How to Write a Job Application Email (With Examples)

What to write in the subject line, the greeting and a short message, how to attach your CV, what to check before you press send, and examples in English and Arabic.

Many job adverts ask you to email your CV instead of filling in a form. The email is short, but every part of it has a job to do: the subject line tells the employer which vacancy you mean, the message introduces you, and the attachments carry your application.

This guide goes through each part in order, then what to check before you press send, how to follow up, and two complete examples, one in English and one in Arabic. The candidates in the examples are hypothetical; your own email must use only your own details.

Start with the advert’s instructions

Read the advert again before you write anything. The University of San Francisco’s career services advise following its instructions closely, because an advert may tell you how to format your documents and what to write in the subject line. The career guide of Zayed University in the UAE gives the same warning: some adverts ask for a specific subject, and you need to follow it.

Check, too, that the employer takes applications by email at all. Some organisations accept them only through their own website. The University of Sharjah, for example, answers the question of whether a CV and cover letter can be sent by mail or email by saying that applications should be submitted through its official online portal. If the advert points to a portal, apply there: an email will not replace it.

Send it from a professional address

Zayed University’s guide calls a professional email address a must first step if you want employers to take you seriously, and says a simple address made of your first and last name is the most effective. If the only address you have is a nickname or a number from years ago, set up a new one for your job search before you start applying.

Write a subject line that says what it is

The subject line is how the employer recognises your email in a busy inbox and finds it again later. Careers services agree on what it should hold:

• The job title. Zayed University advises adding the title of the job you are applying for, which makes the email easier for the person receiving it to process.
• The reference number, if the advert has one. The University of Manchester’s careers service suggests including it in the subject line so it is clear which opportunity you mean.
• Your name. The University of San Francisco gives the pattern First Name Last Name, Application, Position Title. Saudi Arabia’s Digital Attaa initiative, run by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, suggests a clear and complete subject made of the job title, your most important qualification and your name.

Put together, for a hypothetical candidate:

Choose the right greeting

Write to a person if you can. The UK’s National Careers Service suggests looking for the name of the head of the department, the head of human resources or a recruitment manager. If the advert or the company’s website names the person who is hiring, use that name.

When no name can be found, advice differs. The National Careers Service says you can start with “Dear Sir or Madam”. The University of Warwick calls “Dear Hiring Manager” and “Dear Hiring Team” strong default options. The careers office of the University of Sharjah advises avoiding both “To Whom It May Concern” and “Dear Sir or Madam”. “Dear Hiring Manager” is one that Warwick recommends and avoids the openings Sharjah warns against, so it is the safer default.

Keep the message short

The University of St Andrews suggests opening by saying where you saw the advert and introducing yourself, with the job title and any reference number, so the employer can identify the vacancy straight away. The University of San Francisco adds a brief sentence saying that your CV and cover letter are attached for the hiring manager’s review.

A short application email has four parts:

1. The opening: the role you are applying for, its reference number if it has one, and where you saw the advert.
2. Who you are: one or two sentences on your current role or studies, and the experience that matches the job.
3. The attachments: one sentence saying what is attached.
4. The close: thanks, and that you would welcome the chance to discuss the role.

Leave salary out unless you are asked about it. Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, says that as a rule you should mention your current salary or salary expectations only if the employer has specifically asked. If the advert does ask, our guide to the salary expectations question can help you prepare an answer.

Should the email be your cover letter?

Careers services disagree on this one, so the advert comes first: if it says how to send your cover letter, do exactly that.

When it says nothing, you have two options. St Andrews says you can either use the email itself as your cover letter or attach a separate one alongside your CV. Prospects suggests putting the letter’s text in the body of the email rather than attaching it, to avoid it being caught by spam filters. Others advise the opposite: UNSW Sydney’s cover letter guide says not to paste the letter into the email unless you are asked to, Zayed University says to send it as an attachment with your CV, and Manchester suggests attaching it as a separate document, citing research that people are more likely to read an attached document than the body of an email.

A workable middle path: keep the email to a short introduction like the one above, and attach the full letter. The email then introduces you even if the attachment is never opened, and the letter keeps its layout. Our cover letter guide covers what goes into the letter itself.

Attach your files the right way

• Send PDFs unless you are asked for something else. Prospects advises saving your CV and cover letter as PDF files unless the advert asks for another format, such as a Word document. The Digital Attaa initiative gives the reason: a PDF is not altered on the way and opens easily on different kinds of devices.
• Name each file clearly. Harvard Law School’s public interest advising office advises putting your last name and the type of document in each file name, and following any naming rules the employer gives. A name such as Sara_Ahmed_CV.pdf tells the employer what the file is before they open it, unlike CV_final_v3.pdf.
• Test it before you send it. The University of San Francisco suggests sending a copy to someone you know first, to make sure it downloads easily and the formatting holds.

