The posting says “apply by email”, you have the resume ready, and you are staring at an empty subject line wondering whether it matters. It does — it is the only part of the application that is guaranteed to be read. These six prompts cover the whole sequence, from subject line to the email you send when you withdraw.
Step 1 — Before you hit send
1. Subject Line
Write eight subject lines for a job application email for [job title] at [company]. Include the role, include my name, avoid all caps and emoji, and keep each under 60 characters. Then recommend one and say why it beats the others.What it does: Gets the application filed under the right role instead of lost in an inbox.
How to use: If the posting specifies a subject format, use theirs exactly and skip this prompt.
2. Application Email Body
Write a job application email body for [job title] at [company]. Open with the role and where I saw it, add two sentences connecting my experience to the two most important requirements in this posting: [paste the requirements], and close with one line about attachments. Maximum 150 words, no greeting clichés.What it does: Produces an email that gets read in full because it is short and specific.
How to use: Paste the requirements verbatim, not your summary of them. Then delete any sentence that repeats your resume.
3. Pre-Send Checklist
Write a checklist to run before sending a job application email for [job title] at [company]. Cover: attachments and their file names, whether each attachment opens, the email address and any reference number from the posting, spelling of names, and one test send to myself.What it does: Prevents the failures that have nothing to do with your qualifications.
How to use: Run it every time. Name attachments with your own name and the document, and check that the file opens on a phone.
Step 2 — Send, follow up, close
4. One-Week Follow-Up
Write a follow-up email to send one week after this application: [paste details — role, company, date sent, anything you have since achieved or completed]. It must add one new piece of information, repeat nothing from the first email, and stay under 80 words.What it does: Puts your name back in the pile with a reason rather than a reminder.
How to use: Replace the bracketed details and add something new — a finished project, a certification, a relevant article. One follow-up is enough.
5. Screening Request Reply
They replied asking for [what they asked for — availability, salary expectations, a test task]. Write my reply: confirm what they asked, offer two or three specific time slots or a specific answer, and ask one clarifying question if something is genuinely unclear. Keep it under 100 words.What it does: Handles the stage where most candidates slow the process down themselves.
How to use: Reply the same day even if your answer is partial. Offering two or three slots beats “any time works”.
6. Withdrawal Email
Write a short email withdrawing my application for [job title] at [company]. Keep it under 70 words, thank them briefly, do not over-explain, and leave the door open for a future role. Then write a second version in case they already scheduled an interview.What it does: Ends the process cleanly, which matters because these people may hire you later.
How to use: Send it as soon as you have accepted something else. Ghosting a hiring manager is a small world problem.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the subject line generic, which gets the email filed under the wrong role.
- Attaching files named “resume_final_v3” that no one can match to a name.
- Repeating the resume in the email instead of pointing to it.
Keep going
- Browse the Email prompt library
- 6 Claude prompts for negotiation emails
- 5 Claude prompts for editing and proofreading
These prompts are free to use. Copy them, tweak the [variables], ship something.