10 Top Tips That Will Get Your Nursing Application Email Read by Kelly Blackwell
We are living in the 21st century and our job hunting strategies have changed to reflect the advances in communication technology. International nursing recruiters are frequently requiring us to submit our application packs by electronic means - email. And, while this can be seen as being better for the environment becuase it reduces our carbon emissions, is it really any good for us as applicants? Think for a moment about how quickly you delete email after email every day! Do you read all of them?
When you send out your application pack by email, complete with all you documents, your goal is to have the recruiter open and read your email, and your documents.
Now, how do we get our emails read?
You use these crucially important tips to make international nursing recruiters WANT to read your email!
1. Write formally, without contractions or short cuts. LOL, OTOH, and BTW are not appropriate in this setting, remember that you are sending a formal letter asking the recruiter to consider you for a coveted nursing job. This may seem obvious, it certainly does to me, but I was shocked to receive an email recently from an individual that had 'u' instead of 'you'.
2. Send your email messages in plain text. Many email software does not recognise emails sent in .html format. For example, my email client strips all the code and pictures out of the body of my emails for security reasons. So, while these formats can spice up your email and make it look attractive, this will work against you if the code pops up in the recruiters email client. Keep it simple and make sure your email is sent out in plain text. Any pictures you want to send should either be left out or attached separately.
3. Do not give in to the temptation to tag it with a high priority tag. What is a high priority to you may not be one to the recruiter, so tagging your application email as being 'important' could well result in a big black mark against you. This is an excellent way to get your email sent straight into the trash bin. The same goes with asking for the recruiter to send a receipt on delivery, resist the urge and trust that if you have followed these tips and have a killer application pack, then you will hear from the recruiter about nursing with them.
4. Keep your sentences short and sharp, one to two lines only. Reading on a computer screen is hard on your eyes. It is a good idea to make it easy on the person reading your email by keeping the sentences and paragraphs short with a white space in between the paragraphs.
5. Use standard fonts and leave your text black. Arial and Times New Roman are standard fonts that you can almost guarantee the recruiter will not only have on their computer, but that they will be used to reading them. A lot of our reading is done automatically by recognising word shapes. Using standard fonts can tap into this skill. We are also used to reading black text on a white background, so why would you use pink or purple in your email to an international nursing recruiter?
6. SHOUTING at the recruiter is not going to make them want to employ you. Using capitals in an email is bad etiquette. Not only is it commonly understood that you use capitals when you want to shout at someone, we don't normally read in capitals, so you are just making it harder on the recruiter.
7. Correctly spelling names is critical. Should you include the name of the recruiter, or the name of the agency or hospital; make sure you spell it correctly. Check and double check. You insult them when you spell names incorrectly; refer to them by the incorrect gender or by not doing your homework regarding where they are or what it their company is called. This is especially important when you are applying for a job abroad.
8. Never use the 'cc' feature to send out your applications, this will kill your chances dead. That you are applying to more than one agency or institution is kind of an open secret. Recruiters know you are probably doing it, but confirming their suspicions will make them feel less favorable towards you. Put in the time and send out our nursing applications one by one.
9. Use a meaningful subject line. I suggest you include the specific nursing position you are applying for and your name. By using this style of subject line you are immediately identifying it as an email from an applicant and the recruiter will expect to see a nurse's application when they open the email. Also, this will make it easier for the recruiter to find your email in their inbox should they need to refer to it again.
10. When it comes to attachments - small is better. Many email clients restrict the size of the attachments allowed into people's inboxes. While you want to attach the elements of your application pack to support you email, you also want to ensure that your email is delivered. The solution to this problem is to make sure your documents are concise and without images, not to zip them.
So, there are my top 10 tips to remember when you send your nursing application to international nurse recruiters by email. They are critical to your recruitment campaign and can make the difference between landing that nursing career abroad, and having to stay where you are.
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