How to write an email to someone at the company you want to work for?
It’s easy to say “Don’t make too many asks” or “Don’t be vague”.
But what should you write? Word for word?
We know how tough it is to come up with the right words to say. So we wrote up some templates you can copy and use on your job hunt!
For a start, use a powerful tool like Hunter to find their email addresses! Next, draft an email! Below, there are templates for emails to:
- A hiring manager
- Someone in the role or industry you’re interested in
- Request to learn more about working for a company
- Show the value you could create for a company
- Follow-up after an interview
Template: Email to a Hiring Manager
Here’s the exact process we recommend going through before sending out an email like this one.
- Start by finding a handful of companies you really like that have a role similar to the one you’re looking for.
- Jump on their career page and LinkedIn. Go figure out who hires for that role–the exact person.
- Now, do some research about the company. Who are their customers? What is their product? What is the pricing? Who are their competitors? What can you tell about the company, its customer satisfaction, and the culture all from your online research?
- Put together a brief list of questions you have about the company–and in particular, the role you’re interested in. (These are questions you couldn’t find the answer to online.)
Now, go find that person again. Shoot them a quick message–like this one:
Hey [their first name],
I love what you’re doing at [insert company name] and want to know what it takes to be successful in [insert role type] from someone experienced like you.
I’m just starting out in my career, and I’m really interested in the way [product category] makes running a business easier for non-technical people–which is how I found your company. From researching your company and the industry, I had a couple questions which I’d love to ask your advice on.
[Insert your questions here. Example question: What is one thing someone like me just starting out their career can do today to better understand what the future of (product category) might look like?]
Do you have 15 minutes next week we could discuss? I’ll bring you a coffee on the house as a thanks.
Talk soon! [Your name]
Pro tip: Hand-write and mail a thank-you note to anyone who takes you up on coffee or answers your questions.
Template: Email requesting to learn more about working for a company
This is a great way to both give information about yourself to a company up front and be clear about your desire to learn more about working for them specifically.
Here are some great steps to take before sending out an email like this one.
- Start by finding ten companies you like that have a role similar to the one you’re interested in.
- Do research on each company–what are they doing? What’s something unique about each company’s mission or work you admire or could get behind? Write down a quick answer for each one you want to contact.
- Hop on LinkedIn and figure out who does the hiring or recruiting. Find their names, then you can use this quick hack to find their email addresses.
- Record a 1-2 minute pitch video to tell your story and show why you’d be a valuable addition to their team.
Then, write a personalized email to each hiring manager or recruiter–here’s a template you can copy.
Hi [their first name],
My name is [your name here]. In researching the best places to work as [insert types of roles], I came across your company. I love what you’re doing with [insert what they’re doing] and would love to learn more.
To let you know I value your time, I went ahead and created a short video to give you a little more info about me. Link here (←hyperlink to a pitch video).
I’d love to learn more about what it would take to work with you. Do you have time between [insert your available times] next [insert two days] for a call?
Sincerely, [Your name]
Fire the email off to each company and give it twenty-four hours. Even if you don’t get a response from everyone, you just increased your odds tenfold to actually landing an interview (or at minimum a phone conversation about the position)!
Pro tip: You could create a video for each company, or you could create one pitch video to easily send to multiple companies.
Template: Email to someone in the role or industry you’re interested in
Try to find someone who does the job you’re interested in. Use LinkedIn to look up people with specific job titles in your city and offer to buy them coffee. Then send them a quick message–one like this.
Hi, [their first name],
Could I buy you coffee [this/next + day of the week] and ask you a few questions about what it’s like to do [insert type of work]?
I’m newly starting my career and eager to learn. I want to be mindful of your time, so I’ve also included a few of my questions below:
- How did you get into [insert type of work]?
- What are your favorite and least favorite parts about [insert type of work]?
- What is your day-to-day as [insert type of work] like?
- What advice would you give to someone just starting out in [insert type of work]?
Again, I appreciate your time!
All the best,
[Your name]
Pro tip: Hand-write and mail a thank-you note to anyone who takes you up on coffee or answers your questions.
Template: Email showing the value you could create for their company
Want to really be noticed by a company? Creating a project specifically for them does wonders. Here’s an email template for how to pitch that awesome project to a company.
Hi, first name!
I love what [insert company name] is doing with [insert something specific the company is doing].
I’d love to be on your team and create value for you in [role/position–or “any way I can”]. To show you what I can do, I [insert quick explanation of a cool project you did for them or your portfolio with its link].
Looking forward to hearing from you! All the best, [Your name]
Pro tip: This is a great email to send in tangent with a formal application.
Template: Follow-up email after an interview
Once you win an interview, go above and beyond to make a great impression! One of the best ways to do that is with a follow-up email. Here’s a quick template you could copy.
Hey, [their first name]!
Thank you so much for the call! I really enjoyed connecting with you and learning more about [company]. I loved [insert something you took away from the call].
[Insert any next steps you’ll work on if asked]
Thank you so much for this call, and I’m looking forward to hearing back from you!
All the best, [Your first name]
Pro tip: Send the follow-up email as fast as you can after an interview–within minutes or even seconds is always impressive.
P.S. If you need a quick hack to finding the email addresses of employees at any company, check out this article, and this powerful tool!
