Simply Hired Blog

Best Practices for Emailing Hiring Managers

The email is often the first point of contact between you and a perspective employer, and can solely determine whether or not you are considered for the position. Below are some tips to help you get the most out of your initial emails.

Before You Email, Connect

Recruiters get hundreds of emails for a single job opening, so you need to make sure your email stands out from the rest.

To get noticed, first ask yourself, “How can I connect with the recruiter besides just sending an email?”

Well, a great place to start is to use Simply Hired’s Who Do I Know? feature. Log into LinkedIn via Simply Hired’s search result page and check to see if you have any connections at the company. If you have a connection, either reach out to this person directly for a referral to the position of interest or request an introduction.

If you don’t have a connection at the company, consider searching for a new connection at the company on LinkedIn. You can also look for the recruiter on Twitter and introduce yourself. The point is, use whatever means you have to ensure the recruiter recognizes your name and looks over your application.  

Composing the Email

When it comes to actually sending your email there are a few things to keep in mind: 

1. Send Emails from a Professional Address - No HotGURL22@yahoo.com or Cowboysfootballfan99@comcast.net.  The simple name.number@isp.com works best.
   
   
2. Craft an Attention Grabbing Subject Line - Avoid simple subjects like Sarah’s Resume or Jeff’s Application for Employment. Include the title of the position you’re applying for and any kind of credentials you have that set you apart from the pack. 
   
   Remember, the subject line contains the only 50 characters the recruiter or hiring manager is guaranteed to see, so make them count!
   
   
3. Personalize! Personalize! Personalize!  - Forget the cut and paste cover letters or templates with a few substituted keywords (if you forget to update the company’s name in your template, that’s a sure-fire way for your email to get deleted right away). The last thing you want is for the recruiter to think you only put a template’s worth of effort into applying. This email is your cover letter, so customize your email to show how you meet the requirements laid out in the job description, whether that’s specific experience, skills or credentials. And don’t be afraid to show a bit of personality to stick out from the other candidates!
   
   
4. Be Courteous and Polite – Your mother was right -- manners always have and always will go a long way. So make sure you include a greeting and introduce yourself at the start of you email. Likewise, include a thank you and a salutation (Best, Sincerely, etc.) at the end.
   
   
5. Be Precise – Make your email concise and engaging -- many recruiters/hiring managers only briefly scan your cover letter for a few seconds, or a minute or two if you’re lucky. Include the most impressive information first so they are more likely to read it and add the more standard stuff towards the end.  If they list specific requirements, or if they ask any questions, include that information first, more general information can go at the end. Throughout the email be sure to compose short concise paragraphs or even bullet points, rather than giant blocks of text.
   
   
6. Proofread – Whether in an email, a resume, or any other correspondence, you don’t want to be dismissed as a candidate because you misused the semicolon or used the wrong there/their/they’re. Check your work. When you’re done proofreading your email, proofread it again or have someone else look at it. Remember that once you send the email, it is set in stone!

Keep these tips in mind to ensure that your emails will catch the eye of those hiring managers and recruiters and you will land that first interview.

Hot Job of the Week: Special Education Teacher

By Annie Favreau

Looking for a job with a future? This series profiles in-demand careers and expanding professional fields. Here's our latest pick:

Special Education Teacher

What's involved:
When you're a special education teacher, you work with students who have mental, emotional or physical disabilities—ranging from speech impediments and physical handicaps, to autism and Down syndrome. 

Like all teachers, you develop lesson plans, assign homework and measure progress. However, instead of traditional teaching methods, you use techniques that cater to your students' unique needs. Another aspect of your job involves creating Individualized Education Programs that outline tailor-made educational goals and milestones according to each student’s particular abilities.

Although your work presents daily challenges, the rewards of having a positive impact in another person’s life can be extremely high. 

Why the job outlook is good:
The growing number of students with disabilities is creating more job openings for special education teachers. In fact, this career field is expected to grow 17% by 2018—at a much faster pace than most occupations.

What training you need:
To work in special education, you must have at least a bachelor's degree and a teaching license. Depending on your state, you may also need a master's degree or a specific special education license, so check out your local requirements.

Show me the money!
The BLS puts the average salary of a special education teacher between $36,000 and $83,000.

 

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site that helps people discover and pursue a career that excites them. Check out the website for more information on special education teachers, or join in the conversation on Twitter.

Danger at Your Exit Interview

By Martin Yate CPC

In a recent CBS article about exit interviews that encouraged you to share your real thoughts and feelings with the exit interviewer, I was the lone dissenting voice.

When you resign you are firing your employer, in effect saying, "you aren't good enough for me anymore." This causes more work for your colleagues and isn't appreciated much by anyone; especially your boss for whom your resignation is at best a pain in the neck and at worst a black mark: a manager's job is to lose people on his or her timetable and not on yours. 

