How To Use AI For Cold Email For A Job Search

You are sending the best cold emails from your end, but they just add to the dozens of applications hiring managers receive.

Without proper personalization and a value proposition, your email's open rate will unlikely increase. So, the question is, how can this be solved?

Enter AI!

With AI-driven cold emails, the open rate of emails increases up to 30%. This benefits your job search by ensuring hiring managers review your application instead of scrolling it off. But AI does a lot more than just crafting job applications.

In this article, we will discuss how to strategically use AI for job searches and explore templates for effective outreach.

Understanding Cold Emails in Job Hunting

Cold email is an uninvited email designed for outreach and lead generation to target businesses with whom the sender has no prior relationship.

Similarly, job seekers use cold emailing to pitch their experience and services to hiring managers with the expectation of securing a job. 

Let’s see the benefits of sending cold emails while job hunting.

Benefits of Using Cold Email For Job Applications

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1. Higher Response Rates

Most job seekers send applications through job portals, where their resumes often get lost in a sea of applicants. However, cold emailing can change the game. Studies show that 8 out of 100 cold emails receive a response—meaning few job seekers craft emails compelling enough to get noticed.

A well-personalized email improves your chances of getting a reply and makes a lasting impression on hiring managers. This proactive approach can open doors to interviews and job opportunities you wouldn’t have accessed otherwise.

2. Get Ahead of the Competition

A key differentiator of cold emailing is proactiveness in outreach. Sending an email right after a job is posted, positions you at the top of HR’s mailbox. Or sending cold emails to companies you admire regardless of a job opening shows activeness.

Furthermore, this can increase your reply rate to 20%.

3. Bypass Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

Companies often employ ATS to filter out resumes that don’t match their required qualifications. Cold emails help bypass the ATS by directly contacting decision-makers and showcasing your qualifications. Your resume doesn’t get lost in the ATS shuffle.

The Role of AI in Enhancing Cold Emails

When we talk about cold emails, writing the subject line is the most important for email optimization because it is the first thing the recipients (recruiters) see. As Chase Dimond says’

“An okay email with a great subject line will outperform a great email with an okay subject line, every time.”

Other factors for email optimization include:

• Subject Line

• Tone & Clarity
• Personalization
• Formatting
• Call to Action (CTA)
• Timing

But how does AI enhance cold emails?

AI’s Role In Crafting Cold Email for Job Applications

• Optimized cold email subject line for job application – Using Natural Language Processing (NLP), AI generates compelling subject lines that clearly state the job title and purpose of the email. This ensures your email stands out in a crowded inbox.
• Clear and concise messaging – AI refines email content by simplifying complex sentences, eliminating jargon, and removing unnecessary words. This makes the email professional, friendly, and easy to read—enhancing engagement.
• Smart timing for higher open rates – Based on user engagement patterns, AI analyzes the best times to send cold emails, increasing the chances of recruiters opening and reading your email.
• Hyper-personalization – AI examines recipient data, such as demographics, interests, and behavior, to tailor emails that feel genuinely personal rather than generic. A well-personalized email creates a meaningful relationship with the hiring manager.
• AI voice tools for tone refinement – AI voice based tools can read emails aloud, helping you identify awkward phrasing, overly formal language, or robotic-sounding text. This allows you to fine-tune your email for a more natural and conversational tone.

Best Practices for Writing AI-Enhanced Cold Emails

Cold emails are a strategic way to send emails; AI makes them even better. Here are some best practices for writing AI-enhanced cold emails:

Research

Research the target company and the contact person before writing the email. Using AI, analyze available data and gather insights about the company’s requirements and interests.

This involves understanding ongoing projects, challenges, and recent achievements.

Personalization

Personalization is the cornerstone for sending effective cold emails. Use AI tools to craft emails tailored to the recipient’s role, interest, and past interactions if any. AI tools suggest catchy opening lines that highlight relevant skills and experience.

Professionalism & Clarity

AI does A/B testing to constantly refine emails and observe what’s working and what isn’t. Based on the test results, ensure that the email’s tone is professional, clear, concise, and free of jargon.

Grammar & Tone Checks

Along with refining, AI reviews grammar, syntax, and tone in your email. This ensures that your message aligns with professional expectations and is also engaging. Moreover, with every response, the tools suggest modifications to improve the message.

