How to Write Cold Email for a Job [Land Your Dream Role]

Are you actually sending dozens of job applications but getting zero responses? 

Well, this is one of the most common things I hear from frustrated candidates on LinkedIn and other recruitment portals. 

At this point, when the job market is overcrowded, with one job opening attracting 500-1000 candidates a day, the best way to stand out is to email the hiring manager directly. 

Yes, you need to change your strategy. 

In today’s job market, resumes often get lost in automated systems. 

That is why I recommended sending a cold email to get noticed by recruiters or decision makers rather than relying on the ATS to scan and judge your profile. 

In this guide, I will help you: 

• Connect directly with hiring managers
• Write emails that urge responses
• Turn your job outreach into conversations

Using my strategies, you can avoid competing with hundreds and thousands of other applicants.

Let’s get started!

TL;DR for Writing a Cold Email for a Job

In a hurry? Here are the essential strategies from the blog you should keep in mind: 

• Find the right person: Instead of sending emails to every inbox, always target specific decision makers. 
• Research Everything: Understand the company you are applying for. 
• Draft the right subject line: Your subject line is what will grab their attention.
• Get to the point: The first line of your email should reflect your deep research. 
• Focus on their requirements: Explain how exactly you can solve their problems. 
• Link your portfolio: Include project examples and work samples. 
• Develop follow-ups: Strategise 1 or 2 follow-up emails.

What One Cold Email Can Do for Your Career: A Case Study That Got 10+ Offers

Before we dive deeper, let’s first explore just how powerful cold emails can be with an example.

You might have heard about the developer named Soham Parekh. He became an internet sensation when he sent this short email to leading tech companies:

“I love everything about what your company is doing. I don’t have many hobbies outside coding. I am not athletic, bad at singing, don’t drink, can’t dance. Building is the only thing I am good at. Just want to be heads down chasing that goal.”

The result? He successfully landed 10+ remote jobs at leading tech giants.

So why did this email work?

• Specific flattery that felt incredibly genuine.
• Strategic vulnerability that builds a personal connection.
• Focused value proposition around building together.

While I don’t recommend using his unethical approach, this email proves just how powerful cold emails are for job outreach.

Step-by-Step Process to Write a Cold Email for a Job

Writing a new cold email for job outreach? Here are the steps you should follow.

1. Identify the Right People to Contact
2. Find Email Addresses of Hiring Managers
3. Research the Company Before Reaching Out
4. Create and Manage Your Own Contact List in Google Sheets
5. Write a Strong Subject Line
6. Start With a Strong Hook
7. Show the Value You Bring
8. Keep Your Email Easy to Scan
9. Share Proof of Work
10. Clarify Your Intentions
11. Send and Track Your Outreach
12. Set Up and Send Proper Follow-Ups
13. Prepare for Replies and Conversations

1. Identify the Right People to Contact

Many people just send generic emails to “careers@company.com” and rarely get their desired results or responses. 

The clever thing you should do is to send your cold emails to employees in senior positions. 

They are the decision makers who will actually finalize your recruitment. 

I also recommend that you keep your LinkedIn profile updated. It is an important platform for connecting with potential hiring officers and getting contact information. 

Use software like lead databases and email finders to expand your search further. 

2. Find Email Addresses of Hiring Managers

Once identified, you can begin to find their contact information. 

There are two ways you can proceed:

I usually start with a simple Google search: “<first name> <last name> company email”.

This is the easiest way to obtain emails from professionals who have made their email addresses public on websites or LinkedIn. 

But you will find that many professionals actually hide their email addresses on LinkedIn to prevent spam. 

This is where a dedicated email finding tool like Saleshandy’s LinkedIn Email Finder comes in.

You can use such tools and extensions to help you find the details you are looking for. 

3. Research the Company Before Reaching Out

I personally spend at least 15-20 minutes researching each company and person I contact.

In my research, I look for:

Understanding their world and vision can allow you to write an email that feels personalized to their taste. 

