The job you want to apply for looks promising, there are company benefits and the salary is more or less what you wanted. There's a problem; as you scroll to the end of the job posting it reads: "Please submit all CV's and cover letters via this email address..."
Many people panic when they read this because they don't know how to send their CV's via email. You might decide to skip this job and apply for something else or you might even send your CV but unknowingly, in a way that gives a negative impression of you to the recruiter. Either way, you're reading this blog post to learn how to send your application via email and to tweak your email here and there.
THE SUBJECT LINE
A subject line is what tells the recruiter what the email is about. It's where you need to be as specific as possible, without making it too lengthy and without being too specific. A great subject line will read as follows: Digital Marketing Internship | Nthabiseng Salemane.
What I've done is, I've stated the position I'm applying for and right next to that, my name. You never know how many people have put "Digital Marketing Internship" as a subject line so your name is a separation tactic that separates all the other generic subject lines and makes our stand out.
THE CONTENTS OF THE EMAIL
What you put into the body of your email, is just as important as what you attach to it. Are you sending out job applications with no body text at all (I hope you're not) or are you sending email job applications with a simple:Hi *Insert Relevant Name Here*,
Please find attached CV for the position mentioned in the subject line.
Best Regards,
Nthabiseng Salemane
If you're sending nothing, your CV is most probably not even being opened by the recruiter and if you're adding a bit of text to the body then you stand a 50:50 chance, with the percentage leaning more to "Do not open attached CV". 😞
You're selling yourself in the email. so you need to be brief, and as enticing as you can be when you're sending that email out. A well-structured job application email will include a proper greeting, with mention of what the email pertains to and a nice little sales pitch on your skills and capability for the position, followed by a thank you and a salutation.
Here's an example:
Hi Ayanda,
I hope this email finds you well.
Please find attached my CV and Cover letter for the position mentioned in the subject line/ the Digital Marketing internship advertised.
I am a diligent individual who has experience working in social media, customer service roles and Admin. I am proficient with Facebook Ads manager and have done community management for several brands.
Your consideration of my application is greatly appreciated.
Best Regards,
Nthabiseng Salemane
I stated the reason for writing the email, proceeded to let the recruiter know the skills that I deem beneficial for the position and in the vacancy and highlighted a few things I am good at that are, of course, relevant to the job. This way, you're letting the recruiter know they should open your CV because you are who they are looking for!
Don't overdo it though, Keep it BRIEF.
THE ATTACHMENTS
Obviously, you have to attach your CV and Cover letter- if requested. The problem comes in when you don't name the attachments appropriately or you don't double-check that you actually attached the correct documents. Your CV should always be named your first and last name along with CV or Resume - same goes for your cover letter.
Make sure your attachments aren't so huge that iCloud wants to send them via mail-drop.
Make sure your attachments aren't so huge that iCloud wants to send them via mail-drop.
