Job application email template
The email that carries your CV.
A job application email should name the role in the subject, give three reasons you fit in the first paragraph, and say what is attached. Keep it under 200 words: the reader is deciding whether to open your CV, not reading a second one.
At a glance
| Use it when | Applying directly rather than through a form |
|---|---|
| Length | 120 to 200 words |
| Tone | Confident, specific, not eager |
| Ask for | A conversation |
The template
Subject lines that work with it
- Application: [role title]
- [Role title] - [your name]
- Applying for [role title], [reference number]
How to write this email well
- Match three things in the posting to three things you have done. Specific beats enthusiastic every time.
- Give numbers where you have them. "Cut processing time by 40 percent" survives a skim; "passionate about efficiency" does not.
- Name the attachment in the text so it is obvious if it fails to attach.
Questions
Should I attach a cover letter?
The email is the cover letter. A separate one repeats it and rarely gets opened.
What file format for the CV?
PDF, named with your name and the role. Filenames like cv-final-2.docx look careless.
Should I follow up?
Once, after a week to ten days. Any more and you are competing with the process rather than the other candidates.
More job and recruiting templates
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After the interview
The thank you that adds something rather than repeats.
Job and recruiting
Candidate outreach
Approaching someone who is not looking for a job.
Use this template in Gmail
Copy the HTML above and paste it into Mailplate, the free Gmail extension that inlines the CSS so the layout survives sending. Or edit the wording directly in the preview and insert it into your message.
See Mailplate