Candidate outreach message: AI prompt for recruiting

A ready-to-run prompt for email drafting work in recruiting. It assigns the AI a specific senior role, takes your details as variables, and defines the output format — so the first result is usable, not a warm-up.

What this prompt does

Write a LinkedIn outreach message to a [job title] at [company] for my open [role] at [company]. It structures the request the way experienced practitioners brief a colleague: context first, then explicit deliverables, then quality constraints.

Best for

Recruiting professionals — and anyone doing this work — who need email drafting handled to a professional standard for candidates and hiring managers. Typical moments: sourcing sprints, interview loops and offer stages.

Before you use it

Have these details ready to replace the highlighted variables:

• [job title]
• [company]
• [role]
• [paste detail]

The prompt

Write a LinkedIn outreach message to a [job title] at [company] for my open [role] at [company]. Requirements: reference something specific and true from their profile [paste detail], one sentence on why this role beats their current situation (challenge, scope, or comp), no 'rockstar/ninja' language, a low-commitment ask (15-min chat), under 90 words. Give 2 variants: warm and direct.

Quality checklist before you run it

• Fill the [variables] with specific, true details
• Read the draft aloud once — cut anything you wouldn't say
• Check names, dates and numbers before sending

Common mistakes

• Sending the template without personalizing the [variables] — recipients spot boilerplate instantly
• Burying the ask in the last paragraph
• Vague subject lines like “Quick question”

When to use it — and when not to rely on it

Use it whenever email drafting would otherwise start from a blank page. Don't rely on it as a finished product: outputs need your judgment, your facts, and — in regulated work — professional review.

Related prompts

• Cold outreach sequence — Sales
• Demand letter for unpaid invoice — Legal
• Job description that attracts — Recruiting
• Resume screening rubric — Recruiting

Logical next step

After this, most recruiting teams move on to Job description that attracts.

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