Important role open in your org. You think you IDed the perfect hire. Strong product manager at rival company known for her combination of tech talent and EQ. A great blogger with social media presence. A designer friend of yours has worked with her and vouches for her greatness. If you could get her over to your team, wow, it could be a gamechanger.
And then you let your recruiter send the introductory email. WRONG.
For any targeted hire – especially senior hires – you should always send the first email yourself. It’s fine to cc: your recruiter for follow-up but for if you have any credibility, make initial contact directly.
Which of these are you more likely to respond to?
“Hi, my name is Alex and I’m a recruiter at BigCo. We’ve heard great things about you and want to tell you about our Director of Revenue role. Can we schedule a phone call?”
-or-
“Hi, my name is Steve and I’m the VP of Revenue at BigCo. I’ve heard great things about you and read your blog frequently. There’s an open role on my team – Director of Revenue. I think you’d have a real impact over here. I’ve cc:ed our recruiter Alex. Can I ask him to follow-up to give you more information?” [Note – if it’s a really high level position or urgent hire, skip recruiter and proceed right to a meeting with you]
I’ve ignored variations of the first one my whole career. The few times I received a variation on the latter, I always responded, even if just out of politeness.
If you care, send the email yourself.