recruiting email templates

Are your cold recruiting outreach emails falling flat? Struggling to grab the attention of candidates and clients in today’s crowded inbox?

You are not alone. On average, less than 10% of cold emails ever get a reply. To increase the chances of getting a reply, your emails need to stand out and make a great first impression!

To help you do that, we have put together some cold recruiting email templates used by our customers that get a 40-50% response rate and drive phenomenal results. From a recruitment agency introduction letter to clients to a sample email to reconnect with clients, we have shared an extensive range of cold recruitment email templates.

All these cold recruitment email templates were part of email sequences that were run to attract and engage passive candidates. 

Framework For Great Cold Recruiting Email Templates

Recruiting agencies are quickly adopting the “quality over quantity” approach for their cold email outreach efforts in the recruitment process. Bulk emails are being swapped out for emails that are well-researched and personalized for each recipient, highlighting their past work, projects, and how it is connected to the outreach email. One tool, in particular, is helping recruiters write better email content: the AIDA model. 

What is the AIDA Model?

Conceptualized in 1898 by American advertiser Elias St. Elmo Lewis, the AIDA funnel demonstrates a four-step process of outreach that successfully leads to conversions. This formula has also had great success as an effective structure for cold recruiting emails that get high response rates. 

The AIDA acronym stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.

AIDA framework for cold emails

Image by Medium 

Let’s break it down: 

1. Attention:  

The first step is to get the reader’s attention. This can be done by way of a relevant subject and email opening line. 

2. Interest: 

Once you’ve got your reader’s attention, the next step is to pique their interest. This can be done by offering data or social proof that supports your opening statement 

3. Desire: 

Next, spark desire by telling your reader about the benefits that you can offer them and why they are important to them/ their business. 

4. Actions: 

Finally, once the desire to work with you is aroused, this must be transferred into a clear call to action. Let your reader know what the next steps are and prompt for a response. 

Here’s an example of a recruiting email template you can send a passive candidate following the AIDA formula

recruiting email template
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25+ Cold Recruiting Email Templates for Recruiters and Executive Search Firms 

For the candidates you’ve talked to in the past

Sub: Hey |FirstName|

<FirstName>,

I hope this email finds you well.  We reached out a while back regarding opportunities with a well-known technology company.  Obviously, things continue to go well at {CompanyName}, but your name resurfaced in regard to a specific opportunity that I thought might be of interest.  

They have a strong track record with candidates that come from similar backgrounds.  I thought it made sense to reconnect given the specific nature of the search as we approach bonus season.  

If you are interested in a chat to learn more, please let me know when would be a convenient time for you.  Thank you again for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

<signature>

Outreach without revealing client name

Sub: Hey <FirstName>

Hey <FirstName>,

We have not spoken, but I am familiar with some of the work you are doing with {CompanyName}. 

Obviously, things have gone well thus far and my expectation is that you will remain there for the long term. However, your name surfaced in regards to a specific search we are executing for a well-known tech company . They are a firm that tackles some of the toughest problems within the systematic advertising space. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of solicitations as we approach bonus season, but I would be interested in speaking with you further to provide more details.  I promise not to waste your time as this is a specific inquiry.

If you are interested in a chat to learn more, please let me know when would be a convenient time.  Thank you again for your time and consideration. I look fwd to hearing from you.

Regards,

<signature>

Connect with a salesperson

Sub: Hey <first-name>, loved your blog

Hey <First-name>,

I recently stumbled upon your blog about creating engaging sales emails with GIFs and visual elements to get better responses. I have to say – I absolutely loved it. I have been using GIFs(cause who doesn’t love them) in my emails and getting incredible results. Your efforts must have led to tremendous results at {candidate_company_name}.

I am currently recruiting imaginative and bold sales folks like you for our client. We think you’ve got a way of doing sales that can sway a maybe to a Yes! We are working to build a sales team of people like you – not afraid to experiment and deliver results. Would you be interested in a 15 min chat this week?

say-yes-gif

Best,

<Signature>

Outreach based on candidates interests 

Sub: Skiing Pros needed

Hi <FirstName>,

Just saw your Instagram video of your last skiing trip. I am quite impressed with your skiing skills! How long have you been skiing? I took it up last year and can’t wait to glide over the snow the way you do.

I am looking for brilliant Ruby developers like you for our client. They have a fledgling skiing club that really needs a pro skier like you. Also, the engineering team is looking for a new lead for the front-end team.

Would you be interested in a brief call to chat about skiing and the role sometime this week?

