ensure that the candidate can make an informed decision about moving forward, and you can everyone's time. That may include a day in the life video, salary and equitable practices around career development and promotions, or career pathing for the role. The goal is to lean on transparency and reduce the cognitive dissonance between what was shared during the interview process, and the reality of the work/employee experience.
The most important thing to include in your outreach messages to potential candidates is addressing their pain points, along with how your company can alleviate them! How do you do this? By having a keen pulse on both the candidate zeitgeist and a strong overview of their (and your) industries. Keeping up with respected HR sites (like SHRM), digging into surveys, and of course, having a wide network on LinkedIn can help you keep up with what your prospective candidates are dealing with and assist you in effectively reaching out to them. For example, if you’re working for a tech company and are reaching out to candidates who were recently laid off, you should absolutely include organizational stability and the role’s growth trajectory in your initial message. Immediately noting prospective candidates’ key concerns will help you stand out in a more meaningful way, lay the foundation for fruitful conversations, and assist in building positive, trusting relationships with candidates.
At the end of the day, we work to make money, so it is essential to include the salary range in the initial email. This saves you both time. You don't want to waste resources and time interviewing and communicating with someone if the salary expectations are not in-line, and neither does the candidate. That way, you can enter into a conversation with an equal understanding of the job and salary expectations and can both know if you want to pursue further communications about the role.
One thing you must include in your initial outreach email to candidates is a personal connection. A lot of job seekers will be inclined to ignore an initial outreach email from a recruiter, especially if they've been on the market for a while. If you want to pique their interest and get them excited about talking with you, you need to make sure that their first impression of you is a positive one. One way to do this is by including something personal in your email. This can be something as simple as including your name in the subject line, or it can be something more elaborate like sharing some details about yourself that relate to the candidate's interests (e.g., if they're looking for work in the healthcare industry).
Make your subject line noticeable. For example, include your company name in the subject line so that your candidates know exactly where your emails are from. If you write "Status of Your Application," this would be too vague and easy to miss. If your candidates overlook your emails, they could miss out on some critical updates in the hiring process.
Candidates prefer to respond to emails in which they receive a positive compliment. If your emails contain simple words and don't have any words to praise the candidate, I think your email will go to trash soon. By including compliments in your outreach emails, you can get the attention of talented candidates. For example, you can include a compliment like this, "Hey Alexander, we think you have a lot of qualities that we would definitely like to see" or "We Need Potential Candidates Like You, Alexander". So you must include compliments in your initial outreach email.
Let’s be honest. Job seekers get a lot of emails every day. It’s a good idea to have something that catches their attention in your outreach emails. It can be a big salary offer, a leadership opportunity, a remote position, or whatever the candidate is already looking for. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you have to make a candidate’s day. Have something that they care about to make them respond to your outreach. That way you can stand out from the crowd and make a good impression on that candidate.
When you reach out to candidates for the first time, it's important to make a good impression. You want to come across as professional and friendly, and you also want to give the candidate all the information they need to make a decision about whether or not they're interested in the position. So, what should you include in your initial outreach email? First, introduce yourself and explain who you are and why you're contacting the candidate. Then, provide some basic information about the position, including job duties, salary, and benefits. It's also a good idea to include a link to your company website so the candidate can learn more about your business. Finally, end with a call to action, such as asking the candidate to reply to your email or schedule a call. By following these tips, you can ensure that your initial outreach email makes a great impression and sets the stage for a successful hiring process.
With over 16 years experience in recruiting I've found that candidates always reply back with what's the salary. We've found that it's crucial to include compensation both in the subject line and within the body of the email. If your company offers a bonus or unique fringe benefits the body of the email is the best place to add those details. Your subject line in your outreach email should read something like: "Data Architect | Remote | $185K+
Great candidates get lots of interest from recruiters. I've found that the best initial outreach is personable, and takes a legitimate interest in getting to know the person - not the candidate. I've hired 100+ people in the last 5 years, and I've found a strong correlation between response rate and the amount of time I take to personalize my outreach. The more I can show I've done my research about the person in the initial email, the more likely they are to respond. Take an interest in people, and they'll take an interest in you and your company.
You can have the most exciting job descriptions about your business’s employment opportunities, but if you do not include explicit instructions about how to move forward, your email will fall flat. It is important to think of your outreach email as a marketing pitch in which you are selling a product, and just like in all marketing, the goal is to put the recipient into the sales funnel for a conversion. Providing simple steps the candidate needs to take to move forward, inputting pertinent links, and highlighting contact information, is critical if you are to motivate them to move forward. By failing to do this, not only will you discourage the candidate from considering your opportunities, but give the impression that your business does not operate efficiently as a whole.
The person you are sending emails probably doesn't know about you. You will have very little time to convert them to your side, so start with a way that makes them feel how useful this email is to them. Keep your tone friendly, but be professional. So if you want to make a connection, add a short introduction, and focus on why you're reaching out and what your expectations are. When you reach a candidate who is looking for a completely new job position, you can start like this, for example, “I'm sure you receive dozens of such emails every week, but here you can find something different.” Include this thing into your outreach emails so it gets opened and read.