While not the latest technology, email is a great way to reach out to talented people and let them know you’re interested in them (or their very talented friends). For a successful email campaign, it’s important to do a few things really well. Here’s how to send out emails that will generate interest and get you closer to finding the right talent.

It starts with the subject line and preheader

The first step is getting people to open your email. Luckily there are marketing agencies obsessed with this sort of thing. Adestra is one UK company that has a large database tracking open rates for emails so you can see what subject lines and keywords have the most traction. One thing they recommend to stir some curiosity is to frame the subject as a question: “Looking for a new opportunity in XXXX?”. A strong active command might work well too: “See who’s hiring [position] in [city]”. A lot of emails get tossed or never make it to the inbox, a good subject line can help get past these barriers.

Concise and personalized

Personalize your emails with names and cities as much as you can. This goes a long way in providing the feeling of exclusivity. If the candidate thinks that you reached out to them because you know they’re talented, they’re going to like you much more than if it seems like a form letter.
It also helps to use some graphics and less copy. Think of email as one small stone on a path that leads the candidate to your site then eventually through your doors. That means you don’t have to do too much besides say you’re hiring for this position in the email. Then let the user click to learn more about you on the path you want them to take.

Track

The only way to get better at emails is by tracking your open and click-thru rates and seeing what’s working. You can download research, but nothing beats knowing what’s happening with the actual emails you send out. Start collecting the data and adjusting to what’s working.

An email campaign can yield some great candidates and it doesn’t require a huge investment. It’s amazing how your pools of talent can grow as you move forward with your campaign. There’s never been a lower barrier between candidates and jobs with all the personal technology at play, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need more advanced technology, it might mean you have to use everyday tech more intelligently.

About NextGen

NextGen is the brainchild of longtime telecom professionals with nearly 50 years of experience and millions of dollars in Telecom Recruiting Services. We focus on establishing long term relationships with our clients and candidates so we can recruit the best and the brightest in the telecom industry. This ‘quality over quantity’ approach is at the heart of everything we do and has resulted in successful job placements at Fortune 1000 firms worldwide.