Overcoming awkwardness in job search emails

Last week, a business analyst mentee got a message from a recruiter - "Hello, how are you? but heard nothing back after replying. After we optimised his LinkedIn profile, he was getting 2-4 headhunting messages from recruiters weekly. But the conversations often dropped after his first reply. Sounds familiar? Here's one insight: Not all recruiter messages are written manually. Many recruiters use "LinkedIn Recruiter" to bulk message selected candidates from custom searches. So imagine 8 other people received the same "How are you?" message. Most of them might have replied with "I'm good, how are you?" Sound about right? Here’s what you can do instead: ->Go to the recruiter's LinkedIn profile and check their recent posts to find any openings or relevant information. -> Explore the company page and check under jobs and posts to see if there are any roles that might be a fit for you. If you found a role that interests you, reply with something like this: "𝙄'𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨, [𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚]. 𝙄 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙖 [𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚] 𝙤𝙣 [𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙] 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 [𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 - 𝙚.𝙜., 2 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙋𝙄 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮]. 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙟𝙤𝙗 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙧. 𝙄'𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚—𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙢𝙮 [𝙢𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙚]. 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣 :)" Now, put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. 6 replies say, "I'm good, thanks." 1 reply shows initiative and relevance. Which one would you respond to first? When faced with this situation, you have two options: 1. Take the easy path, reply quickly, and worry about not getting a response. 2. Or be proactive, improve the quality of your reply, and do something other's won't. Take all your chances! #jobsearch #hiring #linkedintips #careeradvice #careercoach Pro tip: Also, add them on LinkedIn and send a follow-up message after 2-3 days.

"How to ask for a referral without feeling awkward?" I got this question last week from one of my clients. When I first started networking, I struggled with the idea of asking people for referrals or even asking for an interview. It felt uncomfortable like I was taking something from them. But one of my mentors shifted my perspective completely. He told me: 1) Practice until it feels natural The awkwardness often comes from inexperience. Just like with anything else, the more you do it, the less strange it feels. You’ll build confidence through repetition. 2) Make sure it’s a genuine fit My mentor emphasized that if you honestly believe you can help the other person, or in a job search, if you truly think the role is a good match—you owe it to them (and yourself) to make the ask. However, if you’re not right for the role, product, or situation, be upfront about it. Saying “no” when it isn’t a good fit keeps things ethical and maintains integrity. Remember, you’re evaluating the opportunity just as much as the other person or company is evaluating you. Aim for a true win-win. That mindset removes the “taking” feeling and reminds you this is a partnership. And if you're unsure where you add value, start by asking more often. Over time, you’ll recognize the situations in which you can genuinely help—making it much more comfortable to ask for referrals. By focusing on genuine alignment and being willing to say “no” when it’s not right, you’ll find that asking for referrals doesn’t have to feel awkward. In fact, it can become one of your most rewarding — and ethical — ways to grow and connect.

If you’re job searching and found someone in your network connected to your dream company, you can ask for an introduction without making it weird for them (or for you). Last week on The Pivot hosted by John Jacobs, MBA, Catherine Radachi Chumley, Dr. Nigel Paine and I discussed tips for those who were recently laid off. This is my favorite tip for my close contacts, who want an introduction to someone in my network. 👉 Send the person you know well a formal sounding email that reads "Hi [Name of Close Contact], I saw you're connected to [The Connection's Name] at [Company Name]. I’m really interested in the [Role Title] I saw on their website. Here is why I believe I am a great fit for this position [Reasons]. My resume is attached. Would you be open to sharing my resume with [The Connection's Name]." 👉 Make it easy to forward your information. With everything in one email. (your background, the position of interest, why you’re a fit, resume, etc.). It is easy to share with a click. They just need to add some nice words about you, how you know each other, etc. When it is easy to forward and share, it only takes a few seconds to help. If I know someone well enough to say nice words, I am happy to do so (and enjoy a nice helper's high for a bit). It is a win-win (and doesn't feel weird). #jobsearch #networking #careerstrategy #careertransition #jobhunt #jobsearch