Emailing Your Resume

For each job position an employer posts on their website, there are nearly 52 candidates that apply.

From these 52, only a handful are selected to come in for an in-person interview.

Typically, only one successful candidate will land the position and receive an offer of employment.

The job application process has become more difficult in recent years.

With the influx of job postings appearing online, nearly everyone and anyone can apply to a position.

This is regardless of whether or not they are fully qualified for the position.

Similarly, applying to a position online has its own difficulties.

For instance, applicants and candidates for a position must pass the muster of the applicant tracking system.

This system, which upwards of 40% of employers utilize, can effectively nix your chances of landing in front of a recruiter.

With so many obstacles and barriers to getting your resume and application seen, it may be worthwhile to send the recruiter and hiring manager your resume via email.

Emailing your resume has been shown to be an effective method in landing your resume to the correct individuals but done carelessly can prove detrimental to your application.

Why Email Your Resume?

The applicant tracking system nixes nearly 75% of all candidates.

This system utilizes a keyword monitor to analyze incoming applicants and resumes.

If the system does not detect the exact keyword matches, it determines the applicant is not a good fit for the role.

Moreover, if your resume does pass the applicant tracking system, it goes directly to the recruiter for review.

On average, recruiters peruse an applicant’s resume for a mere 6-seconds.

This is not enough time to make a well thought out and proper decision.

Emailing your resume directly to the hiring manager can help you avoid both the applicant tracking system and the recruiters review.

It will land squarely in their inbox and has a much higher likelihood of being seen, read, and reviewed.

However, emailing your resume incorrectly can lead to your application being denied and your being disqualified from the position.

How to Effectively Email Your Resume

Emailing your resume may seem straightforward, but there are some nuances which you should consider.

This includes which email address you are emailing your resume from, the format of your resume and cover letter, the email subject line, and the body of the email.

We’re going to discuss these and other considerations you should make when emailing your application.

Your Email Address

More important than any other document is the email address which you send the application from.

We’ve previously discussed the need to ensure that your personal email address is both professional and a concise description of yourself.

Your personal email address should come from a professional email service.

We highly recommend utilizing Google’s email address service, aptly named Gmail.

Utilizing a professional email service will allow you to come off as both professional and experienced.

In addition, you want to ensure that the name of your personal email address is professional and descriptive of who you are.

We recommend going with a FirstName.

LastName format or a FirstInitial.LastName format.

This will ensure that the hiring manager understands who is emailing them and they will be able to associate your email address to your resume.

The Subject Line

The subject line of the email should be attention grabbing without being obnoxious.

You don’t want a generic subject line, which the hiring manager could mistake as spam or trash and discard of.

However, you don’t want to be too obnoxious with the subject line either.

Rather, your subject line should grab the hiring managers attention and induce them to click on the email.

The best subject lines are descriptive and direct.

You can use one of the following examples and customize to your particular job application.

  • Highly Experienced Technical Program Manager Seeking Employment at ABC Company
  • Senior System Administrator Seeking Transfer to ABC Company
  • Specialized and Highly Skilled Web Developer – Intrigued by Recent Opportunity

The key is to show some value (highly experienced, senior, specialized and skilled), while indicating a need or want.

However, you don’t want to give away all of your information as than the hiring manager may opt to not open your email.

Be valuable without too revealing.

Address Your Audience Directly

When sending an email to the hiring manager directly, be sure to address your email to them.

This should be a customized email and you should not look to simply copy-and-paste a previously used format.

Be specific and customize to the hiring manager to show a personal touch in your email.

You can use a number of differing callouts; however, we tend to recommend a simple Dear.

This shows personalization and is more reaffirming and calmer than other available options.

Keep Your Email Body Concise

Time is valuable.

When sending an unannounced email, you want to be direct and get straight to the point.

Don’t be overly wordy or add in unnecessary fluff to your email.

The hiring manager would likely want to know what the email concerns, so let them know as-soon-as-possible within the body of the email.

Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],

My name is Robert Moses and I am a Technical Program Manager at LMN Company.

I recently came across a job posting for a Senior Technical Program Manager at your company, for which you are hiring.

I believe that with my over 10-years of industry experience and knowledge that I would make a great addition to your team.

In addition, I am extremely fluent and skilled in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python, which I see are all requirements for the role.

I have attached my resume and cover letter to this email for your reference.

I am available to speak Monday through Friday and look forward to hearing back from you.

Please do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

The example above is a great resource to use when emailing a hiring manager.

It is direct and to the point, but it also adds in some additional information about yourself and your qualifications.

Simply sending an email with your resume and cover letter attached likely won’t do much as you are placing the onus and the work on the hiring manager.

You want to do the initial legwork for them and get them to open your resume because they are interested in your qualifications.

Professional Signature

Your signature and how you sign off on an email are meant to provide the recipient with a direct way to contact you.

You should provide your full name, your best contact number, reiterate your email address, and optionally, a link to your LinkedIn profile.

While linking to your LinkedIn profile is optional, it is preferred to assist the hiring manager with associating your email to an actual human being.

Robert Moses

Robert.Moses@thecorporatecon.com

555.555.5555

Your Attachments

When sending your resume and cover letter via email, you want to send them through in a format that is universal and that can be opened on any device and any platform.

The absolute best format is through a PDF, which won’t be corrupted in the send.

This format is also easily accessible and will keep the text of your documents as-is.

When to Email Your Application to the Hiring Manager

Studies have shown that applying for a new position or emailing the hiring manager for an open position are best sent on Mondays.

This is because it is the start of a new week and the hiring manager is likely to be back in “work” mode.

You don’t want to email too late in the week, which could get ignored with other priorities or get lost over the weekend.

Aim to email your application to the hiring manager on a Monday, between 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

This is when the hiring manager is likely to see the email in their inbox and will act on it.

You also want to take into consideration the number of days since the job posting was put live.

The closer and sooner you apply, the higher your chances at landing an interview.

How to Find the Hiring Manager’s Email Address

There are a plethora of ways to find the hiring managers email address.

The best way is to lookup the company and to find another employees email address.

Typically, a corporation’s email address format is similar across the board, so if it’s FirstInnitial.LastName@company.com for one position, then that is likely the email address format for all positions.

You can also connect with them directly on LinkedIn and make a personal request.

You don’t want to begin discussing opportunities from the get-go but let them know that you are in a similar field and would like to connect could also be valuable.

Conclusion

Emailing your resume to the hiring manager is one of the best ways to apply to a position.

However, you should do so carefully and correctly to not disqualify yourself from the position.

You want to provide a clear, quick description of who you are and why you are emailing.

Use a professionally named personal email address and be sure to provide your best contact information.

Include your resume and cover letter in PDF formats.

You should also try to connect with the hiring manager on LinkedIn to help them associate your resume to a real human being.


All Posts

career employers editorial process

Here at career employer, we focus a lot on providing factually accurate information that is always up to date. We strive to provide correct information using strict editorial processes, article editing and fact checking for all of the information found on our website. We only utilize trustworthy and relevant resources. To find out more, make sure to read our full editorial process page here.

Leave a Comment

How Career Employer Collects Its Data

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla quam velit, vulputate eu pharetra nec, mattis ac neque. Duis vulputate commodo lectus, ac blandit elit tincidunt id.