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
 

Odio fugit et voluptas temporibus blanditiis. Delectus dicta natus ipsam vitae inventore veritatis sed.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”