How to Stop Recruiters Dead in Their Tracks (Without Doing What Everyone Else Does)
Humor + Specificity
99% of messages recruiters get start like this
“Hi Mandy, I hope you’re well!”
“Hi Mandy, I hope this finds you well!”
“Hi Mandy, I’m excited to apply to x position…”
Snooze fest…
It’s polite. It’s nice. It’s also forgettable.
Want to stand out? Do what 99% of people don’t—inject humor or hyper-specificity.
Use humor. Make them smile. Be the message they actually remember
Recruiters scroll through messages all day. A generic greeting won’t stop them in their tracks—but a laugh might.
Try something like:
“Hey Mandy, I hope today’s coffee stays hot and the memes in your inbox are elite.”
“Hey Mandy, I hope the winning lottery numbers find you today.”
"Hey Mandy, you know that feeling you get when you hit your toe on the corner of a table? That's how I am going to feel if you ghost me. Can we talk about open roles you may have?"
Unexpected. Lighthearted. Memorable.
Be relentlessly specific
Not a fan of humor? No problem. Specificity is just as powerful. Show recruiters you’ve done your homework and aren’t just spamming applications.
Option 1: Pick a point in the job description
“When I saw [Company] holds daily work sessions and weekly metric reviews, I knew I had to apply. At [Previous Company], I led weekly standups that helped increase project completion rates by 30%—I’d love to bring that impact to your team.”
Option 2: Find common ground with employees
“Like Kate, your CTO, I started my career optimizing delivery routes. I believe [Company] would benefit from someone who already understands the key logistics metrics that drive efficiency.”
Option 3: Sell yourself with confidence
“I’ve read a lot of data analyst job descriptions, and [Company] is the only one that perfectly matches what I’ve been searching for. Let me show you why my SQL expertise is exactly what you need.”
The bottom line:
Recruiters skim through hundreds of messages a day.
If you want a response, give them a reason to remember you.
Be bold. Be different. Have fun.
What’s the best (or worst) cold message you’ve ever sent?
*A few nuggets curated from LinkedIn from Mo Chen and Emily Mucken
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