An introductory email is a correspondence that makes initial contact with potential employers, clients, and collaborators to explain who you are and how you can help them. The document provides tips for writing an effective introductory email, including doing research on the recipient, using a clear subject line, writing an appropriate salutation, explaining your reason for writing, including a call to action, using a professional closing, checking for clarity and accuracy, and following up if no response is received. It also provides an example of a sample introductory email that incorporates these tips.

1. FINDING A JOB
How to Introduce Yourself Over Email January 26, 2020
Indeed.com
Email is an efficient and cost-effective way to reach future
employers, clients and other
business contacts. Sending an email to introduce yourself as a
potential employee, new
network connection or service provider is an opportunity to
present yourself as a qualified
professional. To write an introductory email that yields a
positive response, you should be
authentic, clear and engaging. In this article, we’ll show you
how to best introduce yourself
in an email and provide an example.
What is an introductory email?
An introductory email is a correspondence that makes initial
contact with potential
employers, clients and collaborators, explaining who you are
and how you can help them.

2. You can use an introductory email to apply for a job, contact a
potential client or meet a
helpful professional in your field. A good introductory email
should be clear, concise and
free of grammatical errors.
HOW TO WRITE AN INTRODUCTORY EMAIL
Here are 11 steps you can follow to write an effective
introductory email:
1. Do your research
If you’re not sure who should receive the email, review the
target company’s websites and
social media to identify which recipient would yield the best
results for your purpose. If they
have written a book, article or blog post, try to read them for
reference if necessary. If
they’ve spoken at a conference, you might be able to watch
their speech on a video hosting
site.
Knowing the specific intended recipient will help you craft a
more authentic and interesting
email than if you write to a general audience.

3. 2. Start with a clear subject line
In your subject line, consider mentioning a common
acquaintance or suggesting a way to
meet in person. Try to keep it short, since many people read
emails on their mobile devices,
and a long subject line might not appear on their screen. If you
are introducing yourself for a
potential job, mention the position title in the subject line.
Examples: “Louise Comacho suggested I contact you,” “Sales
manager position—
Alejandra Ruiz” or “Lunch this week?”
3. Write an appropriate salutation
You can use a simple greeting, such as “Dear,” in any situation.
If you are writing to someone
in a more traditional industry, such as banking, finance or
medicine, you can use formal
terms like “Dear Mr. Lee.” In a more casual industry, such as
lifestyle blogging, you could opt
for a greeting with their first name, like “Hello Jamel.” Be
careful to spell your recipient’s

4. name correctly, and avoid using generic greetings such as “Dear
sir” or “To whom it may
concern” so your email is more personalized.
4. Explain your reason for writing
Once you have gained your recipient’s interest and described
who you are, concisely explain
why you’re emailing them. If you’re reaching out about a job
opportunity, you might also
include how the recipient could benefit from your
qualifications. Be sure to read the job
description and incorporate keywords that align with your
background.
Example: “I am writing to see if you are interested in featuring
Blue Wave Agency in our
2020 full-color catalog of Miami advertising agencies. We have
over 75,000 subscribers and
are planning to expand into the Florida west coast market this
year.”
5. Provide a call to action
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-
letters/how-to-address-a-cover-letter-with-examples
Toward the end of your email, offer a direct call to action. This

5. will make it easier and more
likely for the recipient to respond to your email. This call to
action can range from providing
a link for them to subscribe to your newsletter to a more
personal invitation to meet.
Example: “If this sounds like an exciting opportunity for Blue
Wave, please fill out
this form, and we will contact you to determine whether you’d
like a two or four-
page professionally photographed, full-color spread.”
6. Include a professional closing
The closing of your introductory email is the final impression
the recipient will have of you,
so be polite and professional. When closing your email,
“Sincerely,” “Yours sincerely” or
“Regards” are appropriate for any industry. The objective is for
the recipient to respond to
your email, so include several ways that they can contact you.
Add your telephone number,
email and a link to your professional networking site or
company profile.
7. Check for clarity and accuracy
Before you send your email, check the message for clarity and

6. length. Review the tone to
ensure that it fits the recipient’s company culture and isn’t too
casual or formal. Finally,
check your document for spelling and grammar to ensure you
present a professional image to
your recipient.
8. Follow up on your introductory email
If you don’t receive a response for several days, it is usually
appropriate to send a follow-up
email. If you decide to send a second message, thank them again
for their attention and
include another call to action.
Example: “Hello Ms. Kalaidjian, I understand that you have a
lot of commitments, but
I wanted to follow up on my earlier email. Have you had a
chance to review my
marketing proposal? If you require any information from me,
please let me know. I
look forward to your response.”
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-
letters/how-to-close-a-cover-letter-examples
Related: Follow-Up Email Tips for After the Interview

