Introductory Email

How to write a professional introductory email :

Remember: 

Most people would love to help/mentor young people that are interested in pursuing/exploring their career but people are busy (with work, their personal lives) and maybe don’t know how they can help young people. Be assertive but humble and gracious.

Your job is to reach out in a way that is professional, respectful of the mentor’s time and talents, articulate and proactive without being pushy.

In the email clearly define the project and project goal, what you want them to do for you and why you are asking them (and not someone else) for help/feedback

Good words to use: respectfully request, thank you in advance for considering this request, any amount of time you are comfortable with. Use compliment sandwich approach: compliment-request-compliment

Target email to an individual (scientist, engineer) who is an expert in the field you have chosen. 

Take inspiration from the prompts below to write a professional introductory email to possible mentors.

Before you write them make sure you get some additional information about your possible mentors.

When your email is complete attach it to the proper assignment on Google Classroom. After it has been reviewed sent it to your mentors and cc a copy to me. 

Remember to attach a copy of your cover letter and resume to it.

Example of introductory email:

Dear Mr./Ms._______________, 

[Introduction: Who are you? How did you find the mentor] My name is ______________, and I received your name from___________________.  You have been referred to me by______________.Your profile actually interested me because______________________I am very impressed by ___________.

[Share your background: year, major, university, activities, jobs, clubs etc.] I am a high school student taking STEM Engineering ______________. I was involved in_________________________.  I love to work out and am fascinated by _________________  are of particular interest to me. I really want to learn about ___________________. 

[Share what you hope to gain from the mentoring experience ] I am looking for a mentor to collaborate with me on my final Senior Capstone project. For our Senior Capstone Project we are required to______________. The project consists of_____________  My studies prepared me for a lot of things, but I hope you can assist me by sharing some of the things you have learned as an experienced_______________, like _______________, and how you keep motivated and inspired. I would love to hear about your journey and how you got to where you are today. Any words of wisdom will be greatly appreciated.

[In closing, ask about the best way to continue communication based on their profile. ] I understand that you are very busy, but I was wondering if you would like to mentor me. It would be a great honor to have you as my mentor. Should you decide to become my mentor, the first step would be for us to talk in-person, via Skype, or over the phone, and go over some ideas for my final project. We will also need to discuss your availability. I look forward to hearing from you to arrange a time to do that. Feel free to reach me by e-mail at ________.

Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely, 

Name

Contact Info