AI Tools and Platforms for Cold Emailing

Here are the top 5 AI tools you can use for cold emailing:

1. Smartlead.ai

Smartlead.ai is a powerful AI-driven email automation tool designed to enhance cold email deliverability and personalization.

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Key features include:

• Email warmups: Smartlead.ai offers unlimited email warmups to build a healthy sender reputation and reduce the chances of getting flagged.
• Integration: The tool seamlessly integrates with tools like HubSpot, Slack, and Outlook to streamline workflow.
• Personalization: The AI-powered content creation helps the tool create prospect-specific email content to increase engagement and conversion rates.
• Scalability: You can scale and send email campaigns by adding unlimited accounts and delivering customized emails.

Pricing: Plans start at $39/month.

2. Saleshandy

Saleshandy is a well-known email outreach tool specializing in automating email sequences and follow-ups.

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The key features include:

• Email sequencing: Saleshandy enables unlimited sequencing, which includes up to 26 steps, to improve follow-up strategies and email campaigns.
• Collaboration: You can scale and manage your team by adding unlimited members. The tool features an aggregated dashboard for efficient team management.
• Unified inbox: Manage replies from prospects from one place and track key metrics like open rates and bounce rates.
• Auto follow-ups: Saleshandy ensures consistent communication through automated follow-ups crafted after proper data analytics to prevent landing in spam folders.

The platform makes tracking email performance easy and optimizing outreach strategies, making it an excellent option for job seekers sending multiple cold emails.

Pricing: Plans start at $25/month.

3. Klenty

Klenty is a sales engagement platform that enhances cold emailing efforts by engaging with prospects across multiple channels, empowering personalization.

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Klenty’s key features include:

• Automated email scheduling: Klenty creates and triggers email sequences based on the prospect's behavior. The emails are automated and sent at peak hours.
• Email personalization: Offers liquid templates that you can customize based on the prospect’s demography and time zone. The advanced algorithms adapt to specific words, observing past interactions to enhance personalization in email content.
• Performance insights: It tracks key performance metrics and determines the efficiency of the email by focusing on:

• Custom domain tracking
• Email validation
• Hyperlinks instead of direct links‍
• A/B testing: The tool automates A/B testing by sending email variations to identify the best email variation.

Pricing: The Starter pack starts at $50/month.

4. Warmer.Ai

Warmer.ai is an AI-powered email writing assistant that generates highly personalized cold emails within seconds. Users simply provide their email objective and details about the recipient, and the tool crafts a well-tailored message.

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The key features include:

• Objective selection: This feature ensures that each email is crafted with an objective. You can select an objective while creating emails like booking meetings or driving website traffic.
• Personalization: Warmer.ai examines the prospect’s online profiles and adapts to their unique interests and preferences to craft tailored email content.
• Simple interface: The tool's design ensures that no user requires a coding experience or has to be techy. You can generate a well-personalized email copy for any purpose by selecting a few options.

Pricing: Basic plan starts at $97/month.

5. Woodpecker

Woodpecker’s primary focus is ensuring emails land in the recipient’s inbox instead of spam folders, increasing the chances of engagement.

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Here’s a breakdown of its features:

• Free email verification: Every time you hit ‘Send’, Woodpecker verifies the recipient's email to increase the deliverability of emails.
• Condition-based campaigns: Email sequences are adjusted based on the recipient’s behavior. These behaviors are called conditions that are:

• Open-based
• Click-based
• Snippet-based
• Task-based

• CRM integrations: Woodpecker promotes seamless data transfer and campaign management by smoothly integrating with CRM tools like HubSpot and Zoho.
• Adaptive sending: This refers to sending emails at a predetermined limit less than the limit email providers offer. The aim is to improve deliverability.

Woodpecker is an excellent choice for job seekers who want to automate follow-ups without compromising email deliverability.

Pricing: Plans start at $20/month.

AI-Enhanced Cold Email Templates for Job Application

We have categorized effective email templates for every stage of your JOB conversation. Check it out below:

Template 1: Introduction to a Potential Employer

Subject: Application for [Job Title] - [Your Name]

Hi (Recipient’s Name),

I hope this message finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I am reaching out to introduce myself as a professional [Your Profession]. 

