Email for Sending a CV: What to Write + Sample CV Email

Here’s a bad dream—

You find the perfect job offer. You carefully craft a killer CV. And...

It never reaches the hiring manager. Someone else lands the gig.

This dream can turn to reality. Unless you learn how to email a CV the right way.

An email for sending a CV should read a bit like your cover letter. But a CV email is not your cover letter all over again.

In 7 minutes, I’ll teach you how to write one that gets you in pole position every time you apply for a job.

This guide will show you:

• Sample email for sending a CV.
• How to email a CV to get more job offers.
• How to find the hiring manager’s contact details and apply directly, instead of using job boards.
• Everything you need to know about what to write in an email for sending a CV.

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Ready?

For starters, take a look at this sample CV email:

Sample Email for Sending a CV You Can Copy & Use

Do you need to write a regular cover letter? Learn how to format it and see our guide: Cover Letter: Sample & How to Write Yours

1. How to Email a CV to Get a Job [CV Email Rules]

Here’s the deal—

Emailing a CV to the hiring manager rather than applying through online forms on job boards can put you in front of most of your competition.

There are two reasons for this:

• An email with a CV feels personal. Hiring managers are tired of reviewing those hundreds of identical online applications.
• It lets you escape the Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) trap—instead of getting scanned by robots beforehand, your CV is delivered directly to a human being.

Follow these CV emailing steps:

1. Find the hiring manager’s contact details

First, you need to find out who to reach:

Emailing a CV: How to Find the Hiring Manager’s Contact Details

1. Start with the company website to find the name and email of the hiring manager.
2. Google “[Company Name] [Team Name] Manager,” for example “Acme Company IT Manager.”
3. If all fails, call the company and directly ask for your hiring manager’s contact details.
4. That doesn’t work either? Go to LinkedIn to see if you can find their profile there. Send and invite saying you would like to apply for an open position with their team. They’ll most likely be happy to share their email address— and even if not, at least you’ll no longer be anonymous.

Once you get the right contact details, you have the gold opportunity.

Don’t. Waste. It.

2. Be straightforward in the CV email subject line and opening

Writing an email to send with your CV is a high-risk, high-reward endeavour.

You’ll stand out from the crowd of other applicants if your message gets opened and read.

And guess what? Your subject line and the CV email opening have to take care of that.

How?

In a word: brevity.

No fancy narratives, no attempts at jokes or creative puns. Be as straightforward as it gets.

CV Email: Subject Line

• Say who you are.
• Name the position you’re applying for.
• Address the company by name.
• Include the job id.

The same goes for your CV email opening. Be short and sweet. (Emphasis on “short” is no coincidence.)

How to Email a CV: Opening Lines

Get this:

The email you send with your CV might reach the hiring manager in a hurry. Be prepared for that. Make your point clear from the beginning.

The good example above? This one’s going to be saved for later reading.

The bad one? Already deleted.

There’s personalised message and then there’s creepy oversharing.

Alright. You got their attention. Now...

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3. Present your best assets and make an offer in the main paragraph

Surprise, surprise—

Your CV email is not a copy-paste of your regular cover letter in email text editor.

Sending CV by Email: What to Write in Body

• Mention your proudest win.
• Support it with quantified data.
• Make an offer: show show you can help.

Take a look:

That’s an email format that will deliver: don’t undersell your achievements but don’t be too elaborate either.

Now they kind of want to give you a shot already. Amplify that good impression you made with the below:

4. Finish off with a clear call to action

Give this a thought—

Your CV email message is basically a sales pitch: the product you’re selling is yourself.

So here’s an interesting online sales stat to guide you in the right direction:

Sales emails in which the call to action was clear and singular (one short sentence; appearing only once in the message) increased sales by, wait for it, 1617%.

People don’t mind being sold to as long as the sales message is concise. Take advantage.

Sample Calls to Action for an Email with a CV

Good example? Succinct and powerful.

Bad example? Verbose and unconfident. They won’t email or call you back with good news (=job interview invitation).

Finally:

5. Include a professional sign-off and don’t forget your attachment(s)

Let’s go through key steps:

• Write “Sincerely,” or use a synonym.
• Sign the CV email with your full name.
• If you don’t have a pre-set footer, below the sign-off, include your contact details and, if necessary, basic social media handles.
• Attach your CV. Save it as .pdf and use a professional file name: FirstName-LastName-CV.pdf
• Add links to your portfolio or professional website.

Like this:

How to Email a CV Example: Sign-Off and Footer

2. Additional Tips for Emailing Your CV

Before you press the “Send” button when emailing your CV, check these additional important things.

First, make sure your email has it all:

Key Parts of an Email for Sending a CV

1. Strong subject line and on-topic opening
2. Main body based on benefits you bring to the table
3. Captivating call to action
4. Sign-off, footer, & attachment(s)

Second, stop worrying about this:

Covering Email for CV or a Separate Cover Letter?

It doesn’t make that much of a difference and is mostly a matter of preference.

My take? Go with the email cover letter and attach a CV only unless a job ad explicitly demands candidates to enclose cover letters as separate attachments.

Third, press the “Send” button the right time:

When to Send Your Email Application?

There’s great research that has all the answers:

• Mondays are best (+46% success ratio boost vs average), Fridays and Saturdays are worst.
• Still, try to apply within 96 hours after a job gets posted: you’ll be 8x more likely to get an interview. After that, every day you wait reduces your chances by 28%.
• The best time? Between 6 and 10 am (89% boost!).

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Key Points

Emailing a CV lets you reach the hiring manager directly, putting you ahead of other applicants. Do it right, and you can already start preparing for the big interview.

Recap: How to Write Email with CV:

1. Find the hiring manager’s name and contact details through the company’s website or LinkedIn.
2. Get right to the point in your subject line and opening sentence.
3. Highlight your strengths and make an offer in the main paragraph.
4. Use a clear and singular call to action.
5. Condense, condense, condense.

Questions? Concerns? I’m here to listen and assist. Share your thoughts in the comments and let me get back to you right away.

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