4. Create and Manage Your Own Contact List in Google Sheets

Getting organised is crucial to ensure minimal confusion.

I recommend that you create a simple Google Sheet with specific columns for: 

• Target Company
• Recipient Name 
• Title of Recipient (Talent Executive, Senior HR, etc.)
• Department
• Hiring Status (Hiring, Not Hiring, Role Posted, etc.)
• Open Job Title
• Job Description Link
• Outreach Status (Replied, No Reply, Call Scheduled, etc.)
• Data of Last Contact
• Conversation Notes

Using spreadsheets will make sending emails to multiple people from different companies very straightforward. 

It also helps in keeping track of the date and the number of times I have followed up with the recipients. 

5. Write a Strong Subject Line

Ever heard of “Your first impression is your last impression”? 

Your subject line is the only chance you will get to grab your reader’s attention.

It defines how impactful your cold email is. 

Make sure you keep your subject line short (below 50 characters). 

Make sure you keep the subject lines genuine and professional. They should feel personal, not like a sales pitch. 

If you are not sure how to write subject lines, here are the best 150+ cold email subject lines for reference.

6. Start With a Strong Hook

Your first sentence in your email can prove that it is not a generic mass email. 

Make sure that you reference something specific about the company, like:

• “Just saw how your team just launched [new project name]. Impressive!”
• “I read your recent post on [topic] and it resonated with me because…”
• Congratulations on [company accomplishment]. I am excited to….”

A strong hook can impress your reader with content personalized specifically for them. 

7. Show the Value You Bring

I have seen many people just send a list of their qualifications in their cold emails. 

This is not how you should write a cold email. Instead, you should showcase past projects you helped succeed. 

Share the work that helped drive revenue and solved challenges under tight deadlines. 

Cold emails should be used to show how your past experience can benefit the target company. 

Make sure that you present your talents as a solution to these problems. 

8. Keep Your Email Easy to Scan

Most business professionals are busy. They are likely to skim their emails. 

This is why it is very important to keep your emails to fewer than 200 words. This will make them easier for the recipient to scan.

9. Share Proof of Work

It is important to showcase your practical work in your cold email. 

Including a portfolio link can help the hiring email check your skills in actual projects. 

This will make sure your recipients can understand if your practical skills are useful at their company.

10. Clarify Your Intentions

The language that you use in your cold emails should be easy to understand. 

Using a direct approach towards your content will help minimise confusion. 

It will also help make your cold emails easier to read for recipients.

Use phrases like: 

• I want to apply for [position] at your company. 
• This is to inquire if there are any vacancies available in [job role] at your company. 

11. Send and Track Your Outreach

The timing of your cold email is very important. 

I recommend sending your cold emails in the morning between Tuesday and Thursday. 

This time period has historically shown high email open rates among professionals. Make sure you schedule your cold emails to be sent within this time frame. 

You can do this by using a reliable tool like Saleshandy to automate your outreach.

This will help you save time and effort and ensure minimal errors in your cold email scheduling. 

12. Set Up and Send Proper Follow-Ups

While you are sending these cold emails, never be discouraged if you don’t receive a response immediately. 

Due to the rise in native spam filters by leading email services like Gmail, average reply rates have dropped to 5.8%. 

But don’t be disheartened! By following the steps given in this guide, you may see a tremendously high possibility of receiving a response.

A good follow-up strategy is one of the best ways of making sure you receive replies.

Send your initial follow-up email at least one week after your first cold email. 

13. Prepare for Replies and Conversations

In case a person does respond to your email, ensure that you respond well in time but in a way that is considerate.

Make sure that your timetable is prepared to handle their calls. Inquire and plan certain questions to be used in future communication.

To make this process easier, you can use a tool like Saleshandy that automates follow-ups.

Saleshandy’s Subsequence feature can detect replies and open rates, automatically sending personalized follow-up emails. 

5 Templates of Cold Emails on Applying for Jobs

Here are the best templates for your cold emails.

