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A speculative application is when you contact a company about working there even though they haven't advertised a role. In the UK it's a well-established way to find work, and it can reach jobs before they're ever posted, when a team is only starting to think about hiring.
Done well, a speculative email is short, specific and easy to say yes to. Here's how to write one, who to send it to, and a template you can adapt.
When a speculative application makes sense
Speculative applications work best when:
- You know exactly what you'd do there. "A data analyst on your pricing team" beats "any suitable role".
- The company is growing. New funding, a new office, new products or lots of recent hires are good signs.
- Your experience is a clear fit for the kind of work the team does.
- You're targeting smaller and mid-sized companies. They often hire through networks before advertising.
They work less well for large organisations with strict application portals, such as some banks and public-sector employers, where every hire must go through an advertised vacancy. Even there, a well-placed note to a hiring manager can mean they look out for your application when a role opens.
Who to send it to
Don't send it to a generic "careers@" inbox if you can avoid it. Aim for:
- The head of the team you want to join, for example the Engineering Manager or Head of Marketing.
- A recruiter or talent partner who covers that area.
- The founder, at a small start-up.
Our guide on how to find a hiring manager's email shows how to find the right person and confirm their work address.
What to include
Keep it to five or six short lines:
- Who you are, in one line.
- Why this company, specifically. Something real you've noticed.
- What you could do for them, based on what you've already done.
- A small ask: a short call, or to be kept in mind for future roles.
- Your CV attached, as a PDF.
Template: speculative application email
Subject: Data analyst – interested in your pricing team
Hi Sophie,
I'm a data analyst with four years' experience in pricing and retail analytics, currently at a London grocery retailer.
I've been following your expansion into same-day delivery, and I think my work on promotional pricing models could be useful as your team grows.
I know you're not advertising a role at the moment, but would you be open to a 15-minute call, or to keeping my CV in mind if something opens up? I've attached it here.
Kind regards, Priya Shah
Why it works: it's specific about the team, it gives a real reason for writing to this company, and it asks for something small.
Subject lines that get opened
Backend engineer – interested in your payments teamSpeculative application: Marketing Manager (fintech)Product designer – your onboarding work caught my eye
Specific beats clever. The reader should know what the email is about before opening it.
Following up
If there's no reply after about a week, send one short follow-up in the same thread:
Hi Sophie, just bringing this back to the top of your inbox in case it got buried. Happy to share more if useful. Thanks!
After that, leave it. People do remember polite, relevant approaches, and some replies come months later when a role opens. Here's more on how to follow up.
Common mistakes
- Sending the same email to everyone. Generic speculative emails are easy to spot and easy to ignore.
- Asking for "any job". Name the kind of role and the team.
- A long cover-letter-style email. Keep it short; the CV holds the detail.
- A CV that doesn't match. If you say you're strong in pricing analytics, that should be obvious on the first page of your CV. Here's how to tailor it honestly.
Make it faster with PitchRight
PitchRight finds the hiring managers and recruiters at a company, with checked work emails, and drafts a short, specific message from your CV that you send from your own Gmail. It also tracks who you've contacted, so follow-ups don't slip. Drafting is free; finding contacts uses credits, which come back if a search finds no one. Start free.