What should I write in an email when sending my CV?
60 to 90 words: the exact job, one detail from the advert that shows you read it, two things you have done with figures, and one question so replying is easy. Then your name, your phone number and "CV attached", with the CV as a PDF. Who it goes to matters more than the wording: across 86 cold emails to UK employers, a named person replied 13 times out of 34, 38%, and a generic info@ inbox 4 times out of 42, 10%.
A template that fits in 90 words
Subject: the job title, nothing else.
Hi [name, if the address gave you one],
I saw your [exact job title] role [one detail from the advert: the site, the shift, the product].
[Two things you have done that matter for this job, with a number in each.]
[One question, such as: would it help if I sent my availability for a call this week?]
[Your name]
[Your phone number] · CV attached
More detail and a worked example: the full template.
Who it goes to matters most
| Sent to | Emails | Replies | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| A named person | 34 | 13 | 38% |
| A generic inbox (info@, enquiries@) | 42 | 4 | 10% |
From 86 cold emails to UK employers, counted one by one; the rest went to other kinds of address. Never guess an address to reach a person: use one the company publishes. Why.
The CV itself
- One PDF, named like a human:
Your Name CV.pdf. - No separate covering-letter file. The email is the covering letter.
- Do not attach it again on a follow-up. More on attaching a CV.
Need the address first? Type the company's name and see what it publishes, free, with no account.
Where these numbers come from
86 cold emails to real UK employers over four weeks, sent by one person looking for work, logged as they went. 22 replies. The full method and every table is in the playbook, free, no account.
They are engineering and technician roles in Scotland, so a different trade may behave differently. Where a row is thin it says so on the row.
Since then: 171 applications across 137 employers, 32 replies, 19%. Live, and updated after every run.
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