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In this article, we will talk all you need to know about initial email to a hiring manager.
Let's dive right in!
Where to find jobs?
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the most visited website with respect to professional networking. On LinkedIn you can find everyone who has ever created a profile, with details with respect to their education, and work experience.
Its an online version of your CV. The portal allows companies to create profiles, and have job listings as well.
LinkedIn also allows people to search for jobs with various filters, like the location, level of job etc. When you are looking for jobs through this filter or otherwise, you can directly send a message to a hiring manager through LinkedIn messages.
When you send a direct message you will have to make sure that the message is not too long. It should contain your objective and your most valued experience that will enhance your prospects to the job you're applying with the hiring manager.
Job Boards
There are various, nay, countless online websites that are job boards, the most prominent ones being Indeed, Glassdoor, Careerjet. On these website you can see job postings, their requirements, job descriptions and what is expected of an ideal candidate. You should thoroughly go through these pointers, internalize them, also bring the language in to your resume.
These job boards will also have something written about the company, their values, their mission, and vision statement. This is crucial to know what the company thrives on, the kind of mentality they have and how to incorporate new people into their organization. As an ideal candidate, you should also incorporate these values in yourself when you are writing them a message.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is a popular website for companies to post about their jobs and for candidates or people to apply for jobs. They have a very intricate system set up for those who want to communicate with hiring manager and those who want to see what the job entails.
When you click on the job you are searching for you will see company reviews by people, perhaps ex-employees or even former colleague, or current employees, most of them being anonymous. Then you can also compare salaries of the job you will be applying to.
How to connect with hiring managers?
Through LinkedIn there are a few ways in which you can connect with hiring manager. Firstly, you can search for them and sent them a connect request, and begin direct message if they accept your request.
Then secondly, you can send them an initial email if they have their email present in their profile, third send a message with the connection request.
These are just ways in which you can approach them to create good impression however, you have to be mindful in the ways you write to them. We will focus on how and what to write to them, however, there are a couple things to take care i.e., the language, the tone, the intonation, if you have any mutual connections
Job boards
In order to learn how to connect with a hiring manager through job boards that have job opening/ job posting, we need to keep in mind the following things. You need to optimize your profile, which means you need to be up to date with everything with respect to your profile that you will be sharing or talking about.
The next step is to customize your resume to the company you are applying to and whose hiring manager you will be communicating with. You can visit the company website and customize is as per the values, the mission and vision statement, their job description.
Next you need to focus on researching about the hiring manager themselves. Before you write a message, please take some time out to check their profile out on LinkedIn or other websites.
Next you need to craft some sort of a personalized cover letter, which essentially means the message you will be drafting in order to communicate your personality.
Next perhaps you should send connection requests to them on LinkedIn, craft a specialized message to them so that you stand out. Another way to get noticed by hiring managers is to participate in online forums, communities, discussions and add value to them.
One connected with the hiring mangers you can keep following up with them, show interest in them and the companies they represent by what you bring to the table.
Like the cover letter you prepared, keep a personalized note stating your key experience, your achievement that you can send them on message
Initial Email to a hiring manager
Writing a personalized email to the hiring manager is an important part of networking and finally finding the job you are searching for.
Follow the steps stated below to understand how to write a personalized email to a hiring manager.
Have a clear Subject line
Having a clear subject line is essential, as that is the way the hiring manager will catch the attention. Use the subject line wisely.
Create a personalized greeting
As previously stated that read up about the hiring manager, and thus, you will be able to create a personalized greeting message.
Briefly Introduce yourself
One you greet the hiring managers, you need to introduce yourself, by stating your full name, perhaps tell where you are from, and then where you have done your education from.
Expand on your work experience
One you are done with all the niceties and introductions, you shall start stating some of the work experience points through mentioning your Job title. Broad points on where you have worked and the key responsibilities. This email is version of your cover letter so we can pick up points from there to expand on in this email.
Use the company values language in your language
When you will have researched about the company through their own website, or job boards, or pages like LinkedIn then you need to pick up on their language. You need to incorporate the words and the values of the company to woo the hiring managers with your research prowess and ability to adapt for customizing your email.