I came across [Company Name] and was impressed by your innovative work in [Area of Interest]. 

With [Number of Years] years of experience in [Specific Skill], I have honed my abilities in [specific tool or skill], and I am confident that my ability to [demonstrate a strength. eg, lead teams]] makes me a strong fit for joining your organization.

I am eager to explore opportunities where I can contribute to a dynamic team like yours.

If you are open to it, I would appreciate the opportunity to schedule a brief call to explore potential opportunities further.

You can find a link to my portfolio (LinkedIn, social posts, etc.) here. You’ll also find my CV in this email, which contains my work samples and client testimonials.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours Sincerely,

(Your Name)

(Contact Details)

Template 2: Follow-up email

Subject: “Same subject line as the original email.”

Hello (Recipient’s name),

I'm following up on my last email regarding (mention your service or offer).

I understand things can get busy, but I’m reaching out because I’ve helped companies similar to (Recipient’s Company) achieve (specify the result).

If you’re interested, I’d love to explore ways I can help (Recipient’s Company) do the same.

Yours Sincerely,

(Your Name)

(Contact Details)

Template 3: Request for an Informational Interview

Subject: Informational Interview Request with (Contact Name)

Hello (Name),

I hope this email finds you well. I found your profile on (LinkedIn, company website, etc.) and was immensely inspired by your work in [Specific field].

I am currently [Your situation. Eg, exploring job opportunities, working on a research paper, etc.] and would appreciate the opportunity to learn from your experience.

Would you be available for a quick call?

If yes, I’d love to schedule a 15-20 minute conversation at your preferred time to discuss your journey, key insights into [Specific industry], and any advice you’d want to share.

Please let me know what day and time works best for you.

I truly value your time and look forward to the possibility of connecting.

Thank you,

(Your Name)
(Contact Details)

Measuring the Success of Your Cold Emails

Sending cold emails isn’t enough; you must also check its performance. Know the performance of your cold emails based on the mentioned-below key metrics:

1. Reply Rate

This measures the percentage of recipients who respond to your emails. A good reply rate typically falls between 5% and 10%, depending on personalization, value proposition, and call-to-action factors.

2. Bounce Rate

This indicates the percentage of emails that were not successfully delivered. A high bounce rate suggests issues with email deliverability, such as invalid email addresses or spam filters blocking your emails. Ideally, it should be <40%.

3. Click-Through Rates (CTR)

This measures the percentage of recipients who click on links within your emails- whether it’s a portfolio, LinkedIn profile, or job application page. A higher CTR suggests effective content and call-to-action.

4. Positive Reply Rate

This metric tracks the number of positive replies that lead to a conversion. It helps determine the quality of engagement rather than just the response volume.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Cold Email for Job Application

While AI sends compelling and engaging emails, you shouldn't over-rely on it. The insights and analysis the tools provide must be cross-checked to maintain authenticity.

Some common pitfalls include:

• Self-centered pitches that don’t address the recipient.
• Overwhelming the reader with long texts by not using concise paragraphs.
• Skipping A/B testing by not iterating data-driven insights.
• Not proofreading just because it’s AI-generated. This harms your reputation and questions professionalism.
• Ignoring follow-ups that result in missed opportunities.

How to Fix Them?

• Research and personalization:  Understand your target audience and tailor your emails accordingly.
• Clear and concise content: Use simple language and structured paragraphs to enhance readability.
• Value-oriented approach: Focus on providing value or insights before making a sales pitch.
• Timely follow-ups: Send follow-up emails after 2-3 days asking for an update on your application.
• Regular testing and optimization: Use A/B testing to refine your email strategy based on performance data.
• Professionalism: Ensure error-free writing and a professional tone throughout your emails.

Cold Emailing for Job Search

Cold emailing remains a proactive strategy for job hunting, and when combined with AI, it becomes even more effective.

From crafting compelling subject lines to personalizing email content, AI makes your email stand out in crowded inboxes and increases the chance of getting a response.

The templates and best practices shared in this blog are just the beginning. AI will continue to reshape job search communication.

However, use AI responsibly and cross-check the output generated.

Start by exploring the features of smartwriter.ai to send cold emails that help you land your dream job!

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