47 cold emails from executives hit my inbox last week. I replied to 3.
All 3 were under 100 words.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀
A retained search consultant runs 2 to 4 active mandates at any given time.
I screen roughly 15 candidates per week.
A 400-word email lands in the read-later pile. That pile gets cleared once a quarter.
Maybe.
Short emails get answered the same day. In line. Between calls.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮
→ Line 4: Sign-off. No CV attached.
→ Line 2: Why this firm and this consultant. One sentence. Make it win/win.
→ Line 1: Who you are. Role, scope, industry. One sentence.
→ Line 3: "Would you be open to a 15-minute conversation in the coming weeks?"
Four lines. Every one earns its place.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝟰𝟰
→ An attached CV I didn't ask for. Sending it unsolicited shifts the whole dynamic.
→ A subject line like "Senior Executive Available." That's a classified ad, not an email.
→ Asking for a job instead of a conversation. "Do you have any openings?" is how you talk to a staffing agency.
Each one made me feel like I was being sold to. And I stopped reading.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆
Open your last outreach email to a headhunter. Count the words. Count the attachments.
If it's over 100 words, rewrite it.
If a CV is attached, remove it.
If you asked for a job, ask for a conversation instead.
Short gets read. Short gets replied to. Most executives send long. That's why most never hear back.
🚨 Todays newsletter contains a prompt for headhunter outreach and one for follow-up. See link in the comments.
__
Hi I am Kristof, 🏆 Top 3 Career Coach Worldwide (Favikon ’26), headhunter and author of the bestselling newsletter “Job Search Unlocked”
All 3 were under 100 words.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀
A retained search consultant runs 2 to 4 active mandates at any given time.
I screen roughly 15 candidates per week.
A 400-word email lands in the read-later pile. That pile gets cleared once a quarter.
Maybe.
Short emails get answered the same day. In line. Between calls.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮
→ Line 4: Sign-off. No CV attached.
→ Line 2: Why this firm and this consultant. One sentence. Make it win/win.
→ Line 1: Who you are. Role, scope, industry. One sentence.
→ Line 3: "Would you be open to a 15-minute conversation in the coming weeks?"
Four lines. Every one earns its place.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝟰𝟰
→ An attached CV I didn't ask for. Sending it unsolicited shifts the whole dynamic.
→ A subject line like "Senior Executive Available." That's a classified ad, not an email.
→ Asking for a job instead of a conversation. "Do you have any openings?" is how you talk to a staffing agency.
Each one made me feel like I was being sold to. And I stopped reading.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆
Open your last outreach email to a headhunter. Count the words. Count the attachments.
If it's over 100 words, rewrite it.
If a CV is attached, remove it.
If you asked for a job, ask for a conversation instead.
Short gets read. Short gets replied to. Most executives send long. That's why most never hear back.
🚨 Todays newsletter contains a prompt for headhunter outreach and one for follow-up. See link in the comments.
__
Hi I am Kristof, 🏆 Top 3 Career Coach Worldwide (Favikon ’26), headhunter and author of the bestselling newsletter “Job Search Unlocked”