Cold Emails not Getting Opened- What's Wrong?

I have a chrome extension which tracks email opens, and I've sent out 15 emails to alumni this week, and only 3 people have even opened my emails, much less responded. I got to a target school as well and received the template from an upperclassman who said he had a ~20% response rate, so I was wondering if it has something to do my subject line or time I send it out? I typically have my emails scheduled to send ~8 to 9 am. Would love any feedback I could get.

Subject: school Second-Year Interested in Firm Opportunities

Body: 

Dear XX,

I hope this email finds you well! I am currently a second-year at school majoring in economics who's interested in pursuing a career in investment banking at Firm

I was applying for Firm 2022 Analyst Program and came across your profile on LinkedIn while doing some research and would love to learn more about your experiences in the industry. I'm sure you're very busy, I was wondering if you'd be willing to have a brief 15-20 minute chat about your experiences at school along with [personalize] - I can send a Google Calendar invitation if needed. Please let me know if there are any times that work for you. I have attached my resume for your reference. 

Thank you so much and stay safe!


Best,

the.turnip.overlord

1 Comments
 

Repudiandae repellendus ad qui eius dolor sint nulla. Tenetur architecto nulla ipsam vero aliquam mollitia ratione accusamus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”