Anything you say can be used against you
Exit interviews were conceived to provide corporate insights that might contribute to productivity and containment of costly employee turnover. Good concept, however from the POV of intelligent career management, saying anything beyond the professional not-burning-of-bridges has no upside for you, and unknown downsides.

At exit interviews, you have no control over the understanding, interpretation or use of anything you might say, so speaking truth to power rarely has any short or long-term benefits for you; beyond the pleasure of venting and the lip service you’ll receive in return. 

Any commentary on personnel, processes and improvements you are likely to have made and had ignored before; they probably aren't going to be listened to now, especially from someone who is jumping ship.

Comments on "improvements" are particularly problematic because they are inherently critical of someone in a position of authority. In a worst-case scenario, that someone becomes aware of your constructive criticism and as you are no longer there…well you know how that story ends.

A career is a long time
If you were truly an exceptional employee who wasn't adequately recognized or rewarded, well that's often the luck of the draw. However, when the dust has settled and there is a noticeable void, the people who count will recall how valuable you were to the company. You will be remembered for how you performed your job everyday, not for what you said in an exit interview. 

With good performance, these colleagues might one day try to recruit you, and would certainly look well upon your application to work with them again. This means you will have good references, and some valuable colleagues for your professional network. Why jeopardize the future by venting, for the nth time, the insoluble frustrations that eventually led you to quit, when logic tells you they will again be ignored or perhaps used against you in some way? 

Enlightened self-interest says that at exit interviews, you should keep to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." These protocols evolved for good reasons. Keep your exit interviews short, professional and avoid anything that could be used against you at any point ion the future. A career is a long time and you may well meet these people again.

 

Martin Yate takes readers through over two hundred perceptive answers to tough interview questions in Knock em Dead 2012, The Ultimate Job Search Guide, in ways, like this one, that not only help you answer the question, but also help you grow professionally in the process.

Hot Job of the Week: Patient Representative

By Annie Favreau

Looking for a job with a future? This series profiles in-demand careers and expanding professional fields. Here's our latest pick:

Patient Representative

What's involved:
Patient representatives can be found in almost any medical setting—hospitals, health centers, private clinics, or nursing homes. Your work is as varied as the locations, but the main goal is the same: helping to address the special needs and concerns of patients and their families.

Patients call your office when they have a problem with the treatment they received, are confused about a policy, or want to report a staff member for unethical behavior. Whether explaining hospital regulations or helping patients file formal complaints, your task is to resolve the issue as quickly (and painlessly!) as possible.

You also work to prevent future issues. You may conduct patient satisfaction surveys, gather feedback from family members, or educate staff about particular problems.

Why the job outlook is good:
As aging baby boomers start needing more medical attention, the entire healthcare industry is set to expand. That means health-related jobs, like this one, are expected to rapidly grow as demand rises in the coming decade.

What training you need:
Most patient representatives have at least a Bachelor's degree—usually in psychology, human resources, or a similar area. Previous experience in customer service, conflict resolution, or a medical setting is a big plus. Also, fluency in another language will give you an edge, since you can work with the growing population of patients who speak English as a second language.

Show me the money!
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the average salary of a patient representative between $24,000 and $38,000.

 

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site that helps people discover and pursue a career that excites them. Check out the website for more information on personal fitness trainers, or join in the conversation on Twitter.

Hot Job of the Week: Personal Fitness Trainer

By Annie Favreau

Looking for a job with a future? This series profiles in-demand careers and expanding professional fields. Here's our latest pick:

Personal Fitness Trainer

What's involved:
Part motivators, part Energizer Bunny, personal trainers help gym-goers shed their stubborn flab and reach their full fitness potential. 

In this job, you work one-on-one with clients to determine their goals and create routines to get the job done. From explaining how to perform a perfect sit-up, to demonstrating the proper use for a kettleball, it's your task to keep clients safe, engaged, and in shape.

Each person comes with a special set of circumstances—like previous injuries or personal preferences about different types of exercise (no stair machines!)—so you need to be both a great listener and an effective motivator. Also, while you're not required to have Jillian Michaels' rippling abs to be a good role model, you should lead a healthy lifestyle.

Why the job outlook is good:
As more people and businesses begin to recognize the mental and fiscal benefits of a healthier population, the demand for fitness workers is on the rise. In fact, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects this field to grow by a whooping 29% in the coming years.

What training you need:
Before hitting the gym as a trainer, you’ll need to get certified—just make sure to choose a program that's nationally accredited. (It's a great idea to call a gym where you'd be interested in working to find out their exact requirements.) In addition, most positions require first-aid or CPR training.

Show me the money!
The BLS puts the average salary of a personal fitness trainer between $16,000 and $62,000.

 

Annie Favreau works for Inside Jobs, a career exploration site that helps people discover and pursue a career that excites them. Check out the website for more information on personal fitness trainers, or join in the conversation on Twitter.