Any opinions on ‘cold emails’ for jobs hunting?

Hello

Can anyone give some advices/thoughts on this? → Emails destined for creative studios that aren’t necessarily looking to hire at the moment (or don’t have a vacancy/job-ad anywhere), asking if they might be looking for someone, need a hand or if they can provide a possible position/opportunity — now or in the future?

Any advices are greatly appreciated (e.g.: good/bad idea, if appropriate what to include in the email, what should I know before hand, etc.).

Thank you.

Raffa

Replies29

  • Hey Raffa,

    I wouldn't suggest cold emailing, but sending bespoke speculative applications for company's that you want to work with is a great idea. I have hired a bunch of people because of their speculative applications. If it's designed for a specific company shows unique interest in the company!

    Best,
    Kotryna
  • @David Woolfall Hi David,

    Great tips, thank you.

    Calling sounds amazing to me! I am all about keeping it real and emailing might feel from (and that I might be speaking to) a robot sometime.

    Thank you for this, I might consider calling too.
  • I think its OK

    I think just sending a batch of emails to a bunch of people is annoying- people can tell and it feels in personal and a tad lazy.

    Look at the company website and see who it is you want to contact- send it to her, or him directly. Call them even! (i know, old school) This is a good time to call. People might appreciate the contact.

    x
  • Go for it!

    Those emails, Especially with the right approach and right timing can be really effective.

    Definitely do some research before sending the email so that it can be relevant to their current activities, They will be more likely to reply and remember you in future or possibly find something to collaborate with you on.
  • @ɐɹoᗡ ɐuu∀ ˥ Hi (I’m guessing) Anna?

    Your name ain’t too shabby either (especially the way you’ve typed it). ;)

    Thank you for your thoughts — makes sense.
  • @Daniel Nieuwenhuizen Hi Daniel,

    Thank you for responding, really helpful — I’ll keep that in mind.
  • I work in People and Talent so I'm in reciept of a lot of emails with cold outreach.
    A few things to consider.
    1. GDPR means your CV has to be stored appropriatley, so if the business doesn't have measures in place you may find it gets deleted.
    2. We are literally recieving hundreds of CV's. If your emails doesnt stand out it might get missed
    3. Time of day matters. Send it last thing in the evening so it's top of the pile in the morning
    4. With all the will in the world we won't remember every cold outreach, so you do need to send a regular nudge if you really want to work there
  • I'm all for it - if you don't tell people that you exist, and you want to work with them, how on earth will they know?

    Obviously, be polite. Be interesting and interested too - put the effort in to your cold email so it lands warm e.g. do your research and mention a project the person you're writing to worked on (or anything else that might be relevant/appropriate).
  • Hey Raffaele, I receive these exact emails and always keep them on file for when jobs/roles come up - would definitely recommend sending. Although it is a bit more work, the ones that stand out are the ones where it is obvious that the sender has done their research on our company. I see the effort they put in and it encourages me to reciprocate and read their email / CV. Unfortunately when I am on the receiving end of a mass email out (and it can be obvious) the email usually just gets filed away.
  • I've had some great CV's come through from cold calling. Even if there's not a role immediately available if someone has taken time to write a personal email, it's clear that they've done their research and they can tell me why they think they'd be a great fit I'll always keep their CV on file incase opportunities arise.
  • Hi Raffaele (cool name btw)

    I would say cold mailing is okay as far as you can give a value for the company. Generally it's a crucial dimension in networking - if you want something from people than you need to give them something first. In practise for a studio it might can be that you know 3D softwares that still no one does in the team etc.

    Hope it helps. Feel free to check out my work on https://www.instagram.com/annadoralascsik/
  • Hi Raffa,
    Reaching out to agencies/studios that you admire and can relate to is never a bad idea! You never know when the stars are alligned!
    My only advise would be to make it personal and specific and don't overdo it – explain who you are and why you are reching out to them (you relate to their style, they have interesting clients, you love what they did for this or that project etc). I hope this was helpful. Good luck!
  • Speaking just about my opinion here, but I'm personally fine with cold emails, as long as the person sending took the time to understand the company, the work and shows interest. Even better when there's a job opening related to the inquire.

    If it feels like a copy-pasted one it is harder to feel like it was genuine - if there's any tips in there is to explain in detail your interest and bring examples of work/tech you've seen that inspired you to contact that company.

    I personally try to review all portfolios sent to me and keep some saved for later if there are no openings.
  • in my experience, it depends on the type/size of the agency, usually big corporate ones of the like of WPP, Publicis or Omnicom would be a bit of a waste of time as they have their own very strict, almost narrow minded HR policies and any effor outside their standard methods goes straight to the bin, however if it's an independent agency, yes, it has been successful in the past and always well received.

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