Passive candidate email
This is a cold email template you can use when sourcing passive candidates for an open position or trying to hire for hard-to-fill roles in your company. Use this template to compose informative and appealing emails that will save you time and are more likely to get a positive response. You can easily customize this passive candidate email template to keep a more formal or informal tone, aligned with your company culture.
Cold emails usually have a low response rate. To increase the possibilities your candidates open and respond to your emails, make sure you personalize your subject line and body text to approach candidates in a more personal, warm way. At this point, you want to offer a brief introduction and let your candidates know about your current opening. Keep your message short and include only what’s absolutely necessary: what the job is, why you think your candidate might be interested (and where you heard about them) and when you would like to schedule a call to discuss the job opportunity. Your candidates might also appreciate a link pointing them to an official job description. Keep in mind that if you’re addressing a European candidate, you need to link to your privacy notice too, as required by the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR.
If you’re a small company and chances are your candidates haven’t heard of you, you might want to consider adding some information about your company. Your best approach would be to add some links (like your company website and careers page) in your signature, so as not to overload your message. Also, make sure your signature includes all necessary information for candidates to reach you via email, phone or social media. As passive candidate emails can be a little tricky, it’s a good idea to use a template to avoid common mistakes.
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Here’s an example email to passive candidates:
Subject line: [Company_name] is looking for a [job_title] / Interested in joining our team at [Company_name]?
Hi [Candidate_Name],
I am [your name], [your job_title] at [company_name]. I saw your profile on [e.g. LinkedIn or GitHub] and I was really impressed by your experience in [add specific field or an achievement that caught your eye].
We are currently looking for a [job_title – add link to the job description] to join our team. I’d love to tell you a little more about this position and learn a few things about you, as well. Are you available [include date and time or a period of time, e.g. ‘sometime this week’]? If so, I’d be happy to set up a call. I’m also happy to coordinate via email or LinkedIn, if you prefer.
I hope you have a great day,
[Your name]
[Signature]
More resources:
- Learn more about Sourcing 101 in our Hiring Guide for Startups
- More email templates: 12 time-saving email templates for recruiters
- Tutorial: What makes candidates respond to recruiting emails?
- Tutorial: How to source passive candidates