When emailing a potential employer, what do I put as the subject line, and can the body be the cover letter?

Posted Monday, September 27, 2010 by admin


I am emailing an employer about an Administrative Assistant position offered on their website, and wanted to know what do I write in the subject line. Is: “re:Administrative Assistant” fine or should I put something else like “Part-Time Administrative Assistant Position” etc?

also, is it okay for the body of the email to be my cover letter, and just attach the resume?

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Webnews

Posted in Other - Careers & Employment

3 Comments on "When emailing a potential employer, what do I put as the subject line, and can the body be the cover letter?"

  • gopal_thevfusiongroup said on Sep 29th, 2010 at 5:10 PM:

    If you know the person responsible for hiring you may put Attn:Name and then put (Administrative Assistant Position). If not just use the job title…the body of your email can be the cover letter where you introduce yourself, list contact info, and explain why you are applying for this particular position. Best,

    Gopal (The Musical Mad Scientist and Entrepreneur)

  • Mace Windu said on Oct 2nd, 2010 at 7:28 AM:

    You shouldn’t use e-mail, unless the job application information said to only use e-mail/Internet to send your resume.
    I would still send a letter/resume by snail mail, and use e-mail or, better yet, a phone call to follow up.
    An e-mail can easily be “lost,” not seen, or even deleted. But a physically tangible item, that the employer can hold can stand out.
    But if you’re going to e-mail, use the second wording for the subject line.
    I would make it as easy as possible for the employer to view your resume. If you can, insert into the body of the e-mail.
    But, again, I still think you should mail it by the Post Office.

  • Melissa V said on Oct 4th, 2010 at 12:18 PM:

    I think you should also send the resume snail mail. Include a cover letter and follow up with a thank you note. At a very minimum, maybe send your cover letter and resume as separate attachments in your return email. Then follow up with the thank you note. You want to stand out from the competition, and it sounds like most people will respond via email. Anyway, just my thoughts. I recently used an online resume writing service,, and they wrote the resume, cover letter, and thank you note for a pretty reasonable price, and I did get the job I was applying for. Best of luck to you :) Mel.

Leave a Comment