7. INTRODUCTORY EMAIL TIPS
While you should certainly craft your email based on your
reason for writing and the person
you’re writing to, here are a few tips you might consider for
optimizing your message:
• Explain why you can help them.
Briefly discuss how you have made a relevant impact so the
recipient thoroughly
understands the benefits of your product, service or personal
professional background
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/follow-up-
email-examples-after-interview
(if applying for a job). This part of your email can show that
you have researched the
firm you are contacting, so use any applicable data that
measures your successes.
• Focus on the recipient
Try to focus on the recipient at the beginning of your email to
gain their attention. For
example, instead of writing, “I am a sales assistant at Stellar
Shoe Company with 14
years of experience,” try, “I enjoyed listening to your interview
on The Sales Pitch

8. podcast.” This approach will demonstrate that you have done
your research and have a
genuine interest in developing your professional relationship.
• Find mutual interests
When introducing yourself, try to mention commonalities
between you and the
recipient. For example, if you attended the same college or if
they’re a member of a
shared service organization, detail the relationship. Having
common interests can
make your initial interaction more friendly, which could make
your recipient more
likely to contact you in the future.
SAMPLE INTRODUCTORY EMAIL
Message line: Helen O’Brien suggested I contact you about the
assistant position
Dear Ms. Tanaka,
I am writing to you at the suggestion of our mutual friend,
Helen O’Brien. Helen and I both
attended the Sales Max Conference in Miami in October at
which you spoke. When I
mentioned to Helen how useful I found your presentation, she
mentioned that you were
hiring a new assistant.

9. I have worked as an assistant to Laura Coleman, CEO of Shoes
Forever, for the past six years
and found the experience of being a personal assistant both
enjoyable and rewarding. I
moved to Florida for family reasons and am looking for a
similar position in which I can
employ my excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
During my time with Ms.
Coleman, I reduced the length of her working hours by three
hours per week by
reorganizing her schedule. In addition, I saved the company
$1,500 per year in office supplies
by consolidating suppliers and negotiating better terms, and
improved morale and goodwill
with incentive programs.
I would love to send you my resume and Ms. Coleman’s contact
information so she can
provide a reference. Please let me know if this is acceptable. I
am also available to meet in
person any morning next week between 9 and 10 a.m.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
Beth Costello
What is an introductory email?An introductory email is a
correspondence that makes initial contact with potential
employers, clients and collaborators, explaining who you are
and how you can help them. You can use an introductory email
to apply for a job, contact a potential clien...HOW TO WRITE
AN INTRODUCTORY EMAIL1. Do your research2. Start with
a clear subject line3. Write an appropriate salutation4. Explain

10. your reason for writing5. Provide a call to action6. Include a
professional closing7. Check for clarity and accuracy8. Follow
up on your introductory emailINTRODUCTORY EMAIL
TIPSSAMPLE INTRODUCTORY EMAIL
HOST2064/CMDI2064 Career and Personal Development
Assignment
Online Submission Due Friday, February 7, 2020
Worth 30% of overall grade
By “developing” your future, you will get a better sense of
control over your life and you will
make better decisions on the way. It is easier to get where you
wish to go once you identify
where you are going and how you will get there. Effective
preparation decreases the risk of
things going wrong with your journey while increasing the
potential of reaching goals.
Objectives:
In completing this exercise students will:
• Recognise what is important in your career and life
• Gain an awareness of valuable strengths and talents
• Identify any personal blocks or constraints and consider how
you might overcome them
• Have a clearer vision of your future

11. • Identify important goals and develop a path to reach them
• Connect with mentors and people who can support you in
completing your goals
• Discover development opportunities necessary to reach goals
What to do:
• Use the Personal Career Development Submission Worksheet
to complete this
assignment.
• Read over the Personal Career Development Submission
Worksheet so you have an
understanding of what is expected.
• The assignment has four parts (each part is found on the one
worksheet).
o Part One: Self-awareness and goals;
o Part Two: Bringing your actionable plan to life by using the
information gathered
in Part One;
o Part Three: Career Research and Networking section asks you
to research two
companies/jobs that really interest you;
o Part Four: Personal Reflection section asks you to write a
minimum of 250
words on what insights you have gained by doing this work.
• Remember that this assignment is worth 30% of your grade in

