As the volume of communication increases, and technology makes it possible to scan and dismiss more emails than we’ll ever open, getting a hiring manager’s attention is harder than ever before. But there are a few things you can do to make sure your emails don’t wind up in the discard pile — or worse, the spam folder.
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1. Put your qualifications right in the subject line.
Half of all emails are now read on mobile devices, Dmitri Leonov, a VP at email management service SaneBox, tells Business Insider. That means that you’re not only vying for the recruiter’s attention; you’re vying for screen space.
Use your character count wisely by putting your degrees, certifications, or other important qualifications first, e.g. “Data Scientist With 10 Years of Experience.”
2. Keep it short and sweet.
The usual rules of business correspondence apply here: don’t make people weed through paragraphs of prose to get to the meat of what you’re offering. Use short paragraphs, good grammar and spelling, and make your first paragraph the essence of your pitch. If the hiring manager needs to spend more than two minutes figuring out what you have to offer, odds are you’re not going to make the cut.
3. Include keywords for filtering.
Leonov says that recruiters often set up filters to manage their email. Using keywords like “job application” and “job candidate” in your email will help guarantee that your message makes it to the right folder, and from there, to the person who needs to see it.
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Im not a robo
A lot of the time, the advertisement insists on the vacancy title and reference in the subject line.