What to Write in Email when Sending a Resume to a Friend
What do you do when a friend or someone you just met asks you to send in your resume because they heard of a position that may interest you? Or they want to keep you in mind in case there is an available position?
When you ask family, friends or acquaintances to help with your search for a job, you’re likely to find fresh opportunities as people who met you will gladly lend you a hand.
What you need to do is send your contact a semi-formal letter with your zero-mistakes resume attached. Sounds easy, right?
We know that emails don’t always play out the way we want it. Here are some questions that may occur when you format your pitch prior to email:
- Do you send a formal cover letter, even though your friend/contact didn’t ask for one?
- Should you keep copywriting netiquette, casual, personal or strictly professional?
- If it’s someone you briefly met, will he/she recalls asking for your resume?
In this guide, we gather a few of the tips to help when you email your resume to a friend or acquaintance.
When contacting thanks to a recommendation from a relative, remember with nepotism you keep the reputation of the person you know on the line.
A Brief, Personal, and Precis Subject Line
Add best it should address your friend, have your name, and mention of your resume.
Simple examples:
- To: Adam – Kyle’s resume for Company XYZ
- Resume – Kyle Wilson – Company ZYX
Nothing works as well as a good-looking and welcoming email of military precision and a personal touch.
Check: The Key to Email Copywriting for the Non-Copywriter
Include Basic Info
- Write down who you are
- What’s your current occupation?
- Who recommends you?
- Your relationship.
- Their relationship to the company and/or the person who you write.
- Why do you want to join the company?
- If there’s a specific position available, name it and the reference number if you have it.
- If there’s no particular position open, the work you want to do.
- Attached CV/resume.
- Contact information.
Add a Cover Letter
The purpose of a good cover letter is to remind your friend/acquaintance of the conversation you had and the reason you reached out. Explain to your contact that you look for a new job and appreciate their help.
Continue with a summary of your professional background, your current occupation, references, and ideally, how you might contribute to the company.
Display Your Strengths
When forwarding a resume,
- Promote yourself by showing your strong character traits and transferable skills.
- Think of the email as a continuation of the dialogue you had at the time of arrangement.
- Be direct and keep the section professional.
You want to craft a Professional & Skills-rich Resume. In conclusion, show an interest in taking the conversation to the next step.
Attach Multiple File Types
Why attach a PDF (.pdf), Microsoft document (.docx, .doc), plain text file (.txt) or image (.jpg, jpeg, .png) when the recipient will probably use one of three you may ask?
Surely not the one sole reason, but adding a few file types is about demonstrating your diligence. To offer a choice to whom you email means you respect his or her time and convenience.
Also, do you know that PDFs can be a vessel for malicious attacks? Yes, they can. Anybody with a high turnover of file exchange and precautions will first look at the image, regular TXT, or DOCX/DOC file instead.
Some will rather download, scan for malware, and then open a PDF that is time-consuming and could end up in somebody’s to-do list. Indefinitely.
On that same train of thought, PDF appearance can sometimes break, be it because of an outdated browser or mobile device. But there is an easy way to convert docs to PDF and other formats.
That’s why you better have a Plan B, C, and D, in case luck is not on your side and you need to make sure the resume opens when it counts the most. Mind the file size, though, as anything above 10MB might be too much to download or load.
Also, how many people do you think will send a resume in all file formats possible? That’s right. Only a few will stand out. And that’s what you want to stand out, right? If you want to take things WOW, consider adding a video or surprising format.
Use a Neat Filename
Take the time and assiduity to how you name the resume file.
It should have your first, last name, and details of the company and position you apply for. Stay away from rookie mistakes such as “Resume”, “CV”, or worst – gibberish.
Question your Email Address
There is nothing wrong with using the same badboy007@yahoo.com email for years but that’s a resume mistake you rather not forward. If in doubt, open a new account that has your name on it and turn notifications ON.
Example Emails
Standing on the shoulders of giants is the best stand one can take and learning from examples holds many gains.
Here’s what to write in the body of an email when sending a resume to a family friend:
Hi Adam,
We had a great talk at James’ birthday party! I’m reaching out because I am currently on a job hunt and I hope you can help me. The last time we spoke you asked me to forward you my CV, and here it is.
As you’ll see, I have experience in helping companies learn and effectively use social media algorithms, and specifically to increase their online traffic. My most recent achievement is that I contributed to the ABC Company by increasing the number of viewers on its online platform by 70 percent over a year.
I checked your company’s website/job offer and liked what I saw. If you know of an available position or leads to share with me, please do tell.
Thanks, in advance!
Stay Alert for the Response
The challenge doesn’t end with crafting the perfect email to forward.
Once it’s off and delivered, stay alert for the awaited reply. You might get it in minutes, days, or… never. In case you do, replying as soon as possible is a sure sign of high employee engagement, trustworthiness, and conscientious attitude, all are virtues that recruiters value.
Sign off with a Neat Signature
How your email will finish matters. Greet the recipient, add your first and last name, mobile number, address.
Regards Adam,
Kyle Wilson
Phone number
Address
Personal website (if you have one)
Add social media profiles and any other significant online presence, like interviews and public appearances. The best signature doesn’t happen overnight, though. Give your mind a day or two before you proceed with your first.
Proofread Thrice Before Sending
Quadruple-check the resume, cover letter (if added), and the email itself. Do a thorough spell, grammar, and formatting check, so nothing slips your sight!
Do a test run and send it to yourself first. This way you can rest assured that nothing can go wrong and your email looks great.
Test attachments. Do all download and run? When 100% sure everything is okay, then your job is done and you can SEND.
Last Words Before You Email the Resume
Top image Pexels Burst
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- What to Write in Email when Sending a Resume to a Friend - November 5, 2020
