Career
The Guide to Getting a Job with Cold Email
Cold email is the magic spell for getting a job at any company you want. Short of a warm intro, it's the best way to get in touch with a great company you'd like to work for.
This is specifically a cold email guide for job seekers who want to work at startups. Not B2B sales.
The Mindset
- You can email any company, even if they don't have a job posted. Startups make exceptions.
- Cold email works for real people to land real jobs.
- It's more effective if you're competent at something valuable and have demonstrated it.
- There's a huge chasm between effective and ineffective cold emails.
What NOT to Do
- Don't write more than ~200 words. Less is more. Nobody wants to read an unsolicited letter from a stranger.
- Don't use fancy words. "Executed on key initiatives" becomes "drove impact" becomes "helped increase ARR by $1M in 3 months." Read it out loud. Sound like a human.
- Don't send without an ask. Include one specific, clear thing you want them to do.
- Don't be vague. Remove abstraction. Add examples. "I work with early-stage startups (like X and Y)."
- Don't be spammy or dishonest. Max 1-2 follow-ups. Don't lie. Don't fake personalization.
The Format
Say three things:
- Who you are
- Why you are reaching out
- Why they should care
Real Examples That Worked
Email to Evan Spiegel (Snapchat CEO):
"Hey, my name's Niraj Pant.
I understand your time is valuable. I'll only write three bullet points.
Programming since 8th grade.
Have most experience working in Java/Obj-C/Android/iOS.
Want to intern for Snapchat this summer as a high school junior.
How?"
I understand your time is valuable. I'll only write three bullet points.
Programming since 8th grade.
Have most experience working in Java/Obj-C/Android/iOS.
Want to intern for Snapchat this summer as a high school junior.
How?"
Copywriting pitch:
"Hey Ryan - [product] is so good. Used it last week for [reason] and was impressed (especially by how good the notification selection/timing is).
Question: how are you doing on copywriting at the moment?
Asking because I write for startups.
Don't want to blast you with a wall of text so re: work background, that's mostly on the site in my email address. Happy to share a bunch of past work if it would be helpful."
Question: how are you doing on copywriting at the moment?
Asking because I write for startups.
Don't want to blast you with a wall of text so re: work background, that's mostly on the site in my email address. Happy to share a bunch of past work if it would be helpful."
Product/engineering pitch:
"Hey Kevin - heard about Your Company from a friend.
I'm emailing because I saw you just raised a seed round and I'd like to help you build the product. Two things that may be relevant:
- I worked at That Company, where I helped to build Successful Feature (big driver of ARR).
- I built Personal Project, which currently has 100,000 active users.
Can share more about other work, but feel like these two are perhaps the most relevant.
I think I could help you build out [Product] quickly and would like to learn more.
Worth a chat?"
I'm emailing because I saw you just raised a seed round and I'd like to help you build the product. Two things that may be relevant:
- I worked at That Company, where I helped to build Successful Feature (big driver of ARR).
- I built Personal Project, which currently has 100,000 active users.
Can share more about other work, but feel like these two are perhaps the most relevant.
I think I could help you build out [Product] quickly and would like to learn more.
Worth a chat?"
How to Find People
- Find interesting companies (Next Play, YC, etc.)
- Research what they do. Think about what would actually be helpful to them.
- Find the CEO or hiring manager on LinkedIn. When in doubt, email the CEO.
- Find email address by guessing (firstname@company.com) or tools like Nymeria, ContactOut, Clay.
- Send your email.
- Follow up once.
Why They Might Not Reply (Even With a Great Email)
- Not a priority for the founder right now
- You don't have something valuable enough to offer
- Too busy and didn't see your email
- Forgot to respond (why you follow up 1-2x)
- Didn't like your email for some odd reason
- Email went to spam
The reality: You probably need to email more than 1 startup. Do this for 10, 20, or 30 companies. If you follow this advice and email ~30 companies, at least one will respond.
"Is it worth a few hours of work for an email that may change the course of your life? That's for you to decide."
Related
- Advice for Generalists - Ben Lang's guide to standing out as a generalist