I’ve received my fair share of yawn-worthy cold recruiting emails and InMails. They were:
- Badly targeted (not something I’m necessarily qualified or interested in).
- Obviously impersonal (generic “Hello, [Name]” personalization).
- Dry and boring (uncompelling and without personality).
And no wonder. Most cold recruiting email templates available online are dry or even downright cheesy. Example below (no offence, Hunter) – these templates have some good ideas but don’t lend themselves to personalization that brings across a sincere voice.

The success of your cold recruiting emails relies on how well-targeted and personalized they are.
Also, there are actually two different types of cold recruiting emails that target different audiences: passive and active candidates. If you don’t want to lose out on excellent candidates, try approaching these groups with the ‘selling points’ that matter most to them.
I’ll expand a bit on each of these groups below before sharing some handy, original cold email templates for you to use when hiring.
Sending cold emails to passive vs active candidates
Passive candidates
Passive candidates are employees at other companies who aren’t actively seeking a new job but fit your candidate profile.

Passive candidates are likely doing great work at their companies and have the luxury of being picky about their next career move.
This means you need to address their needs accordingly and give a bit of a sales pitch to poach them.
What attracts passive candidates:
- A more challenging role (goal: growth).
- More responsibility and weight in decision-making (goal: growth).
- A desirable location (goal: experiences, travel).
- Favorable working conditions and leave policies (goal: better work–life balance).
- Further education opportunities (goal: growth).
Active candidates
Active candidates are jobseekers who may or may not be currently employed. If you’re using LinkedIn Recruiter for your automated recruiting outreach, then you can use the “Open to work” filter to start building your list.

Note: Some active candidates won’t want to come across as unemployed or #desperateforwork and may keep their previous job role on their LinkedIn profile until they find another opportunity.
In this case, using the “Open to work” filter might mean you’ll miss some excellent active candidates. The solution? Assume that a portion of your passive candidates group may already be looking for new job opportunities.
What attracts active candidates:
- A similar or higher role than previous (goal: continuing their career path, growth).
- An industry change or career pivot (goal: growth).
- Further education opportunities (goal: growth).
- Company growth and stability (goal: job security).
- Benefits and positive company culture (goal: improved working conditions).
Going after passive candidates may require a longer negotiation process because your offer needs to intrigue them enough to consider leaving their current company. Then, they’ll still need to hand in their resignation letter and work out their notice period.
Active candidates may still be employed but have their resignation letter ready. The negotiation process may be faster because they’re ready to move on. Other active candidates may be serving their notice period or already unemployed and can start immediately, which is beneficial if you need to fill a role as soon as yesterday.
We’ve clearly distinguished the two groups of candidates you’re writing cold emails for. Let’s move on to our cold recruiting email templates so you can find the right candidate.

Read our guide: Get clean, accurate candidate data for your cold outreach with one of these contact finder tools.
Our customizable cold email templates for hiring
I’m sharing a mix of formal and informal email templates to reach passive and active candidates. When customizing these templates, remember to add your company’s flair (positive company growth signals) to attract the right candidates. You can check the previous section’s bullet lists.
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Passive candidates cold email templates

Copy-paste box 1: Formal
Subject: [JOB ROLE] opening at [COMPANY]
Hi [FIRSTNAME],
I’m [YOURNAME] from [COMPANY], a [COMPANY TYPE] serving [CUSTOMERS] in the [INDUSTRY] industry.
We’d like to offer you a position as our [JOB ROLE] to help us reach our next growth milestone: [X GROWTH MILESTONE, e.g. 1000 paying customers].
You’re one of our strongest candidates based on your experience in [EXPERIENCE]. If you’re willing, let’s set up an interview to discuss the role and your expectations.
Warm regards,
[SIGNATURE]

Copy-paste box 2: Informal
Subject: Join our team, [FIRSTNAME]
Hey [FIRSTNAME],
We’re not a Fortune 500 company, but we’ve been going strong for the past [X] years, helping [CUSTOMERS] in the [INDUSTRY] industry [ACHIEVE SOMETHING].
Steady growth has been great, but we believe you can help us take [COMPANY NAME] to our next goalpost as our [JOB ROLE]. Are you up for the challenge?
We think you’re the right person for the job because of your experience in [EXPERIENCE], and we’re ready to match your expectations to get you on our team.
Let me know if you’re ready to chat through the specs.
Warm regards,
[SIGNATURE]
Active candidates cold email templates

Copy-paste box 3: Formal
Subject: [JOB ROLE] opening at [COMPANY]
Hi [FIRSTNAME],
[COMPANY] is a [COMPANY TYPE] serving [CUSTOMERS] in the [INDUSTRY] industry. We believe you’ll be a great addition to our team as a [JOB ROLE].
If you decide to work with us, you’ll enjoy a lively and challenging work environment, generous leave (including 4 months of parental leave), medical benefits, and other tailored benefits to help you be your best at work.
If you’re intrigued, let’s schedule an interview to discuss the job specifications and your expectations.
Warm regards,
[SIGNATURE]

Copy-paste box 4: Informal
Subject: Join our vibey team, [FIRSTNAME]
Hey [FIRSTNAME],
We’d love to have you on our team. We’re looking for a [JOB ROLE], and you look like a great fit.
Besides your experience in [EXPERIENCE], we also think you’ll enjoy working with us. Our people are vibrant, open, and eager to learn. We offer generous vacation time and leave it up to you to decide whether office, hybrid, or remote work is best for you.
But we’re not just warm and fuzzy. We have big dreams and want to [ACHIEVE SOMETHING].
Are you up for the challenge? Let me know if you’d like to set up an interview to chat through the specs.
Warm regards,
[SIGNATURE]
Ready to reach out?
Hiring is exciting but can be a major time-waster if your cold recruiting emails aren’t well-targeted. Follow our tips and try our templates for your next outreach to see if you’ll get better responses.
Depending on the email automation platform you use, you can add multiple customizable fields to hyper-personalize each email to the individual. With the help of AI writing features, you can add instructions to describe your job opening based on the candidate’s particular interests or experience.

Read our guide: It’s an exciting time for cold outreach! Learn more about personalizing email templates for successful campaigns.
Check out our other guides on finding contact info and improving your response rates. Got questions? Hit us up in the comments section below and we promise to reply to you!
Author
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Sharné is a contributing writer for ContactInfo. She has 10+ years' experience in marketing, content management, and strategy. There is no outreach challenge too big for her to cover.
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