1. The Direct Outreach to the Hiring Managers
2. Referral-Based Introduction Email
3. Cold Email to a Founder or Senior Manager
4. Cold Email for Remote Job Opportunities
5. The Follow-Up for Hiring Managers

1. The Direct Outreach to the Hiring Managers

2. Referral-Based Introduction Email

3. Cold Email to a Founder or Senior Manager

4. Cold Email for Remote Job Opportunities

5. The Follow-Up for Hiring Managers

5 Best Practices for Writing Cold Emails for Jobs in 2025

Below are my recommended strategies you should use while writing your cold emails.

1. Keep Your Email Short and Scannable
2. Personalize Every Cold Email
3. Use Plain Text
4. Add Only One Link (Portfolio or LinkedIn)
5. Match the Company’s Tone

1. Keep Your Email Short and Scannable

Always keep your cold emails under 150-200 words. 

The reason for such a short email is mainly that most professionals are very busy. They will rarely have the time to read any long emails. 

This is why you need to use short paragraphs and keep your language direct. 

Highlighting important information in bold is always a plus. 

Remember that the goal with any cold email is not to tell a story. It is to convey the value proposition you bring to the table. 

2. Personalize Every Cold Email

Just copying and pasting text into a generic template will generally not work. 

This is why my recommended templates above include multiple specific references about the company and the recipient. 

Mention any recent company project or a blog post written by your recipient. 

This level of personalisation will help you catch your recipient’s eye and urge them to respond. 

3. Use Plain Text

Avoid using fancy templates, formatting, or images. 

Plan texts are always more reader-friendly and feel more authentic. They are also less likely to trigger spam filters. 

The best way to impress your recipient is not by making the email fancy. 

It is by writing an authentic, personalized email that promises solutions to their immediate problems. 

4. Add Only One Link (Portfolio or LinkedIn)

Many people overwhelm recipients by including multiple links in their cold emails. This severely harms the readability of the blog and makes it look like spam. 

Make it a habit to include just one primary link in your email. This can either be to your LinkedIn profile or your online portfolio. 

This also ensures that your emails are focused and the recipient is not confused about which link they should click on. 

5. Match the Company’s Tone

Research about the company’s preferred style of communication. 

Do they like quirky replies? Or is their content strictly professional? 

Reflecting their tone of voice can help you mirror your content to the type they prefer. 

This will greatly increase your chances of getting a positive response from the receiver.

How Saleshandy Helps You Turn Outreach into Job Offers

Mastering cold emails can open job opportunities and conversations that were once out of your reach. 

The strategies I have shown you will help you develop a strong job outreach program using cold emails. 

But to further expand your search, you will need the advanced capabilities of a dedicated tool like Saleshandy. 

With its AI-powered features and a strong database of contacts, no job will seem too ambitious to achieve.

Get started with a FREE trial of Saleshandy.

FAQs About Writing Cold Emails for a Job

1. What is the benefit of cold emailing for my job outreach?

Cold emails can help a lot in enhancing the possibilities of securing the job one needs. This is one of the outreach strategies you can use to reach the decision makers. This will prevent wasting time posting applications on job boards that lead to no results.

2. How can one identify the right individuals to get in touch with concerning jobs?

Networking websites such as LinkedIn are quite effective in connecting with employees of the senior level. There are also professional tools like Saleshandy that will help you do it more easily. Apply the right search prompts and search for the profile of your desired company.

3. What if I have no work experience?

You should not worry if you are just starting on your professional experience journey. Many large companies offer internships and entry-level positions that can lead to permanent positions. Just make sure that your cold emails showcase relevant skills and how exactly you can benefit the company. 

4. What is the recommended number of follow-up emails I should send?

Typically, you should send 1 or 2 follow-ups after your first email. These follow-up emails should be sent after a week. This will maintain your follow-up emails as being respectful and professional.

5. Is cold email regarded as spam?

Spam emails tend to be email messages that are sent in bulk and are very generic. In case you are using targeted emails and the content is personalized, it does not count as spam. This is one of the main reasons why any job outreach must use well-researched and customised content.