12. HOST/CMDI2064 so
you must be thorough in its completion. Not only the grade but
you can really start to
build confidence, skills and knowledge related to very
achievable career goals by
completing this assignment with excellence in mind.
• Do not leave this until the last minute to complete. Instead,
schedule one hour each
week to complete it.
• Review the lesson in Week 4 on Career Planning to gain
further insight into the
purpose and practice of planning for your career.
• Submit a Word or PDF document using the worksheet
provided. Submit online following
by the due date. For all dates, please refer to the Course
Calendar.
• Review the Career Development Plan Rubric so you know how
your assignment
marks break down.
• If you have any questions, please email your professor:
[email protected]
http://www.mindofwinner.com/decision-making-process/
mailto:[email protected]
Career Development Plan Rubric
4-5 3 0-2

13. SELF-ANALYSIS &
REFLECTION
SCORE: __4___
Effectively analyzes own strengths and
weaknesses. This includes additional
development and self-exploration of each key
leadership component and comparison of
personal goals.
Exceptional insight demonstrated; showing
passion and high accountability for actively
moving career forward.
Analyzes one’s own strengths and
weaknesses, but may not contain additional
development and self-exploration or
comparison to personal life goals.
Sufficient insight demonstrated; with some
accountability for actively moving career
forward.
May mention some strengths and
weaknesses, but there is nothing further
discussed or there is no meaningful self-
exploration to establish goals.
Limited, incomplete and demonstrating little
accountability and passion for importance of
having a career plan.

14. GOALS
SCORE: __4___
It is evident that much thought has been put
into relevant and inspired goals. Goal
exploration is well-rounded and include
additional insight including an actionable plan
for how to achieve them.
Goal exploration has been completed but
additional insight including and an actionable
plan for how to achieve them have been
mostly established but further development
is recommended.
Brief discussion, or no discussion, of some
personal goals. Little additional
development or insight. Goals and develop
plan is not in sync.
CONTENT
SCORE: __3___
Appropriate to task, many supporting details;
exceeds all requirements.
Sufficient for task, some supporting details;
meets most requirements.
Limited, somewhat incomplete; meets some
requirements but little effort demonstrated
in developing a meaningful personal plan.

15. DEVELOPMENT
OF A PLAN
SCORE: __3__
Strong comprehension of link between goals,
core skills required and development
opportunities demonstrated for a highly
meaningful career plan.
Sufficient links shown between goals, core
skills required and development
opportunities demonstrated for a meaningful
career plan.
Limited, somewhat incomplete; meets some
requirements but little effort demonstrated
in developing a meaningful career plan.
NETWORKING
SCORE: __3.5___
Exceptional insight shown in researching
meaningful connections syncing student needs
with needs of employer. Passion
demonstrated and authenticity demonstrated
in 2 well-written intro emails following
guidelines of course materials with an
attention-grabbing subject line
Some insight shown in researching
connections demonstrating some matching
of student needs with needs of employer.

16. Some self-awareness demonstrated in 2 intro
emails following guidelines of course
materials with an attention-grabbing subject
line
Limited, somewhat incomplete; meets some
requirements but little effort demonstrated
in networking with two viable sources of
mentorship and development. A lack of
passion, self-awareness and employer
needs’ evident.
GRAMMAR,
SPELLING,
PUNCTUATION
SCORE: _4__
Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are
followed; spelling is correct.
- Language is clear and precise; sentences
display consistently strong, varied structure.
Paper contains few grammatical, punctuation
and spelling errors.
- Language lacks clarity or includes the use of
some jargon or conversational tone.
Paper contains numerous grammatical,
punctuation, and spelling errors.
Language lacks clarity and meaning is not
conveyed clearly.
/30 21.5/30=71.66

17. Personal Career Development Submission Worksheet
Part One: Personal Development - Self-Awareness Section
Step 1 – Complete the series of 15 questions designed to
encourage a greater understanding of where you want to go and
what you would like to have in your life while identifying
people who could help you get there.
Question
Notes
What does my ideal job look like?
If I could do any job in the world ,what might it be and why?
What company might I want to work with and why?
What energizes me?
What would I like to see myself doing in 1 year?
What would I like to see myself doing in 5 years?
What will I have to do to make these a reality?
What do I want to see/get/do more of?
What do I want to see/get/do less of?
What new relationships might I build to help me attain my

18. career goals?
Who do I know who can support me attain my career goals? List
3 and state how they can help.
1.
2.
3.
What role could my current chef/manager/teacher play in
supporting my career aspirations?
Where am I doing my externship and why did I choose it?
What do I need to learn in my externship and how will I ensure
it happens?
Currently, what gets in the way of achieving my goals?
Realistically, what is the entry level position in this field and
how much will I be paid per hour?
What kind of work environment suits me best? Consider the
kind of work culture I need to thrive.
Part One: Step 2-7: In this section you will identify your main
goals and the goal-related strengths you possess. Consider what
types of action and inaction in your life could be holding you
back. Identify critical skills and development opportunities that