Sign off with your details

Finish with a closing phrase, your full name and the details someone needs to reach you. Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab recommends a signature block with the information someone needs to reply, after a sign-off such as “best”, “thanks” or “sincerely”. In a job application, include the phone number you answer. If you add your LinkedIn profile, make sure it tells the same story as your CV: see how to build a LinkedIn profile that supports your CV.

Check everything before you press send

Tufts University’s career center points out that you cannot take back what gets sent, and that without a clear tone of voice an email can easily sound offensive, so read your message before you send it. A final check:

• Names. The National Careers Service asks you to make sure the company name and the recruiter’s details are correct, and to double check spelling and grammar.
• The subject line. It follows the advert’s instructions, if there were any.
• The attachments. They are attached, they open, and their names make sense.
• One employer per email. The Digital Attaa initiative warns against sending one email to several employers with every address in the To field: it exposes everyone’s address and makes your message look like a random mass mailing.
• The deadline. UNSW advises aiming to send your application before the closing date.

Follow up, briefly

If you hear nothing, a short follow-up is reasonable, but advice on timing varies. Prospects suggests emailing the hiring manager to check that your application has been received if two weeks have passed with no response, and keeping that email brief: it should not act as a second cover letter or repeat the first one. Harvard Law School’s office suggests following up by email or phone a few weeks after you apply, unless the employer says it does not want phone or email inquiries, and warns against being too aggressive.

Writing to an employer without an advert

You can also email an employer that has not advertised a role. The National Careers Service, in its guide to finding job vacancies, says going straight to the employer can be very effective, by email, phone or in person. Prospects’ guide to speculative applications recommends a subject line that makes your intentions clear, and following up with a phone call one or two weeks after you send it. With no job title or reference number to quote, name the kind of role you are looking for in the subject line and in your first sentence.

A word of caution about the replies

Take the same care with the emails you receive. The UAE Government’s guide to searching for a job advises checking the email address any job offer comes from: it should reflect the organisation’s domain name. If an offer claims to come from a company but arrives from an address that does not carry the company’s domain, check with the company directly before you reply or send any documents.

Two examples

Both candidates are hypothetical, and so are their details. Replace every one of them with your own.

In English: a graduate applying for an advertised role

Subject: Application: Junior Accountant (Ref. FIN-204), Sara Ahmed

Dear Hiring Manager,

I am applying for the Junior Accountant position (Ref. FIN-204) advertised on your careers page.

I graduated in accounting this year and completed a three-month internship at an audit firm, where I reconciled client bank statements and prepared working papers for two year-end audits. Your advert mentions month-end closing and reconciliations, which is the work I want to build on.

My CV and cover letter are attached as PDF files. Thank you for considering my application; I would welcome the chance to discuss the role.

Kind regards,

Sara Ahmed · +971 50 000 0000 · sara.ahmed@example.com

In Arabic: an HR specialist applying to a named manager

الموضوع: طلب التقدم لوظيفة أخصائي موارد بشرية (الرقم المرجعي HR-117) - خالد العمري

السيدة نورة السالم المحترمة،

تحية طيبة، وبعد،

أتقدم بطلبي لشغل وظيفة أخصائي موارد بشرية (الرقم المرجعي HR-117) المعلن عنها في موقعكم الإلكتروني.

أعمل منذ ثلاث سنوات منسقاً للتوظيف في شركة توزيع، وأتولى فيها نشر إعلانات الوظائف وفرز الطلبات وتنسيق المقابلات. ويطلب إعلانكم خبرة في تنظيم برامج تهيئة الموظفين الجدد، وقد نظمتُ برنامج التهيئة في شركتي خلال العامين الماضيين.

أرفقتُ سيرتي الذاتية وخطاب التغطية بصيغة PDF. شاكراً لكم وقتكم، وأرجو أن تتاح لي فرصة لمناقشة الوظيفة معكم.

مع خالص التحية والتقدير،

خالد العمري · 0000 000 50 966+ · khalid.alomari@example.com

Notice what both emails do: the subject line names the role, the reference number and the candidate; the first sentence repeats the role; one short paragraph links the candidate’s experience to the advert; and the last paragraph names the attachments.

How Tabhar can help

The email carries your CV, so start there. Tabhar’s CV builder shows the page as it will be printed while you edit, and the ATS checker shows how an applicant tracking system may read your CV before you send it. You can download your CV as a PDF or a Word file on every plan, with no watermark, so you can send whichever format the advert asks for, and a downloaded CV is named after the name on it, such as Sara_Ahmed_CV.pdf.

If you attach a cover letter, Tabhar’s cover letter builder writes a first draft from the job and your CV, on the Starter, Pro and Elite plans, and its free relevance check compares the letter with the job description. Read every draft and correct anything that is not true before you send it.

Related reading

• How to write a cover letter
• ATS-friendly CV: how applicant tracking systems read it
• How long should a CV be?

Sources