Email to a recruiter about a role you want
Recruiters scan dozens of messages a day and reply to the ones that match an open role in a few seconds. Paste the job posting and attach your resume, and your todo.is agent writes a short email to a recruiter that links your experience to what they are hiring for, with the right keywords and one clear ask.
The prompt
- Write an email to a recruiter. The recruiter is [RECRUITER NAME AND COMPANY], and the role is [JOB TITLE OR POSTING LINK]. Read the posting, then read my resume [ATTACH YOUR RESUME] and pick my 2 most relevant achievements with numbers. Mention [YOUR LOCATION AND WORK SETUP] and when I can start: [AVAILABILITY]. Keep it under 130 words, with a subject line that includes the job title, and end with a request for a short call. Also write a 2-line version for a LinkedIn message and a polite follow-up for 5 working days later. Save the email as a Gmail draft with my resume attached. Do not send anything.
What to change
- [RECRUITER NAME AND COMPANY]: E.g. "Kelly Ruiz, technical recruiter at Ardent Health". Write "unknown" for a careers inbox.
- [JOB TITLE OR POSTING LINK]: Paste the link or the posting text, e.g. "Senior Data Engineer, posting on their careers page".
- [ATTACH YOUR RESUME]: Attach your resume as PDF or Word. Your agent reads it.
- [YOUR LOCATION AND WORK SETUP]: E.g. "Austin, open to hybrid" or "remote from Portugal, EU work permit".
- [AVAILABILITY]: E.g. "4 weeks notice" or "immediately".
Example result
- The email
- Subject: Senior Data Engineer role: 6 years in healthcare data
- Hi Kelly,
- I saw the Senior Data Engineer opening at Ardent Health and would love to be considered. I have six years of data engineering experience, four of them with patient data under HIPAA rules.
- Two things that match the posting:
- • Moved 40+ nightly pipelines from cron jobs to Airflow, cutting failed runs by 70%
- • Built a dbt model layer on Snowflake that the analytics team now uses for all reporting
- I am based in Austin, open to hybrid, and can start with four weeks notice. My resume is attached.
- Would you have 15 minutes this week for a quick call?
- Thanks,
- Jordan Lee
- LinkedIn version
- Hi Kelly, I am a data engineer with 6 years in healthcare data (Airflow, dbt, Snowflake) and very interested in the Senior Data Engineer role at Ardent. Open to a quick chat this week?
- Follow-up (5 working days later)
- Hi Kelly, following up on my note about the Senior Data Engineer role. I am still very interested and happy to work around your schedule for a short call.
- Why recruiters reply to this
- • The job title is in the subject line, so it gets matched to the right req
- • The keywords from the posting (Airflow, dbt, Snowflake, HIPAA) appear naturally
- • Location, work setup and notice period answer their first three screening questions
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and replace the [brackets] with the recruiter, the role and your details.
- Paste it into todo.is and attach your resume, or send both to your agent on WhatsApp.
- Your agent reads the posting and your resume, then writes the email, a LinkedIn version and a follow-up.
- Check the numbers are right, send it yourself, and ask your agent to remind you about the follow-up.
Tips for a better result
- Put the exact job title in the subject line. Recruiters often work on many roles at once.
- Answer the screening questions before they ask: location, work setup, notice period, work permit.
- Use numbers from your real work. "Cut failed runs by 70%" is remembered, "experienced engineer" is not.
- If you have no specific role, say what kind of role you want and ask if they hire for it. Keep it even shorter.
email to a recruiter: FAQ
- How do I write an email to a recruiter? Name the role in the subject line, say in two lines why you fit with one or two numbers, give your location and availability, and ask for a short call. Attach your resume.
- Should I email a recruiter or apply online? Do both. Apply through the official link so you are in the system, then email or message the recruiter to point them to your application.
- How long should I wait for a recruiter to reply? Give it about a week. Then send one short follow-up; if there is still no reply, focus on other roles.
- Will todo.is apply to jobs for me? No. Your agent writes the email, can find the recruiter's public details and saves a draft, but you apply and send it yourself.
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