Despite the popularity of social networking, email is still the most commonly used form of communication on the internet, with over a hundred billion emails sent every day. If you are doing a job search on the internet, email is going to be the way you connect with a potential employer. But if there are hundreds of emails from other applicants looking for the same position, your subject line needs to make your email stand out.
Communication experts and career advisors agree that subject lines are how hiring managers decide which emails to open. Here are a few tips on how to write subject lines that won’t get your emails sent straight to the trash.
1. Important Things First
The most important words in your subject line should come first. If you want to sell someone on your expertise, put that up front. A huge percent of emails are being read on smartphones, and not all phones display email messages the same way. There is a chance only the beginning of your email’s subject line will appear on a phone’s email app. Make sure the front end of your subject line gives the most important details.
DO: Marketing Manager Position Application
DON’T: Application for Position as Marketing Manager
2. Keep It Short and Simple
If you can’t say what you need to say in under ten words, you have failed. The fewer words, the better. Make sure to leave out the extra details and to mention the position that you are inquiring about, since this will give a hiring manager a good reason to open up your email.
DO: Marketing Manager Position
DON’T: Hi Currently Employed in Sales But Looking for a Full-time Position With You
3. Use Title Case, Never Caps
One of the finer points of subject lines is title case. Title case is how you capitalize the words in titles. Basically it means capitalizing the first letter of every word except for prepositions. Using title case will make you look sophisticated. You should never use all caps as a way to get noticed. It is difficult to read and unprofessional.
DO: Marketing Manager with 4 Years Experience
DON’T: MARKETING MANAGER WITH FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE
4. Use Keywords
Your email is more likely to get accepted if you can send it presorted into your potential employer’s inbox. Using keywords gives your email a good chance of getting funneled directly into the applicant pool through a hiring manager’s email filters. Keywords to use include the title of the position, and the nature of your query.
DO: Job Application: Marketing Manager Position
DON’T: Looking for Position
5. Credentials
If you have any qualifications that can make you stand out from the rest of the crowd make sure that they are attached to your name in the subject line. This can be very context specific, but any relevant, higher degrees that you can abbreviate can work well in a subject line.
DO: Marketing Manager Position: John Doe, MBA
DON’T: Marketing Manager Position: John Doe, BA
If you are still at the searching phase, know that there are specific websites that are purely dedicated to posting jobs. The best one we know of is Indeed.com. This website allows you to search for specific job titles, industries, and by location as well. In addition, you can upload your resume to the resume database so that employers can find you. You can even search for specific company website job boards and look up salary averages and industry trends. Make sure to join this leading Job Search Site, and beyond that, check it daily so that you can pounce on job postings quickly.
