Product Design 101: Writing cold messages recruiters will respond to

Finding a job has never been harder, especially for people in product. As companies lay off thousands of employees, product teams seem to be the first to go. Brands that are struggling can’t afford to improve their products and instead focus on maintaining their business and keeping money in the bank.

When you’re looking for a new position (whether that be full-time, part-time, internship, or contract), sending cold messages is often overlooked. A lot of people are intimidated by the idea of sending messages to companies without any context. Product designers especially have it difficult, as you’re not just listing your experience, you have to link to portfolios, Dribbble/Behance pages, or case studies.

Fear not! I’ve sent tons of cold messages and put together a short guide to how I go about sending messages to recruiters/hiring managers. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Step 1: Find the right company

This may sound simple, but in actuality, it’s incredibly complicated. Pick a company based on your goals. If your experience is with mobile design, decide what sector you’re going for (i.e. social media, gaming, personal finance, productivity, etc.), and search for companies in that specific sector. I started out designing UX for software, and since then transitioned to product design for enterprise SaaS tools.

Step 2: Find the right person

Reaching out to the right person is critical. Especially at larger companies, you have the choice of recruiters, hiring managers, product design managers, UX leads, team leads, amongst hundreds of other titles. Choosing the person to reach out to depends on what kind of role you’re looking for. Oftentimes, I find the most success with product design managers, as they’re almost always willing to talk about roles/positions and are the best people to refer you to the proper channels. You can’t go wrong with asking others who hold similar positions at the company you’re applying at for intros.

Step 3: Creating the relationship

Never send a cold message unsolicited. Before sending a cold message, make sure to connect with the person on LinkedIn and react or comment on a few of their posts over the course of a couple of weeks. Remember- you’re not just asking for a job. You’re creating a relationship with this person that will hopefully survive even if there isn’t an opening right away. You want the recruiter/hiring manager to think of you next time there’s an opening. Make sure to ask questions about the positions.

Step 4: Crafting the message

Here’s the fun part: writing the message. I like to be short, punchy, and succinct. I usually follow a flow like this: Name/title → mention interest in X position → a few sentences with experience → call to action → express gratitude. Keep it short, sweet, and end on a call to action (i.e. “Let me know if you’d like to find a time to discuss” or “I’d love to chat more about this position, please let me know if you’d be open to continuing this conversation”). I like to write with a more casual tone, but that depends on the position. If you’re looking for a position at a startup, your tone can be more casual. If you’re applying for a position at a larger company, be more formal. A strategy that I like to use with tone is to mimic the company’s style. Look at their website, read their blog posts, check out their socials and LinkedIn posts, and make note of any particular writing style, colloquialisms, or text structures that they might use. This is especially helpful since that first impression shows that you might be a good personality fit for the role.

All in all, cold messages can be a great way of creating a great first impression with recruiters/hiring managers. I tend to use cold messages to learn more about positions, or if companies are looking to hire in a capacity that I’m available in at that time (i.e. part-time or contract). This format has given me lots of success when looking for internships, contract work, or just creating relationships. Let me know if it works for you in the comment section!

Hey! I’m Max, a Digital Product Designer. Currently, I’m working with Vendr (YC S19) on internal & external software design. I love working on SaaS, web, and mobile products, especially in the financial technology space. Connect with me on LinkedIn, or check out my portfolio!

I wrote this piece for Augment Official, a platform that empowers and elevates students interested in career growth. Check out our Medium page for more articles!