How to Master LinkedIn Cold Outreach
So what is cold outreach?
Cold email outreach is when you contact someone via email who doesn’t know or have any connection with you.
Sound intimidating? You’re not alone….the concept of reaching out to a stranger to ask for advice/ help can seem off-putting, so we will break it down here to show why we conduct cold outreach, how it can benefit you as a job seeker, and easy steps so you can give cold outreach a warm welcome.
Message Templates: Linkedin Friendly Cold Outreach Templates
Why we do Cold Outreach?
- Gain visibility with hiring managers: On average, each job posting receives 250+ applications. Combine that with the fact that 3 out of 4 resumes are never seen by employers and we begin to see why don’t always hear back on job postings. Cold outreach is like waving to an employer and saying “Hey, Look at me for this job opening!”
- Build Connections/ Grow our Network: Cold outreach messaging is the virtual way of making connections at a networking event! This allows us to build our professional network with people who can give us insight and advice in our job search and career development. And it’s all about who you know! Build a strong network and you can be networking your way into new opportunities!
- Tap into the “Hidden Job Market”: The hidden job market…the term used to describe jobs that aren’t advertised or posted online. Employers might not post jobs for a number of reasons — for example, they might be trying to save money on advertising, or they might prefer getting candidates through employee referrals
Who are we “Cold Outreaching” to?
- Hiring managers/employees at companies we have applied to work at!
- Hiring managers/ employers at companies we are interested in working at!
- Folks in the industry who have a job/ career you are interested in pursuing!
Sold on trying Cold Outreach now? Good! Now let’s break down how we do it….
Here’s a few steps on how to Conduct Cold Outreach on Linkedin
- Find the person you want to reach out to on Linkedin (search for the company profile, go to the company profile page, and filter employees by job title…search for Recruiters and people with the job title you are applying for (ex: Data Analyst)
- Send a connection request with a personalized note
For example:
“Hi [Name]! I’d love to connect in order to learn about how your team operates to see if I might be a good fit for the [Data Analyst] opening. Any thoughts/insight would be much appreciated; thank you! -[Your Name]”
3. Send a Follow-Up Message After they Accept your Connection request (Be sure to include a call to action + quick overview on who you are/ job you are pursing)
Message Templates: Linkedin Friendly Cold Outreach Templates
4. Follow Up from Your Message If more than a week passes with no reply- send a quick follow up!
5. If they DO reply….try to keep the convo going/ ask them questions- the goal is to build rapport so they can be your advocate/ more willing to help!
Check out this Sample Message Thread:
FIRST MESSAGE ONCE CONNECTION REQUEST ACCEPTED
Hi [NAME] , Thanks for connecting and hope your week is going well! I saw you joined [COMPANY] [NUMBER] years ago and am impressed by your background. I am new to the [INDUSTRY] world and would love to pick your brain. How have you enjoyed working at [COMPANY]?
I recently applied to a job there as [COMPANY] is one of the top companies on my list. But I always like to ask first-hand about the work environment at a company. Thanks!
SECOND MESSAGE ONCE THEY REPLY
By the way, do you know if the POSITION NAME position that’s posted on WEBSITE YOU SAW THE POSTING is within your group? Or do you know who typically does the hiring for that type of role? I’m sure there are many applicants for this role but I didn’t want my application to get lost in the shuffle online.
THIRD MESSAGE ONCE THEY REPLY
Great. Would you be willing to float my resume over to them? I’m very interested in learning more about the role.
Check out this Video Walkthrough on Linkedin Cold Outreach
Key Takeaway/ TLDR:
Keep the conversation going and try to build rapport with them! The more you connect, the more likely that individual is to be your advocate within the company
