Discover the 10 must followed rules when cold emailing a graduate supervisor during your academic program to land a graduate role for the next phase of your academic career.
Congratulations if you are done with your bachelor’s degree. Your next step will be securing a graduate supervisor role or potential advisor based on your course needs. That is the next great step, but before you get on with that, there are 10 must-follow rules when cold emailing a graduate supervisor.
But before we share that with you, you should research the department you want to apply to, the supervisor, and the requirements. You can use platforms like the school website or professional portfolios like LinkedIn or Research Gate. Before you mail that letter, why not also try to establish a rapport and have a leading conversation?
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10 Must Followed Rules When Cold Emailing A Graduate Supervisor
Once you have all the information you need for your application, you can start getting ready to reach out via email. These are 10 must-followed rules when cold emailing a graduate supervisor.
Clear and Direct Subject Line
Make your subject line concise and direct without any diversion or clickbait style. If, for instance, you are applying for the role of a master’s student, your subject line should read: “Application From a Prospective Master Candidate.” In this manner, before the supervisor opens the email, they will know about its contents.
Keep It Formal
When sending an email to a supervisor, you should keep it formal. At this point, you are trying to create rapport and introduce yourself to the supervisor. So, he/she/they are neither your friend nor an acquaintance. So, begin your message with Dear Professor/Dr [First name] [Last name] and end with Yours Faithfully, your full name (both first and last name).
Introduce yourself
You can keep the introduction short, but let it contain important information like your name, current country of stay, country of origin, and current role. Also, it’s a great idea if you write about how you discovered the opportunity. Also, in your introduction, make your intention known. Clearly state that you are joining the lab or their group, and the season you plan on joining, whether spring or fall.
State Your Research Interest
When sending the mail, you should also state your research interests. You can also relate the ad to the position verbatim, as seen. If you have any published research work, you can link to it. Just don’t oversell. Overall, your publication is the perfect way to show how much you are a researcher.
Make Your Inquiries
In your email, you can inquire if there is an open graduate position if you are cold emailing without concrete information. Also, ask if applications are currently being accepted. You can propose moving the discussion to an alternative video platform like Skype or Google Meet for an effective discussion.
Add Your CV
Although this is optional, it can give you leverage. Where the original graduate position ads state otherwise, you shouldn’t bother adding it. Your CV can further tell them about your capabilities, the type of experience you have, and your potential when added to their team.
Keep Your Email Within 300 Words
It is always best to keep your mail short, within 300 words in no more than 3 paragraphs. It is best to keep your email short because it might be discouraging to sit and read a cold email of about 1000 words. Keep it simple and clear.
Be Smart About Asking About Funding Opportunity
Don’t be so upfront when asking for funding opportunities. You can ask smartly if there is funding for graduate students in general and not in personalized ways.
Follow All Instructions
If you found the graduate position opportunity via ads, you should read all the information in the ad. If there is a supposed code meant to be introduced either in the subject line or the body of the article, you should include it.
Review Your Mail
There is nothing as off-putting as grammatical errors. That is more reason to edit and read it to spot errors. You can also use helpful extensions or websites like Grammarly to check for errors.
Final Thoughts on Must Followed Rules When Cold Emailing A Graduate Supervisor
When cold emailing a graduate supervisor, you should be confident and polite. Some people might mistake being rude or proud for being confident, but it isn’t. If you send a rude email, best believe it will be disregarded, and you might not get any response. Be confident when expressing yourself, but do it smartly.
Another important thing for you to know is that sometimes, you might get a response or not. You can always reach out to your supervisor politely once more. Keep it short and simple. Try doing more research and finding samples from others who have done it before you. You just have to keep learning.
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