Lee Woodrow
- Mar 2, 2022
- 3 min read

How to email a recruiter when you've been ghosted (with message examples)

Updated: Jun 19, 2022

Being ghosted 👻 by a recruiter is one of the worst parts of job seeking. It can be demoralising, de-motivating and darn right annoying. That's why I've come up with 5 chaser messaging templates to increase your chances of a response. But this is where we take a much lighter approach to grab the attention of a recruiter...

How Humor Can Make Job Application Chaser Emails More Effective 🤣

First, let’s talk about something vital to comedy: timing. When is the right time to add a touch of laughter to proceedings? In your initial outreach, you should introduce and apply in a sensible way and demonstrate how you can fulfil the role. First chasers are a simple nudge, second or third chasers known as ‘breakups’ are one final attempt to connect with the recruiter. You’ve got nothing to lose at this point.

Including a humorous message at this stage of the outreach, job seekers will stand out from the competition. When it comes to job seeker emails and messages, a little levity goes a long way. Most messages are straightforward, serious and very boring. Adding a fun twist to the outreach can help job seekers distinguish themselves from the competition and make their pitch more memorable.

In addition, humour usually puts recipients in a better mood. Once your audience is smiling a job seeker usually has a far better shot of getting on a call with a recruiter to move an application to the interview phase.

That being said, no gimmick can make up for a bad CV, Resume, LinkedIn profile or career history. If job seekers aren't capable of personal branding, and consistently demonstrating value throughout the conversation, tailoring their pitch to the individual job description, an attention-grabbing email/message will make zero difference to their applications. Bottom line! Get all your ducks 🦆🦆🦆 in a row before applying, including an optimised CV/Resume and LinkedIn Profile. I suggest using Grammarly to spell check your messages and Teal to gather the keywords for your CV/Resume.

1. The funny 3 options message

Hi [Name], just touching base to see if you're still interested in my CV / Resume. Haven’t heard back which tells me one of three things:

1) You've selected another candidate and I should stop bothering you.

2) You’re still interested but have been too busy to get back to me.

3) You’ve fallen and can’t get up and in that case let me know and I’ll call someone to help you.

Please let me know which one as I’m starting to worry!

Regards,

[Your name]

2. The cheerful message

Does your recruiter seem like they'd be responsive to a little cheer? Send them this upbeat email.

Hi [prospect name],

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and you know exactly how to fill the [insert job title]. Right?

If you're still recruiting for the role - I'd love to put myself forward. Can we schedule a call to discuss?

Thank you,

[Your name]

3. The tree message 🌳

Hi [Name],

Third times a charm!

As you can tell, I am very keen to speak with the [Company Name] and put myself forward for [Job Title]. If I am barking up the wrong tree with you, could you point me at the right person to speak to? If I am at the correct tree, not that I’m calling you a tree, can we speak?

Best regards,

[Your Name]

4. The fill-in-the-blanks message

Just need to get them to open the email in order to pique their interest? Try this template to open a conversation with a recruiter.

Hey there [Name],

L_T'_ CH_T T_IS W__K

Were you able to fill in my puzzle? Correct answer is (drumroll, please ...) "Let's Chat This Week."

I know you're busy, but I'd love the opportunity to learn more about your [Job Title] role and share how I can demonstrate my competency to fulfil your opening. Can I book some time with you this week to discuss?

Kind regards,

[Your name]

5. The Spidey Sense & Pug Rocker Breakup

Hi [Name]

It is not my intention to irritate you, so this is my final follow up! My Spidey senses are telling me you’ve not come back to me for a reason, but in case there is a small chance you just forgot to reply to my other emails, please let me know if you are happy to have a chat.

I have worked with other businesses similar to [company name] and am confident I can fulfil the [job title] role, so it would be awesome to have a call, but if not, please enjoy this pug rocker picture instead: