HTML Email Cover Letter

Earlier this year, I was looking for a new job. As I starting applying, I noticed how some companies asked applicants to send their resume and cover letter to an email address listed on the website.

I thought… why not send an HTML email?

• It shows the hiring team that I can design, code, and deploy emails.
• It provides an immediate example of my work.
• I can customize it beyond the words I type.
• Sending one makes me stand out from other applicants. (I can’t imagine many others were doing this cause everyone hates email design, right?)

There’s also something in it for me: I can track each email’s activity. Who opened it and when, who clicked, who forwarded, and more. I used Campaign Monitor, but any ESP would have done.

Some interesting bits from my experience this past spring:

• I sent HTML emails to about 1/2 of the places I applied. (The others used web forms with no visible email address.)
• My open rate was 100%. Most opened within 12 hours of the send. Only the 18F (US Government) took longer.
• I heard back from all but one place (and my application there was a stretch).
• Stack Overflow, who I work for now, shared the email with 3 people who weren’t on my mailing list. Using Campaign Monitor’s Worldview, Twitter, and LinkedIn, I was able to identify exactly who they were.

Pretty awesome! Are other people doing this?? Just one more reason why you should care about email design.