Speculative application: how to write one, with example

You send a speculative application, the Initiativbewerbung, without a suitable job being advertised. You approach a company directly and say how you could help there. It works when it is targeted: one company you know, one area, one offer. A mass mailing to a hundred addresses almost never works. Here is how to go about it. The sample sentences are in German because the letter goes to a German employer.

In short: Choose company and area on purpose, find a specific contact, write a cover letter with a clear offer and follow up politely after about two weeks.

When a speculative application makes sense

• You want to join a specific company, but no suitable job is advertised right now.
• The company is growing, has a new project or a new site, and you know which skills are needed there.
• You heard through your network that someone is being sought, but nothing has been advertised yet.
• You look for an internship, a student job or an entry-level role at employers that rarely advertise.

Step 1: Choose company and area

Start with research, not with writing. Read the website, the careers page and recent news. Think about which role you would see there and which problem you could solve. The more precise, the better: “project manager in digitalisation” is a better target role than “anything in an office”.

Step 2: Find the contact person

Send the application to a person, not to a general address. You find names on the careers page, in the legal notice, in professional networks or in press releases. If you find none, call the switchboard or the HR team and ask whom to contact. The call shows initiative and takes two minutes.

Step 3: The cover letter with an offer

A cover letter for a speculative application has the same form as any other to DIN 5008, see the guide on the cover letter. The difference: you cannot refer to an ad. So you explain why you are writing and say what you offer.

• Opening: why this company? A concrete reference, for example a new product, a project or an area you follow.
• Body: what can you do? One or two proofs from your experience that fit the area.
• Close: what do you wish for? A conversation, a get-to-know meeting or the chance to present your CV.

Example of an opening: “In den letzten Monaten habe ich verfolgt, wie Ihr Unternehmen den Bereich Digitalisierung ausbaut. Als Projektmanagerin mit fünf Jahren Erfahrung in der Umsetzung von Software-Einführungen möchte ich gern dazu beitragen.”

Do not write “Please give me a chance”; say what you bring to the team. A sentence on timing helps: “Ich kann zum 1. April starten.”

Step 4: Subject line and email

If you apply by email, put in the subject line what you are looking for and who you are, for example “Initiativbewerbung als Projektmanager im Bereich Digitalisierung”. The email text is short: two to three sentences, with the application pack as one PDF file attached. More on email applications in the guide on applying by email.

Step 5: Tailor your CV

Even without an ad you should cut the CV to the target role. Move the positions and skills that count for the area to the front and shorten what does not fit. A single-column, ATS-readable layout is safe; the checklist helps with that.

Step 6: Follow up

If there is no answer after about two weeks, write a short, friendly message: you refer to your application, are still interested and gladly answer questions. Do not push and send no more than one reminder. With the job tracker in FlowResume you keep date, contact person and the time for the follow-up in view.

Common mistakes

• One standard text to many companies: it is spotted at once.
• No name in the salutation: “Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren” looks interchangeable.
• No clear target role: whoever offers everything is booked for nothing.
• Too many attachments: one PDF file with cover letter, CV and the most important certificates is enough.

Prepare with FlowResume

Your career profile supplies the facts for CV and cover letter, which you tailor for each company. In the job tracker you create every speculative application as its own entry and set a reminder for the follow-up. Start with a CV template, and see on the cover letter page how a letter to DIN 5008 is built.