How to send cv in email?
- Format your cover letter and CV.
- Include a subject line in the email message.
- Write an email message to send with your CV.
- Add your signature to an email message.
- Add your CV and cover letter to an email message.
You find a job offer of your dreams and send your perfect job application via email. Then you wait… and wait. How come you’re not getting the callback?!
The answer? Nobody even saw your resume, as you didn't know how to email a resume correctly. Don’t worry, you’re about to learn everything you need to know about emailing a resume, plus some extra tricks you can use along the way.
In this guide I’m going to show you:
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Tired of ending up in the resume Black Hole? Emailing a resume to a prospective employer instead of applying via job board application forms might just do the trick. Why? First of all, it adds a personal touch and shows your persistence. If done right, the hiring manager will be more enthusiastic about reviewing a job application sent via a personalized email. Trust me, they’re stuck in that Black Hole, too. They’ll be happy to ditch those hundreds of identical job board applications.
Secondly, it boosts your odds of avoiding an Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) resume test.
The sad truth is that many resumes never make it to a human reader. They're weeded out by the ATS. Sending a resume by email, directly to a human being makes it more likely that you’ll receive the attention you deserve.
That said, there’s still a couple of crucial things to keep in mind when sending a resume email. Let’s go through the basics.
Here are 7 steps to successfully emailing a resume.
Before I show you how it works in practice, I want to introduce you to someone.
Meet Jason. He’s a successful Web Developer. He wants to join XYZ Corp. as an IT Manager. And the email he sent to XYZ’s hiring manager will get him there.
Let’s have a look at Jason’s email resume example:
Now, that’s one hell of a resume email. He’s sure to get a call from the hiring manager.
Pro Tip: If you’d like to email your resume directly to the hiring manager but you don’t know how to get in touch with them, read on. We’ll cover that in-depth.
So, now that you’ve seen what to write in an email when sending a resume and a cover letter, let’s see what exactly makes this resume email so great.
Still thinking about that ATS nightmare? Check out ATS-Friendly Resume Templates
What if I told you that hiring managers test candidates before reviewing their resumes? The way you submit your application documents also matters. Sure, you can upload your resume through a generic online application form. You’ll just end up in the same folder as the other 250 candidates.
Or, you can send a personalized resume email and be in pole position right away! That is, only if your email gets opened. And guess what? It depends solely on your subject line. So make the most of it.
State that you’re applying for a job, include the name of the position, job identifier (if applicable), and add some personal branding. Like this:
Resume email sample subject line:
This one looks like a generic email spammed out to every company within 100 miles.
Pro Tip: If the job offer asks for applying via email, check if the employer demands all applicants to use the same subject line, for instance, “Application for Position XYZ - .” If so - you have to play by their rules.
On Mondays, between 6am and 10am.
Research has shown that applying on Mondays boosts your interview rate by 46% compared to the average. Submitting your resume between 6am and 10am (when almost nobody else does it) brings about a staggering 89% rise in hireability!
At the same time, keep in mind the golden rule: first come, first served. It's best to apply within 4 days since the job posting went live. So if you come across an interesting job offer on Thursday, email your resume right away, don't put it off until the following Monday. You'll maximize your chances of getting a job offer email fast.
One more tip, always remember to make your whole job application relevant and specific to the job you’re trying to land. This is called tailoring. It’s the most effective strategy for job seeking: 6 Tips on How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job Description (Examples)
Most job seekers make a common mistake: They think that their email body for sending a resume should read exactly the same as a cover letter.
It shouldn’t. Why?
Recruiters and hiring managers don’t have the time to review application documents in their entirety. Your resume email has to be short and sweet. Just enough to make the hiring manager go, “Aaah, interesting!”
In your resume email body, write only about the most relevant things. Make it a sneak peek of your job application. Make it irresistible.
Remember how our candidate, Jason, did it? You can use his resume email as a template:
Sample email for a job application with resume - email body:
That’ll do it. When sending a resume via email, you can’t afford to elaborate on everything. Make your resume email concise and skimmable.
Use the same mail format for sending a resume with a reference. Just remember to mention the name of your reference in the first paragraph.
Pro Tip: If the job ad explicitly asks for a “cover email,” a “covering email,” or an “email cover letter,” these are the only instances where you actually should paste your cover letter into your resume email. You can still attach your cover letter in a separate file, just make sure it matches the content of your cover email.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Online job offers don’t always reveal who’s going to read your resume. That’s a shame because you are much more likely to get hired if the hiring manager knows of you beforehand.So, how do you get in touch with a hiring manager?
Well, you might have heard about the six degrees of separation: You’re only separated from the likes of Kevin Bacon, The Queen of England, and Bill Gates by six other people. That’s why networking is important. You may not know the hiring manager, but you probably know someone who does. So, what you’re going to do? Reach out to friends, alumni, and former colleagues to see if they can put you in touch with the right person.
Okay, but what if you’ve actually never networked and have few professional connections? Do some research to find the internal recruiters or HR personnel responsible for processing resumes where you want to work. Start with the company’s website to find the name of the hiring manager. Then, move to LinkedIn to see if you can find their email address. While finding a name is easy, finding an email address can be harder. Start by using an app called findthat.email. Once you've found a promising LinkedIn profile, the app will generate an email address for you.If that doesn't work, you can try the oldschool way and use Google. Start your search with the company’s email domain: *@company.com . The search may not lead you directly to the hiring manager’s personal email address, but it’ll show you what formula the company uses for all of its email addresses.See, most companies use the same formula:j.smith@company.comjohn.smith@company.comIf you can find that formula, all you need to do is plug in the hiring manager’s name.Can’t find the address formula either? You’ve only got the names of the company and the hiring manager? Good news! You’ve still got enough information. Here’s an Email Permutator that automatically generates all possible combinations of the hiring manager’s name and the company’s domain. Run them through a free email verification tool like MailTester. It isn’t flawless, but it’s a good way to lower your bounce rate.
