Everybody gets a ton of emails these days. When you are job
searching and reaching out to people either for networking purposes or to apply
for a job, you are really hoping that your email doesn’t get buried in their
inbox and never opened. You don’t have a lot of control over how your message
is received, but you can control the content of what you write. Strong and specific
email subject lines will help to maximize the open rates of your job search and
networking emails. Instead of generic subjects like “Introduction”, “Hello”, or
“Following Up” try giving more detail.
When you are reaching out for an information interview, you can write:
- NIH Postdoc Seeking Science Policy Career Advice
- Fellow UVA Alum Interested in Industry
When you email companies or people about job openings, you can write:
- PhD Curious About Openings at AstraZeneca/Company
- Question About Current Opening – XYZ
This article details many scenarios including requesting an introduction, following up when you haven’t heard back, sending thank you notes, etc. They also note good email subject lines for each situation.
