Writing a job application email can be a difficult and daunting task for anybody, both a young graduated or an experienced professional. You need to conduct plenty of research to craft the perfect tailored CV and cover letter fitting the job and the company.
That is already hard enough. Now, you need to email these documents to the organization you are applying to. However, that is easier said than done. Many applicants put so much time and effort in their cover letters and CVs, but neglect to do the same with their emails.
If you have applied for many jobs by email and you got no response, probably you are not doing it right. You need to be able to write the perfectly structured and formatted email that will be well received by hiring managers.
Hiring managers receive a ton of email every day and see a wide spectrum of job emails. Many job application emails are so poorly written that hiring managers do not even bother opening any of the attachments! You need to stick to a professional style that recruiters love.
How do you make your email stand out from the crowd?
We are here to help you answer that question. We are providing you with some tips and, more importantly, email templates you can use to write your own job application email.
Experienced professionals who are now looking for a new job will learn a thing or two about job application emails, something that was not frequently used in the late 20th century. If you want your email to be read and loved by recruiters, then keep on reading.
JOB APPLICATION EMAIL TIPS
Before we get into writing the email job application, we want to lay out some things you should definitely do to make your email excellent. If you follow these tips, your email will definitely be positively received.
Use a Professional Email Address
If there is one thing you take away from this article, it is that you need to ensure you have a professional email address. Do not send your job applications from an email address you made as a child or as a teenager. While it may have been cool to use a fun email address when you were younger, that will never be viewed in a positive light by recruiters. As cute as it is, having an email address like slayqueenmeg@gmail.com or funnysteve@yahoo.com will not sell you as a serious job seeker.
You are now an adult so you need a correspondingly professional email address. Try to use your first name and last name in your email address. For example, john.mbugua@gmail.com or sandra.magoma@yahoo.com are very professional email addresses.
(NOTE: Average minimum salary 200K working as a Project Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Consultant, Financial Advisor, Technical advisor. Massive 2019 recruitment conducted by Government, Counties, NGOs, UN, UNDP, World Bank, the international development community, UNESCO, WHO, USAID.)
When hiring managers see a job application from an email that is professional, they can actually take you seriously. Otherwise, they will not.
Be Focused and Brief
Make sure to keep your job application email brief and get to the point quickly. Your cover letter should be the body of your email. The very first sentence in the first paragraph should state your intentions clearly.
As a result, recruiters will understand from the get-go what the email is all about. They will respect the fact that you mean business when you keep it short and simple. All of your details are in your cover letter; it is not necessary to say much in your email. State what you have enclosed, and show appreciation for considering your application. It is not necessary to go beyond this. One thing that you can mention is your work experience, but even that should be brief and pertinent.
In case an employee at the company referred you, make a note of this in the email. You should have definitely mentioned this in your cover letter, but something as important as a reference should also be stated in the email. The earlier, the better. It adds more weight to your application.
Write an Informative Subject Line
The email subject line should include the position you are applying to. This is perhaps the most overlooked portion of an email, especially one for a job application. Before even opening an email, recruiters will read the subject line. If it is irrelevant, they will not open it.
Ensure that it is relevant by stating the position, mentioning that it is a job application. Recruiters receive a copious amount of emails daily, so make sure your subject line is informative and gets to the point. In case your job post has a reference number or code of some kind, include this in the subject line. This will make it even easier for recruiters to associate your application with a particular job post.
Use Only a Formal Greeting and Closing
An email for a job application should be professional. This is not the place to be casual and friendly. If you write it in a very casual manner, it will come across as being an amateur and disrespectful. Using the appropriate formal greetings and closings will convey a sense of professionalism and respect to hiring managers.
Never start your email with “Hi” or “Hello.” That is reserved for people who you know. You do not know your hiring manager on a personal level. Never address them by their first name. Again, you should be respectful and address them by their last name. The safest and most professional manner of addressing hiring managers in a job application email is “Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name.” This salutation is very formal, something recruiters love to see.
Likewise, your closing to your email should be equally formal and professional. Do not end it with “Best Wishes” or “Cheers.” These are far too casual for a professional email that could decide whether you get the job. You require a closing more formal. “Regards” or “Sincerely” are the best closing remarks for a professional email.
Include a Professional Electronic Signature
When job seekers would send hiring managers paper letters in the past, they signed their letters just below the closing remark. You cannot do this in an email.
However, you can still add an electronic signature that is far more elaborate than a regular signature. A signature is simply a stylized version of your name or initials. An electronic signature consists of many elements that make it very similar to your address that would put in the header section of a letter.
The following should be included in any electronic signature:
- Your Name
- Your Address
- Your Email
- Your Phone Number
Always include your electronic signature according to the format written above. It goes at the very end of your email. An electronic signature contains various means of contacting you. This makes it very easy for hiring managers to contact you if you have left a good impression on them. This is the de facto standard for all professional emails, especially for job application emails.
Always Add Relevant Attachments
Your job application email is only significant if it contains the documents to support your candidacy. State in your email that you have enclosed your professional CV and any other necessary documents that are required for the position.
Double-check that you actually attached them. Sometimes, applicants forget to actually attach these documents in an email and when a hiring manager cannot find them, they do not bother to consider the email any longer. Make sure that you attach these files because they will ultimately determine if you are indeed eligible for an interview.
To write an irresistible job application by email, you need 3 things
- The Job Description
- A cover letter matching the job description
- Your CV (A professional CV)
A good cover letter matches the job description. It shows the employer that you are the right candidate for the job, you have previous experience performing the listed job responsibilities and you meet the qualification.