Best,

<Signature>

Recruiting a designer

Subject: Yoga and design

Hey <first-name>,

I came across your medium post about how yoga and meditation have helped you in your creative process. I am thoroughly impressed with your commitment to design and your out-of-the-box thought process. Your work at {current_company_name} is really impressive.

One of our clients is a trailblazing startup in NYC. As they’ve grown to more than 50 people in just two years, they are looking for someone to lead their design efforts. This is a leadership position where you would get to define their design roadmap for many years to come.

I think this would be a great role for you. Would you be interested in having a brief chat about it sometime this week?

Best,

<Signature>

P.S. – Hope you had a great trip to India. I would love to hear more about Yoga and your experience with it!

Connect with someone that has been recommended to you

Sub: You were recommended to me

Hi  <first-name>,

I hope this message finds you well!  

Our connections at {Company Name} have some great things to say about you and your work and as it turns out. We are a leading design-focused headhunting firm in NYC with clients like PayPal, Instagram, and others in the best of tech.  

We are working with some incredible firms with growing diverse teams and would love to work with you. 

You come highly recommended and we are very impressed with your work at <candidate company name>.  I am getting in touch to see if we can get on a call sometime to have a quick chat about your career goals. 

Awaiting your response.  

<Signature>

Recruiting a developer

Sub: NYC front-end dev opportunity

Hello <First-name>,

I came across your Stackoverflow / Github profile whilst researching for Frontend experts and was very impressed with your work at <CandidateCompanyName>. I am currently working with a great B2C startup in NYC to help them expand their stellar engineering team. 

Needless to say, I think you’d be a great fit. Would you be interested in a quick chat sometime this week to discuss the open role? 

Do let me know

<Signature>

Candidate outreach with a detailed JD

Hi <first_name>,

I lead talent acquisition at {recruiting_agency_name} Our client’s tech team is looking for a passionate Frontend Engineer with attention to detail and expertise in UI technologies. After scanning through your social profile, I think you fit the bill.

Your work with <company_name> indicates the versatile experiences that you bring to the table. Moreover, your command over front-end technologies like JavaScript and HTML gives you the technical breadth that we seek for this role. I think this would be a great opportunity for you to be on the front lines of development in our exciting startup environment!

In this role, you will–

  • Take full responsibility for designing and building core frontend modules
  • Build slick UI interfaces to provide the best user experience
  • Get your hands dirty with cross-platform architectural challenges, new frameworks, design patterns, and technologies
  • Build and contribute to open-source libraries and components

Would you be interested in further discussing this opportunity over a quick call sometime this week? 

I look forward to hearing from you

<signature>

Outreach using a mutual connection

Subject: Introduction from <mutual connection>

Dear <First-name>,

One of my dear friends and our mutual acquaintance (connection_name) very enthusiastically recommended your name for a Community Operations Manager that I’m looking to fill for a client. 

They have been ranked as one of the fastest-growing startups in the (industry) and this role will play a key part in their client acquisition and retention activities. They are looking for someone who is obsessed with customer satisfaction and can contribute to the continued success of the Community Operations Department

Do let me know if you are interested in discussing the role and company in more detail. 

I am flexible with my availability. Thank you for your time.

<Signature>

Short email to Gauge Interest 

Hi <First-name>,

You probably get this often, but your background caught my eye. 

I’m a recruiter at {your_company_name}. I’m reaching out because I think that with your experience in X, you would be a great fit for one of our client’s open roles for {position_name} 

Are you open to a chat?

 Thanks,

<Signature>

Recruiting a Machine Learning Engineer 

Hi <First-name>,

I am a specialist software engineering recruiter located in {your_city}. I help top-tier software companies build world-class engineering teams 

I am impressed by your background and work in Machine Learning at {company_name} and would love to have a quick chat with you. I am looking to connect with excellent ML engineers who are passionate about working at the intersection of scientific research and software engineering. With your skills, I think you will be a great fit for some of our client’s open roles. 

If this sounds interesting, let’s talk further. Let me know if you have a few minutes in the coming week.

Cheers,

<Signature>

Reconnecting with an old candidate 

Subject: Is now a better time for a new role?

Happy Tuesday, <first-name>! 

It has now been over six months since I last reached out to you regarding our clients’ open roles for an Advertising Creative producer. 

Crazy how time flies: I hope you’ve been well!

