Here’s a time where I would like to poll the audience.
We all get spam. No matter the filter, the subject, or the content- we all get spam. Even gmail. (Gasp! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!)
So how do you make your email appear legitimate? Mind you, my emails are still legitimate even if I do find some of email addresses I send to on the internet and have to address them ‘To Whom It May Concern’. The first blind emails I sent were to staff at HBO. There was a debate on what to put in the subject heading of those emails. Networking Question? College Grad Looking for Work? Entry Level Position? None of those emails can be read without also having an inappropriate meaning for a spam email. Finally, we settled on: Job Inquiry. They now know exactly why I am writing, and that it is safe enough to open. On the flip side, who wants to be pestered with a job inquiry? My hope is that people are at least kind enough to forward it along to the Human Resources Department, even if they don’t bother to read it themselves. ‘Job Inquiry’ has been my go-to subject heading ever since. Sometimes I add in the name of the position I am applying for, other times I add in entry-level or the name of the company.
But sometimes, you want to make sure you are noticed. Professional, creative, basically someone who is on top of her game.
It was when I started sending blind emails to people at Comedy Central that I decided we needed to spice it up a little. Add some oomph.
Again, there was a lot of debate. Finally, I wrote a haiku:
Comedy Central.Yes, it’s a weird thing to put in the subject line of an email. But hopefully it will reach the inbox of someone who goes, “Oh. 5 – 7 – 5. Clever."
Respects Creativity.
A Job Inquiry.
Sometimes I put in front of it
‘A Haiku: Comedy Central. Respects Creativity. A Job Inquiry.’
Just so they understand what I did.
Although I guess if I have to explain to them what I was doing that was so witty and clever, it kind of negates the wittiness and cleverness of the whole thing.
So I’m back to my original idea of polling the audience.
What is a clever, catchy, informative, attention grabbing, interest sparking, safe, non spam sounding line, that one could write in the subject box of a blind email to a potential employer or networking opportunity that might inspire them to actually open the email?
