Emails Recruiters Send and the Responses They Expect

One of the most stressful things you’ll ever do is looking for a new position. Maybe it’s the high stakes behind the search that make it easy to over-analyze all parts of it, especially when it comes to how you respond to the sending of emails. I know that I spent far too long trying to write the perfect answers to every single email I received before I became a recruiter. I thought they had to be perfect, because on the line there was a job. But when I began to write emails to candidates, I quickly realized that people put too much pressure on themselves to “get their answers right.” So, before you spend the whole weekend trying to figure out how to sign up (it’s better or better).

Scheduling an interview on phone:

If you want to avoid offending someone, it makes sense to plan a phone interview. But I know two things from my experience in recruiting: Recruiters are busy and when they want to schedule a phone interview, it takes the most offensive email ever to ruin your candidacy.

How do I answer?

If a recruiter asks you to speak for a specific time, write back and say, “This time works for me. If he or she asks you to speak times, use this template: Hello[ name of recruiter], Thank you very much for reaching out. I can speak at[ insert dates and times for a phone interview]. Looking forward to talking to you about the role! name] It’s all you need. It doesn’t have to be wordy, or even go too far to highlight your interest in the role.

Can you resend your curriculum?

You might think, “Wait, what? Need an updated curriculum vitae? Don’t you think I sent you the original version? “if so, take a deep breath and relax. Even if a company has a sophisticated system for tracking applicants, technology sometimes doesn’t cooperate and websites go down, files become corrupt and a wide range of things can happen to your curriculum vitae that would make a recruiter have to ask for another copy. If it happens, don’t read too much about it. Send it back and believe you haven’t done anything wrong.

How to answer:

This one’s relatively straightforward: Hello[ Recruiter Name], I hope you’re well. A copy of my CV is attached. If I can resend any other materials, please let me know. Best,[ name] Seriously, that’s what it takes. Don’t try to figure out why this was asked by a recruiter. Send it to you.

Do you have time today to chat?

This is different from the email of the phone interview. Much different. It could mean a lot of things.

How to answer?

They’re all very, very straightforward. And I hope it’s good news for you. Here’s how you can respond to a quick chat request: Hello[ Recruiter Name], thank you for following me up! I’m there[ insert times that day you can speak]. Please let me know if any of those times work for you, and if not, I’d be glad to find a time for both of us. [name] Best