Since then, we have successfully placed <X> candidates at companies like <Company_1> <Company_2> <Company_3> 

I continue to be genuinely excited about connecting with you to see if there’s a true fit for you. After checking out your portfolio and what you’ve been up to since my last email, I sure do hope my timing is better now.

What do you say, are you interested in exploring some of our available opportunities?  At worst, you’ll learn about some great opportunities for you at some of the top companies in the country; at best, you’ll be taking the first step toward your next adventure 🙂

Cheers,

<Signature>

Outreach based on a mutual interest

Hey <First-name>,

Based on your Twitter feed, I gathered you are a Christiano Ronaldo fan – prompting me to reach out to you here.

What would Ronaldo be if he didn’t have the support of the kick-ass midfield formation of Isco and Casemiro?

I went through your profile and some of the work you have put up on dribble and said to myself that if the design world had a Christiano, that would be you. I know you have been at {current_company_name} for only 6 months and this might be the wrong time to reach out to you, but I decided I will take that chance.

We are looking to fill a fantastic role to lead our client’s design team. Would you be open to having a brief chat about this?

Best,

<Signature>

Business Development Email Templates for Recruiters 

General BD email 

Hi <first-name>

It seems like <prospect-company-name> has recorded phenomenal growth over the last couple of quarters.

At <your-agency-name>, we specialize in recruiting top-class sales talent for B2B firms. We’ve recently placed great sales leaders at firms like Salesforce, Oracle, and Nutanix. We have a history of identifying top sales talent which has resulted in 98% of our placements hitting their quota in their very first year.

I would love to speak with you to understand your recruiting plans for this quarter and see how we can help you build your A-team. Let me know if you’d be up for a quick chat tomorrow at 5 PM.

Kind regards,

<your-signature>

Talking about your placed candidates

Sub: <open job> role at <company name>

Hi <first-name>,

I saw that you are looking for a <open job> for the company.

We have an extensive network and experience placing exceptional sales reps at B2B Software firms. We have worked with other B2B software firms like Salesforce, SAP, IBM, and Microsoft.

As a team of former sales reps, we deeply understand B2B software sales and have the network and experience to spot the top 10% of talent and bring them home. Here’s how our placed candidates perform.

  • 96% of our sales reps hit their quota
  • 70% of our candidates hit 125% of their quota
  • Less than 1% of our candidates have left within 1 year compared to the industry average of 22%
  • The average tenure for candidates is 4.1 years compared to 2.3 years industry average

If you are still looking for a stellar <job name> in <job location> I would love to talk and get a better understanding of your priorities. Are you available for a call tomorrow at 2:30 PM Eastern?

Cheers

<your signature>

Outreach based on client’s open roles 

Sub: Looking for <job name> in <job location>

Hi <First-name>

I see that you are currently looking for an <job-name> in <job-location>.

I am reaching out to see if you have built a pipeline of a-players for the role. At <your-agency-name>, we focus on building top-class sales teams for B2B software companies.

We’ve been operating in the space for 6 years and have a combined experience of more than 30 years. As former sales leaders, we understand the space really well. Last quarter, we’ve placed top salespeople at companies like Salesforce, Oracle, SAP, and many more!

On average, 98% of the people we place hit their quota and stay with you for 4.1 years average compared to the 2.3 years industry average.

I would love to speak with you about how we can help you achieve your sales and recruiting targets. Are you open to speaking tomorrow at 2:30 PM?

Cheers,

<Your Signature>

Outreach based on client’s open roles 

Sub: <first-name>, quick question?

Hi <first-name>

I saw that you are looking for a <open job> in <job location>.

We are specialist sales recruiters located in <your-city>. We help great B2B software companies build world-class sales teams.

In the last quarter, our placements have brought in more than 100 million dollars in revenue across multiple growth-stage SaaS companies. I am positive that we can help <prospect-company-name> do the same.

Let me know if you’re looking to engage some top-class talent for your open roles. We can have three super-qualified and vetted candidates in your inbox within a week.

Let me know if you’d be open to talking about your hiring targets for this quarter. My calendar looks fairly open for tomorrow.

Thanks,

<your-signature>

Using a mutual connection to email a new prospect 

Sub: Introduction from <Mutual_Connection>

Hi <prospect name>, 

[Mutual connection name] recommended I get in touch. 

I recently helped [referral’s company] hire for a similar role to the [position] that you are currently recruiting for. I’m getting in touch to see if you’d be open to a quick discussion to see if I can offer you the same service. 

I am flexible with my availability. Let me know when works for you. 

