3 Tips to Successful Messages

The goal of the subject line is to reach an audience that is literally bombarded with email advertisements and convince them to open your message. Subject lines greater than 50 characters are likely to be cut off, especially on mobile devices.

Vague teasers are not going to cut through the inbox clutter. The best subject lines tell what’s inside without overselling.

Different subject lines can be interesting for candidates in your search pool. With the follow up emails you can use different subject lines to get more attention from the candidates.

Your message should communicate the most important aspects of the position or your company. You are trying to get the candidate to apply. The subject line has peaked some interest, but with a compelling message you can reel them in. The email should include the necessary information about the job, and include why the candidate should click further. Also think about the candidate pool you are sending the emails to. What would be intriguing for this particular group of job seekers? Think of location, benefits, salary, etc.

You shouldn’t write the full job description, but the message should be clear and interesting enough for the candidate to click on the description for more information. This also goes for company information. You can include a link to your website, but the full history of the company is unnecessary for the first impression.

Use the list below to check that your message is optimized for both desktop and mobile users:

• State the opportunity in the Subject Line
• Align left so it’s easy to read on mobile devices
• Include a short opening paragraph and an overview of the opportunity
• Make it easy to Apply by placing links in the email
• Be brief while outlining the job details/benefits
• Close with a strong, clear call to action and encourage candidates to apply.

This tip mostly applies to the subject line, but also goes for the whole message. Refrain from the use of punctuation and other special characters since they can trigger some spam filters (i.e. !@#$%^&). When a spam filter caches a message with more links than actual text, there is also a chance the candidate won’t even see the email.

Use the list below to check that your message will avoid common spam filters:

• Mentions of money give off the impression of a “get rich quick” scheme
• Avoid too-good-to-be-true phrases like “once in a lifetime” and “innovative breakthrough”
• Cut out extreme hype in the form of ALL CAPS or multiple exclamation marks!!!
• Remove claims of urgency such as “Last chance to apply!”
• Poor formatting signals that the email is coming from an illegitimate source (multiple text sizes or colours)
• Subject line keywords such as “free” tend to trigger spam filters

Template #1:
Subject Line: We are looking for a (Job title) to join our (Location) office

Dear [first name],

(Company Name) is/are looking for a (Job Title) to join our office in (Location). Would you be interested in
this great new job opportunity?

As a (Job Title) at (Company Name) you would be reporting directly to the (Reporting Manager) and be responsible for (insert short description of the position, responsibilities).

You can read more about the job via the following link:
(Link to Job Ad on Monster, career site or hiring page)

We are actively interviewing and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Thank you for your time and we look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,
[my-first name] [my-last name]
(Company Name)

Template #2:
Subject Line: We are looking for a (Job title) to lead our new branch in (Location)

Hi [first name],

I’m urgently looking for a (Job Title) and based on your skill set, you might be a great fit for this challenging, yet rewarding new opportunity at our brand new branch in (Location).

As the (Job Title) at (Company Name) (Location) you will be in charge of (insert short description of the position and responsibilities).

You can read more about the job via the following link: (Link to Job Ad on Monster, career site or hiring page)

Kind Regards,
[my-first name] [my-last name]
(Company Name)