How to Email a Job Application (Subject Lines and Template)
When you apply by email, the subject line and the first two sentences decide whether your CV gets opened. Here is what to write, and a template.
Some employers still ask you to apply by email, and plenty of good roles come through a direct contact who says 'just send me your CV'. In both cases the email itself is the first thing anyone reads. A vague subject line or a long, generic message can stop your CV being opened at all.
This guide covers the subject line, what to write in the body, how to attach your CV, and a template you can copy.
Read the posting's instructions first
Many postings tell you exactly how to apply: the address, the subject line, the file format, whether to include a cover letter, and a reference number. Follow every one of them. If a team asked for 'Ref: FIN-204' in the subject and you wrote something else, your email may never reach the right folder.
Subject lines that get opened
The subject line should tell the reader what the email is and who it is from, before they open it.
| Situation | Subject line |
|---|---|
| Standard application | Application: Marketing Assistant, Amara Okafor |
| The posting gives a reference | Application for Accounts Assistant (Ref FIN-204), Tendai Moyo |
| Someone referred you | Referred by Grace Banda: Junior Developer application |
| Speculative, no advertised role | Experienced warehouse supervisor, open to roles at your Harare site |
Avoid subject lines like 'Job application', 'CV' or 'Hello'. They say nothing, and they look like spam in a busy inbox.
What to write in the body
Greeting
Use the person's name if the posting or your contact gives one. Otherwise 'Dear Hiring Manager'.
The role and where you saw it
One sentence. 'I am applying for the Marketing Assistant role listed on your website.'
Why you fit, in one or two lines
Your strongest match with the posting, with a number if you have one. This is the line that gets your CV opened.
What is attached
Say your CV is attached, and your cover letter if you included one as a file.
Close and contact details
Thank them, sign off with 'Kind regards', and add your name, phone number and a link to your LinkedIn profile.
Keep your LinkedIn link short and clean. The LinkedIn URL formatter turns a long profile link into the tidy version you want in a signature or on a CV.
Attach your CV properly
- Send a PDF unless the posting asks for Word. It keeps your layout on every device.
- Name the file with your name and the role, for example Amara-Okafor-Marketing-Assistant-CV.pdf. The resume file name generator builds one for you.
- Attach it before you write the email, so you cannot forget it. Then check it opened on your side.
- Keep it under the size limit. A text CV exported to PDF is small. If yours is several megabytes, it probably contains large images.
- Tailor the CV to the role before you send it. The email gets it opened. The CV decides what happens next.
A template you can copy
If the posting does not ask for a separate cover letter, you can expand the middle into two or three short paragraphs that answer its main requirements. See how to write a job application letter for the structure.
Before you press send
- The subject line matches what the posting asked for.
- The name of the person and the company are spelled correctly.
- The job title matches the posting exactly.
- The CV is attached, opens, and is the right version for this role.
- You sent it from a professional looking email address.
If you do not hear back
Wait about a week, or until the closing date has passed, then send one short follow up in the same email thread. The guide on how to follow up on a job application has templates for that message.
Send a CV that fits the role
Paste the job link and FitMyCV rewrites your CV and cover letter against that posting, keeping your real experience, and exports a clean PDF to attach.