Regards, 

<You_Signature> 

Sell a specific candidate (MPC Email)

Hi <first-name>,

Are you looking for a <job name> candidate at <company name>?

I am currently talking to an exceptional candidate who has indicated that <company name> is a target he wants to work for. In his current role as an account executive, he has

  • Consistently hit 125% of quota for three consecutive years
  • Was the highest-performing AE in the Northeastern region.
  • Won President’s award for 2 out of the three years
  • Hired and mentored a stellar team of 5 Sales Reps

If you are still looking for a fantastic software sales leader to join <company name>, I would love to talk. We work with leading B2B software firms in <city name> and have helped them build great teams.

Let me know if you’d be up for a quick chat tomorrow at 3 PM Eastern.

Cheers,

<your signature>

Outreach citing past success and social proof

Hi <Prospect name>

I noticed you have had a role for <position name> open for a few weeks 

We have helped <company_name_1> <company_name_2> and <company_name_3> fill similar roles in the past and I’m getting in touch to see if we can be of help in filling your open roles. 

I have 2 candidates that match your job description. Would you be open to a call this week to learn more about our services and see how we can be of help? Do let me know a time convenient for you and I can schedule a call. 

Regards

<Your_Signature> 

Follow up Emails

You’ve found a great candidate that ticks all of your client’s boxes and is a perfect fit for an open role. Or, a great client within your niche with plenty of potential. Your craft and send out the perfect cold email, but get no response. Now what? 

You follow up. In recruitment and in sales, persistence pays. It is almost never enough to send just one email to the candidate and wait for a response, you most certainly are leaving the money on the table. A great drip campaign is an excellent way to put yourself back on the radar. 

Also, check, How to Write Candidate Rejection Email [ Free Ready to Use Templates]

At Recruiterflow, we’ve seen our customers sometimes triple their response rates just by following up a couple of times. However, sending too many follow-up emails in a short span of time can easily get you flagged as spam, and you’ll want to avoid that. 

Sales experts like Steli Efti recommend a maximum of six touchpoints for completely cold prospects.

Here are a few great follow-up recruiting email templates that we’ve seen.


Candidate Follow-up Recruiting Email Templates for Recruiting Agencies

Hi <first-name>

I reached out to you last week, but I can’t imagine how busy you are. I would still like to chat with you regarding our open senior engineering positions. Are you free for a 15 to 20 min chat this week?  

Kind regards,

<Your-Signature>

Hey <FirstName>,

I can imagine you are probably fairly busy but I thought I would circle back in case you missed my first email. 

We are a specialized search firm that is looking for engineers like you at a great company that is backed by some of the best investors and growing at a breakneck speed. We think you perfectly fit the bill and we would love to chat with you about it.

Would you be able to take 10-15 minutes out to chat about this role? I promise I won’t waste your time.

Thanks,

<Signature>

Hi <FirstName>,

I thought I’d send you one last email. 

We are trying to fill a brilliant tech role at a fantastic company and would love to have a chat with you about it. 

Just hit reply if you would like to know more about the role. I am sure it would be a great next move in your career. 

Thanks,

<Signature>

Sales follow-up cold recruiting email templates for staffing agencies

Hi <FirstName> 

I know you’re busy so I’ll make this quick. 

I noticed you still have an open Software Sales role at <company_name> We recently sent you an email about some of our excellent candidates that fit the profile. I would love to have a quick chat with you about how we can help you fill your open roles. 

We work with leading B2B software firms in <city_name> and have helped them build stellar teams.

Let me know if you’d be up for a quick chat tomorrow at 5 PM.

Kind Regards, 

<Signature>

Hi <First name> 

I’m following up one last time in case you missed my previous two emails. 

Our placements have brought in more than 100 million dollars in revenue across multiple B2B software companies. Are you interested in hearing more about how we can help <prospect-company-name> do the same? 

Just hit reply if you are and we can set up a quick discussion. 

Kind regards 

<Signature> 

How to write a cold recruiting email that converts?

So, how do you write high-performing recruiting email templates that get opened and clicked?

Writing great recruiting emails is an equal part of art and science. There are several levers that can help you write great cold email sequences. Only by combining these elements together can you create an effective recruiting email campaign that drives engagement.

Here are some rules that we’ve developed while writing and observing hundreds of thousands of cold emails.

1.Personalization

Professionals send and receive an average of 121 emails a day. That means you are competing with hundreds of emails every day to get your prospect’s attention.

Personalizing your recruitment templates is a proven way to increase your open and click-through rates and can have a significant impact on your ROI and revenue. Data shows that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened than those without.