Showcase Achievements
After you are done with incorporating the company language in your email you need to put in the achievements you have garnered over the years in through the experience. Put in only your greatest achievements and your powerful quality since you will anyway be attaching your resume which might have a few more.
Attach your resume
Attach the resume with the email, and do not forget to customize your resume as per the hiring manager and the company too.
Express your gratitude
Finally express your gratitude to the hiring manager, and thank them for connecting and taking the time out to read this email.
Proofread
Please do not forget to proofread your email, and correct all the mistakes that may pertain to grammar, spellings, syntax or semantics.
How to write the initial message to a hiring managers?
Greetings
The greetings should be along the lines of:
Dear Hiring manager or Dear Hiring manager's name or Dear Mr or Dear Ms or Dear hiring manager name [position]
Thank you to take time out of your busy schedule to read my email. It is with utmost gratitude I am
Introduction
While introducing your self for the position you might be interested in through the position posted on the job board, you need to introduce yourself in a formal yet casual manner as the hiring manager will look at several other potential candidates and it might not a be smaller applicant pool.
The job
While you are specifically approaching the hiring manger for a job at the firm he is representing, you need to be vigilant of the job application process and whether you need anymore details about it form the hiring manager, you can confirm it with him over the email.
Explaining why you are interested in the job posting by the hiring manager, and ask few basic yet important questions about the the job listing.
You should also be weary that there will be other candidates and a lot of candidates that will have recently applied to the job listing by the hiring manager, for which you need to show your better qualities in the email.
Your profile
While writing this professional email to the hiring manager the email message needs to contain your profile in a succinct fashion.
Under your profile mention key job experiences you have had in the past, then you need to mention what value you added to your previous job, and then what were the key achievements you possessed due to your hard work.
Your genuine interest
Show genuine interest through a formal manner in the language you use, be courteous in the way you express your personality, your experience, your questions about the job search process or the application cycle.
Your availability
Express to the hiring manager that you are available in the message, since you are the one who is approaching the hiring manager, they will have some hint, however, you need to express how much you are eager about the company as you will be incorporating their language in your email to them.
Your resume
When you attach the piece of document which outlines and then details your professional life be sure you have customized it as per the job listing.
Your cover letter
As previously mentioned create a cover letter, which will help you even formulate the email you are writing to the hiring manager, use the cover letter as the basis to summarize for your objective statement, when emailing a hiring manager.
Ending the message to a hiring manager
An example of an ending message:
Tips
Following are a few tips to keep in mind while you're sending out your initial message to a hiring manager
Lasting impression
First impression is often your last impression. You will have heard this at some point in your life and this holds very true in this world. You need to keep in mind how you approach the hiring manager, and what you approach them with i.e., the content of what you write to them.
Skills
Wherever possible, mention your skills in the message and relate it with the role you want at their company.
Experience
For experiences, always summarize the key job description points in the language of the company
Personalized email
The email should always be personalized and customized from the language of the company which will help you ear brownie points from the hiring manager
Maximum use of limited space
When writing a message on LinkedIn or when writing an email please keep in mind the word count and the white space. You may have a lot of space but that does not mean you should use the whole space. Similar for the message on LinkedIn, be succinct and straight however, be courteous.
LinkedIn profile
Update your LinkedIn profile before you approach any hiring manager since that will be the second thing a hiring manager will look at after your initial message after your resume if you have attached it with the message.
Internal reference
If you have a reference, and/or if you have mutual connections on LinkedIn, do not hesitate to use it in the message as that will add credibility to your message.
Follow up message to a hiring manager
Always follow up with the hiring manager, since the competition is very high in the job market there will be other people who will have approached the hiring manager, so please follow up so that the person remembers you.
Key takeaways
Here are a few key take aways from the article for you to keep an eye on:
- Always proof read your message to the hiring manager
- Keep the message short, succinct, and direct with a formal tone
- Always follow up with hiring managers as it will build towards your case of persistence
