Depending on the job for which you’re applying, you may need to email your resume and cover letter to the hiring manager. That’s often the case with smaller employers.
Send a test message, and email your resume and cover letter to yourself before you send it to the employer. That way, you’ll know your documents are attached correctly.
Networking contacts who are helping you with your job search may also ask you to email your application materials so they can review them and share your resume with prospective employers.
Follow these steps to ensure you have correctly attached your documents, written an email explaining what you are sending and why, added your signature to the email:
1. Follow the Employer’s Instructions
It’s important to send your attachments correctly, to include all the information you need so your email message is opened and read. When you apply for jobs via email, the employer may require you to send your resume and cover letter as an attachment to an email message.
What’s most important is to follow the employer’s instructions and send exactly what they have asked for in the format it’s requested.
2. Save Your Cover Letter and Resume
You can either save your cover letter in document format or write it directly in the email message. If you have word processing software other than Microsoft Word, save your acting resume as a Word (.doc or .docx) document.
When send cover letter and resume attachments, the first step is to save your resume as a PDF or a Word document. This way, the receiver will get a copy of the resume in the original format. Use your name as the file name, so the employer knows whose resume and cover letter it is.
Depending on your word processing software, you may be able to File, Print to PDF, to save your documents as a PDF. If not, there are free programs you can use to convert a file to a PDF.
3. Be Sure to Include a Subject in the Email Message
Add a subject to the email message before you start writing it. That way, you won’t forget to include it afterward. Your email message must include a subject line, and it should explain to the reader who you are and what job you are applying for.
Be specific, so the recipient knows what he or she is receiving. The subject line is one of the most important parts of the email messages you send to apply for jobs. If you don’t include one, your message may not even get opened.
4. Write an Email Message to Send With Your Resume
First, open your email account. Then click on Message at the top left of the screen or click on File, New, Message. If you are attaching a cover letter, your email message can be brief. Simply state that your resume and cover letter are attached.
Offer to provide additional information and let the reader know how you can be contacted. If you’re writing an email cover letter, review these formatting tips before you send it.
Once you have saved your resume and cover letter and they are ready to send, the next step is to write an email message to send with your documents.
5. Add Your Signature to an Email Message
If you have a LinkedIn profile, include it in your signature. Do the same with any other social media accounts you use for career and business purposes. To add your signature to your email message, click on File, Insert, Signature if you have a signature saved that you use for job searching.
It is important to include an email signature with your contact information, so it’s easy for hiring managers and recruiters to get in touch with you. Include your full name, your email address, and your phone number in your email signature, so the hiring manager can see, at a glance, how to contact you.
6. Attach Your Resume and Cover Letter to an Email Message
- Click on Insert, Attach File. Your email client will display a list of files in the default file folder of your computer.
- Click to select the file you want to add to your email message, and then click on Insert to attach the document to your email message.
- Before you click Send, send the message to yourself to be sure all the attachments come through, and your email message is perfect.
Send a copy of the message to yourself, as well as to the company, so you have a copy for your records. Add yourself as a Bcc by clicking Bcc and adding your email address.
- Click Send, and your cover letter and your resume will be on their way to the employer.
