Outbound Recruiting: The Playbook for Engineering Roles

<p>For engineering roles at Series A-C companies, fewer than 5% of hires come from inbound applications. The rest are sourced through outbound — and most outbound is done poorly.</p> <h2>The Outreach Formula</h2> <p>Effective outbound emails share three characteristics: they're specific to the candidate, they lead with what's interesting about the role (not the company), and they're short (under 100 words).</p> <p>Example of what works: "Hi [Name], saw your work on [specific project] at [Company]. We're building [specific technical challenge] and think your background in [specific skill] would be a great fit. 15 min to chat?"</p> <p>Example of what doesn't: "Hi [Name], we're a fast-growing startup backed by top VCs looking for talented engineers to join our world-class team..."</p> <h2>Follow-Up Cadence</h2> <p>The optimal sequence is: Day 0 (initial), Day 3 (bump), Day 8 (new angle), Day 14 (breakup). Each follow-up should take a different approach — don't just repeat the original pitch. The Day 8 email often has the highest response rate because it leads with something genuinely new.</p> <h2>Measuring Success</h2> <p>Track open rates (target: 60%+), reply rates (target: 15%+), and positive reply rates (target: 8%+). If your reply rate is below 10%, the problem is usually targeting or messaging, not volume.</p>