I get lots of emails from people looking for new adventures and I’d love to help.

Sometimes though, it’s hard to know what to do with them. I either get a long email, a long resume, or a long linkedin page. I don’t know how to process that and who to send it to.

Here is an email I like to see.

Hey Mick, I’m looking for a new role and would love any relevant introductions.

1. Skill Focus – I do product management, feature wire framing and customer personas. (Specific skills – not management, dev, design, marketing)
2. Industry Focus – I have worked in finance and online retail. (Again, specific, not just tech or high growth).
3. Super power – I’m really really good at working with CEO’s who are great at Sales but can’t translate customer problems into products. (I need to know one reason why you’re better than the 100 other product managers who’ve asked me for introductions. If you don’t give me this I won’t remember you and I won’t send you around as I don’t know when you are needed.)
4. Role – I’m looking for a permanent, full time role and happy to take some equity but need a reasonable salary of $80k. (The more specific the better here, if you can tell me salary base, it’s 5 times better).

My linked in address is; http://linkedin.com/

Thanks for your help.

Your name
Your phone number (so I can just forward this on and they can contact you).

Some principles from this:

Focus – everyone, especially in startups, is a generalist. I need to know what you’re not general at.

Forwarding – I’ll most likely forward it, so write it so it can be forwarded easily and still be useful.