I’ve been reaching out to hiring managers at corporate strategy teams for about three months now. I’ve sent maybe 15 emails. I’ve gotten two responses, both polite brushoffs. The emails felt solid to me—personalized, mentioned mutual connections, highlighted relevant experience—but clearly something isn’t landing.
I’m wondering if the problem is the template I’m using, the timing, the targeting, or something else entirely. I’ve seen people in my network land interviews seemingly without trying, and I’m trying to figure out if they’re just better connected or if there’s something about how I’m approaching this that’s fundamentally off.
So I’m opening this up: for people who’ve successfully gotten corporate strategy interviews through outreach, what actually got callbacks? Was it the message itself? The frequency? How you positioned yourself? Did you have a specific format that worked, or was it just about finding the right person at the right time?
I’m not looking for the template that works for everyone—I’m looking for the stuff you tried that actually moved the needle for you specifically.
15 emails and 2 responses? ur actually doing better than average lol. thing is hiring managers get hundreds of these. what worked for me was actually calling people instead of emailing. voice matters. showed i wasn’t just blasting. also i only reached out to people doing work i actually cared about, not just ‘anyone in corp strat somewhere.’ specificity > volume.
calling people sounds terrifying but also kind of genius? like they can’t ignore u as easily on the phone?
Your outreach success rate is constrained by five factors: targeting quality (wrong person type), message framing (sounds like everyone else), timing (their hiring cycle), existing relationship strength (cold outreach has 2-3% callback rates), and persistence sequence (proper follow-up cadence matters). I’d evaluate: Are you reaching VPs of Strategy specifically, or broader audiences? Are your messages demonstrating specific knowledge of their company’s challenges, or generic value proposition? Have you structured follow-ups at 5-7-14 day intervals rather than sporadic? The mechanics often matter more than message content.
13 rejections out of 15 is actually pretty normal for cold outreach. Don’t get discouraged! Keep refining and you’ll hit the right person at the right moment.
Typical cold email response rates in corporate recruiting range from 2-8%. LinkedIn direct messages perform 15-22% better than email alone. Warm introductions have 35-45% callback rates. Your 13% current rate is actually mid-range. To improve: segment targets by company size and growth stage, craft role-specific value propositions rather than generic positioning, employ multi-channel outreach (email + LinkedIn + phone), and implement structured follow-up sequences. Research suggests 5-7 touchpoints over 4 weeks yields optimal callback rates.
also honestly? some hiring managers just aren’t looking and won’t respond no matter what. don’t blame urself too hard. just keep going and one of em will be in a position where ur timing works.
so like, is calling better than email or linkedin? or do u need to do all three?
A combo approach works best! Start with LinkedIn to build connection, then email a thoughtful message, then follow up. You’re building familiarity, not just throwing one message at them.