19. will bring you closer to your goals.
Step 2:
Important and specific goals that I want to achieve: (Make sure
your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable within a
reasonable timeline)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Step 3:
Out of these goals, choose 2 that are most important to you:
(Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable
within a reasonable timeline)
Goal
1:___________________________________________________
______________________________
Goal
2:___________________________________________________
______________________________
Step 4:
Key strengths I have that can help me to achieve my top goals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

20. Step 5:
Consider things that you are doing or not doing that might be
holding you back.
Things I choose to start doing and stop doing which will help
me to achieve my goals:
START DOING
STOP DOING
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Step 6:
Which core skills/knowledge must I acquire or develop to help
me to achieve my goals? Prioritize with the most important
being first.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Clearly describe how developing or improving these

21. skills/knowledge will help to achieve your goals:
Step 7:
Which development opportunities do I need to undertake to
develop a critical skill and achieve my top goals? (A
development opportunity is an identifiable event such as doing a
stage, attending a knife sharpening class, volunteering for a
specific event, attending an English Conversation Workshop,
etc., with the purpose of developing a skill or knowledge you
will need to achieve your goals. This does not include such
things as talking more to friends, being more organized, etc. as
these are too generic and are not real opportunities you can
identify and, therefore, complete.)
Development Opportunity 1:
Development Opportunity 2:
Development Opportunity 3:

22. Part Two: Personal Development Plan Section
Step 1: In this section you will plug in all of the information
that you have brainstormed throughout Part One and implement
an actionable development plan.
Goal 1
(Use Step 2 result)
Goal 2
(Use Step 2 result)
5 Core Skills to be Developed:
( Use Step 6 results)
Step 2: Core Skill Development Plan
Prioritize the core skills (from Step 6 above) needed to achieve
your goals while comparing your current proficiency with the
proficiency you would like to achieve. Refer to the example
below the table for guidance.
Prioritize
Core
Skills
Core Skill
(Step 6 results)
Current Proficiency

23. Target
Proficiency
Development Opportunity (Step 7results)
Measurement of Success
Timeline for Goal
Priority 1
Priority 2
Priority 3
Priority 4
Core Skill Development Plan Example
(This example is for your reference only. You must create your
own – do not copy/paste this information into your own plan.)

24. Skill
Current Proficiency
Target Proficiency
Development Opportunity
Measure of Success
Timeline for Goal
Priority 1
Public Speaking
Under-confident, nervous, avoid speaking in front of groups if
possible
Confident classroom presenter
1. Contribute vocally in 2 classes/week.
2. Request presentation opportunities in Foods of the World and
Leadership
I will feel more confident than nervous.
Positive peer and instructor feedback.
By the end of semester 4
Priority 2
Teamwork
Poor – dislike working in teams, trusting my marks to others,
having to compromise
Positive and reliable team player who collaborates and
expresses needs and ideas constructively
Join College Student Association.
Actively research and apply concepts of teamwork
Actively help plan a SA event and note how many skills I read
about were applied by me.
Enjoy the experience
By end of March 2020

25. Part Three: Career Interest Research and Networking Section
Research 2 jobs/companies that really interest you and complete
the following:
· Position
· Company (include link to website)
· What interests you about this company and the position? This
cannot be the same as your current externship company/positon.
· What are 2 top skills required for this role and company?
· What are 2 top personal traits they are looking for in their
employees?
· Name and contact information of chef/hiring manager.
· How will you use this information to create an opportunity to
build a relationship?
· Compose an introduction email to send to the chef/business
leader you are interested in working with requesting a
meeting/observation shift/stage/showing your
interest/knowledge of the company/your own positivity and
confidence. Use the guidelines included in the document,
Writing an Effective Introduction. (To Whom it May Concern is
an unacceptable professional salutation.)
· Include an attention-grabbing subject line also found in the
document, Writing an Effective Introduction.
1.

26. 2.
Part Four: Career Plan Reflection: Write a minimum of 250
words on what you have learned about yourself through this
exercise. Consider the following:
· What interests you most?
· What strengths will you rely on the most to achieve your
goals?
· What skills or traits do you most need to improve and how
will you do it?
· What is your most important development opportunity? How
and when will you make it happen?
· Who do you know who can help/mentor/connect you and how
will you get them to help you? Be specific. Name the person
you will target and how you will ask help from them.
· What skills and personal traits do you possess that will allow
you to be recognized as a serious professional in your chosen
field?