Intentional vs Transactional Cold Outreach
Good morning/afternoon/evening Pretty Human!
Apologies for not posting last week, I took off to enjoy the Memorial Day weekend sunshine.
Let’s talk reaching out to recruiters cold via LinkedIn.
Recently, I had a post that went viral on LinkedIn and I had a LOT of people reaching out, cold (meaning we’ve never met, this is our first interaction).
I was receiving many messages saying:
“Find me a job.”
“What do you have for me?”
I understand the job market is beyond frustrating and reaching out to recruiters can absolutely help but…
You want to be intentional not transactional.
Before messaging a recruiter, spend a few minutes researching:
What company they recruit for?
What types of roles they typically hire?
Whether your background aligns with those openings? (Remember, ~70%)
Why you are interested in that company?
Recruiters are much more likely to engage when they can clearly see:
You did your research
You understand the company or role
You can articulate where you may fit
A message like:
“I saw you recruit for marketing roles at XYZ Company. I’ve spent the last 5 years leading employer branding and recruitment marketing initiatives and your recent focus on global expansion caught my attention.”
VS
“Here’s my resume. Let me know what you have any recruiter openings.”
Is going to be more beneficial when reaching out cold. Why?
Because recruiters are not career placement agencies. We are hired to fill specific business needs for specific companies. The strongest candidates position themselves thoughtfully instead of asking recruiters to figure it out for them.
Even if there is not an immediate fit, personalized outreach leaves a far stronger impression and increases the likelihood that a recruiter remembers you for future opportunities.
In a competitive market like this one, intentionality stand out more than ever.
You got this. 🫶🏻