You can use your applicant tracking system (ATS) to store and organize information – cover letters, reference letters, and your previous interactions. That’s one part of personalizing your recruitment templates. The rest half of the job can be done by a recruitment CRM like Recruiterflow, which not only lets you centralize data from different sources and campaigns but also lets you create automated scheduled email campaigns.

Whether you’re just starting with email campaigns or an advanced email marketer you’ll love the ease of use and powerful features that Recruiterflow offers. There’s zero learning curve. So, you can get started from day one and create recruiting email templates for both your candidates and clients with plenty of possibilities.

2.Subject line

Subject lines don’t get the credit they’re due. 64% of email recipients make a decision to open emails based on subject lines. So even though you should focus on creating the copy and imagery of your recruiting email template, you shouldn’t undermine the importance of a great subject line.

A great subject line that’s likely to be opened is short, descriptive, and actionable. Most smartphones only display five or six words of a subject line. Because 41% of today’s emails are opened on mobile devices, it’s crucial to keep your subject lines crisp.

To drive more open, consider putting pertinent information up front in your subject lines. This way, the receiver knows what to expect on opening the email – and if at all, it’s worth the effort.

A good way to measure the effectiveness of your subject lines is by running A/B tests. Send two different subject lines to two different groups and analyze which one performs better. This will help you understand your target audiences’ behavior and analyze the “why” behind it.

3.Scarcity or FOMO

Your email needs to evoke an emotion in your prospect’s mind. The emotion that we’ve seen performs really well in cold recruiting email templates is the fear of missing out or FOMO. in fact, multiple studies have been performed to prove that FOMO exists.

As recruiters, you can generate a sense of scarcity or FOMO that moves them to action. However, you can not be brazen about it but subtly hint that they don’t want to miss out on what you are offering.

4.Keep it short

8 seconds. That’s the average attention span a person gives to one task. Whether you’re trying to break through the noise and capture the attention of your candidates or prospects, the key is to be as concise as possible.

Studies have shown that emails with 75 to 100 words have the highest response rate. You may want to share a lot of information in your cold recruiting emails, but recipients might not have the time for all of it.

The solution is pretty simple. Make a short, descriptive, and action-driven copy. Provide essential information that’s relevant to your candidates and prospects. Avoid buzzwords or jargon, and keep your recruitment email copy simple so that your offer clearly stands out.

That said, this doesn’t mean that your recruiting email template should be void of personality or creativity. Good writing is all about making your audience understand your offering and its benefits. That’s what will drive people to take action.

Also Read: Recruitment Pipeline Email Templates to Enhance Candidate Experience

5.It’s not me, it’s you

This is the most common mistake I see even seasoned recruiters make. The email is not about but rather about them. Don’t tell them what you can do but what you can do for them. The more value you can provide in your emails, the more they’re likely to engage. As a result, it’ll be much easier to get them to take the actions you want them to take.

Start by asking yourself questions like: “What are my value propositions?” “What are the results I can generate for my prospects using my strengths?” These questions will help you craft content that your customers will benefit from.

It’s also important to remember that you should formulate different content for prospects in different stages. So, create a value-packed discovery email, which is essentially the first email that you send to prospects. For someone who has booked a demo with you, add case studies, customer success stories, and more proof of your expertise that inspires them to make a purchase.

By taking this extra step, you’ll be able to create a customer journey that is contextually relevant to your prospects.

5.Highly-focused CTA

The point of creating a recruiting email template is to accelerate your communications with candidates and clients. But, at the same time, you also need to get a response or make them take an action. Once you’ve optimized your subject line and email copy, it’s time to point everything toward clicking.

Add a precise call-to-action or CTA button that shows the email recipient exactly where to click to take action, or for more information. A few examples of CTAs include:

  • Book a demo call
  • Register now
  • Grab your free ebook now
  • Take 30% off

CTAs are highly effective in recruitment templates as they provide a simple way to improve conversions. If you look at it, CTAs are simply eye-catching buttons or links with compelling copy. But the trick is to do A/B testing to figure out exactly which types of CTAs work best for your audience.

HubSpot found that personalized CTAs increased conversion rates by 202%. As a recruiter, you might cater to multiple audiences with different industries, expertise, and levels of seniority. So, it’s important to modify your tone and CTAs to make them tailored to your specific candidate persona.

We hosted a webinar about writing great email sequences. You can check out the recording below.


Run email sequences with Recruiterflow to make more placements.

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