How to cold email for a job (with templates)

1. Pick companies where an email can still make a difference

An email works best where hiring is still personal: startups that just raised money, small teams that posted a role in the last few days, and teams inside large companies where an engineer can refer you. It works worst for roles that have been open for months with thousands of applicants.

• Recently funded startups: a new round usually means new hiring plans, often before the roles are posted.
• Fresh job posts: the first few days are when the hiring manager is still reading everything.
• Teams you have real overlap with: the same stack, the same domain (payments, logistics, healthcare), or a problem you have solved before.

2. Write to a person, not an inbox

Generic addresses like jobs@ and careers@ go to the same pile as the application form. Write to someone who can act on it.

• At a startup of under 50 people: a founder or the CTO.
• At a larger startup: the engineering manager or tech lead of the team that's hiring.
• At a large company: an engineer at your level on the team, for a referral. Managers and directors get far more email and rarely refer.
• A recruiter is a good second choice when the role is posted and you can't find the team.

3. Keep it short and specific

Aim for 80 to 120 words: enough to say who you are and why this team, short enough to read on a phone. Every line should be about them or about proof that you can do the work.

• Subject: the role and the company, or one concrete hook. "Backend engineer, payments, for Razorpay" beats "Job application".
• First line: why this company, in one sentence that only fits them.
• Proof: one achievement with a number, close to what they need ("moved nightly batch jobs to a Kafka pipeline and cut settlement time from 6 hours to 40 minutes").
• The ask: small and easy to say yes to. A 15-minute call, or whether they'd refer you, or who the right person is.
• Your resume attached as a PDF, and one link (LinkedIn or GitHub), not five.

Hi {First name},

Congratulations on the Series A. I saw you're building {what they do}, and I'd love to help build the {area} side as you grow the team.

I'm a backend engineer with 3 years on payment systems; at {Current company} I moved our nightly settlement jobs to an event pipeline and cut settlement time from 6 hours to 40 minutes.

Would you be open to a 15-minute call this week? My resume is attached.

Thanks,
{Your name}

Hi {First name},

I saw the {Role} opening on your team. {One sentence on why their product or problem interests you}.

I've spent {N} years on {closest experience}, most recently {one result with a number}.

I've applied through the careers page as well; if it's useful, I'd be glad to talk for 15 minutes. Resume attached.

Thanks,
{Your name}

4. Follow up once or twice, then stop

Most replies come after a follow-up, because the first email arrived on a busy day. Reply in the same thread so the context is right there.

• Day 4: a two-line nudge ("Bumping this in case it got buried; happy to share more about {relevant project}.").
• Day 10: a last note with something new, such as a small piece of work on their product, or a short "no worries if the timing isn't right".
• After that, move on. Note it down, and try again if they raise again or post a new role.

5. Track it like a pipeline

Keep a list: company, person, date sent, follow-up dates, and the reply. Ten good emails a week, tracked and followed up, do more than fifty sent and forgotten.

Cold Email Desk does the slow parts for you: it finds fresh roles and newly funded startups that fit your profile, rates each one, finds the right person, writes the first draft in your voice, and reminds you on day 4 and day 10. You still read it, edit it and press Send yourself.

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