Pro Tip: If you've always wanted to work somewhere, don't wait for open positions or linger on job boards. Reach out by emailing a resume. Position yourself now so you'll be in the right place later.
Note, not all hiring managers will appreciate receiving unsolicited resumes. Which is why you will want to start the process by sending the hiring manager an invite via LinkedIn. By making a connection on LinkedIn first, the hiring manager gets a heads up. Otherwise, emailing a resume may come across as unprofessional or even as spam.Julie Dossett, Communications Lead at LinkedIn Canada, says:
And never send out email of this kind without first learning who you should be addressing it to. Using To Whom It May Concern looks lazy. Dear Hiring Manager? A bit better. But since you'll be contacting people out of the blue, do give them the courtesy of learning their name.
Even if you craft the perfect email to send a resume, you still need a killer cover letter. Luckily, we’ve got a comprehensive, dedicated guide to show you how to write the best cover letter out there. Give it a read: How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job?
Check the guides below for more info:
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Writing a good resume email for a job application is a very effective strategy few job seekers use. Now you know how to do it right. Just remember the key strategies we covered.
The best tips for emailing a resume to an employer:
Sometimes employers provide clear instructions on what the email format should include. If that’s the case, follow the employer’s directions closely.
But if you can’t find any instructions, don’t worry — you can follow the best practices described in this article!
Before you start writing, ask yourself: Who is the person you’re writing to?
Try to find the hiring manager’s contact details to address them by name. A slightly more personal approach can decrease the chance of your resume being forgotten or disposed of.
Remember that your email address needs to be professional. Emails like julezizcoolz@yahoo may have been cool in 2005, but not anymore. Instead, create a professional email address with your first and last name.
You should also consider when to email your resume. You generally want your email to be among the first ones they receive that day. This means you should send it very early — ideally before 8 am.
The same applies to days of the week. The later in the week you send your email, the lower the probability that someone reviews it. This is why you should send it very early on a Monday morning.
Naturally, do not put off applying if it’s a first come, first serve kind of job application.
Key takeaways:
Sure, the subject line is just a tiny part of the whole email. However, it’s also the first thing the recruiter will see. That’s why you want the subject line of your resume email to be absolutely spot on.
First of all, check the job posting for instructions regarding the submission. There may be a preferred subject format the company uses. If that’s the case, then you need to stick to it.
If there are no instructions, you should stick to the standard format for subject lines:
Example: Job application – Office Manager, Job ID #1553 — Ian Lumberjack
Example (with referral): Referral from John Wick: Job application – Graphic Designer, Job ID #1554 — Nina Hughes
If someone recommends you for the job, definitely make this clear in the subject line. You can add your title or qualification if you wish — but remember, keep the subject line success.
Start off with a formal greeting and address the hiring manager by name (preferably last name).
In the first short paragraph, you should state who you are, why you are sending this email, and what the email contains.
Continue the next paragraph with a short but effective introduction of your best and proudest achievements. Of course, only mention those achievements that are relevant for the job. Close this paragraph by saying what value you would bring to the company and which skills you will use to accomplish this. In the closing paragraph, you need to say that you’re looking forward to hearing back from them and meeting in person. You may add a captivating call for action but be careful not to sound rude or overly keen.
Yours faithfully (US English) or Yours sincerely (British English).
And finally, a professional signature is a must! Remember to include your contact details.
– optional
Remember, you want to keep the body of the email short and succinct. Don’t go into too much detail; otherwise, you might lose the hiring manager’s attention.
Keep in mind that you simply cannot elaborate on every accomplishment and every work experience due to limited space. The email needs to be informative and concise.
This should go without saying but, don’t forget to attach your resume to the email!
Consider whether it’s relevant to also attach your cover letter. When you apply for a job in bigger companies, you may benefit from sending your cover letter and your resume. Just remember not to repeat yourself too much in your email body and your cover letter.
Avoid naming the attachments generically or randomly. Names like fghjvh.pdf orresume2.pdf can make it hard for the hiring manager to find these documents later. Name your attachments in a way that makes them easy to find — Name_Surname_Resume.pdf and Name_Surname_Cover_Letter.pdf
The best format for sending your resume and cover letter is .pdf or .doc. We suggest saving your documents as PDFs since it’s a universally accepted file format, it’s easy to open and will not distort the formatting of your documents.
Keep in mind that files should not be larger than 10MB. Otherwise, they might be considered suspicious.
Key takeaways:
Sending your resume attached to a well-written email can be a very effective strategy. It can help you find a way around ATS algorithms that filter out unsuitable resumes before they can even get to an HR employee for evaluation.
So how do you write one?
After you send in your resume, cover letter, and your job application, wait for a couple of days before sending a follow-up email.
Concluding thought — even if you construct the perfect email to send with your resume, you still need to make sure you have an impressive resume and cover letter.
We’ve got you covered. Check out these articles to help you create the perfect resume and cover letter:
