Read the cold LinkedIn outreach that led Fishwife's CEO to hire a candidate

Becca Millstein, the Co-Founder and CEO of Fishwife, shared an anecdote about a particularly effective LinkedIn outreach that led to her hiring a new candidate. She typically doesn't respond to direct messages (DMs) on LinkedIn, as she finds them overwhelming. However, this particular candidate's message stood out to her. The candidate had a strong background, presented their qualifications with concrete numbers, and communicated their message in a concise manner.

Millstein, who co-founded Fishwife in 2020, said that many candidates struggle to make their profiles stand out in the sea of messages executives receive daily. She recounted receiving a LinkedIn DM from a candidate who had applied for a position at Fishwife. The message was highly detailed, outlining the candidate's relevant experience, their role's responsibilities, and their impact on their previous companies.

It also included a résumé, a detail Millstein emphasized was crucial. This candidate stood out because they were not merely sending a generic message, but were instead clearly interested in a specific role and had a well-defined plan for their career progression. After reviewing the candidate's resume, Millstein passed it on to the hiring manager who she said thought the candidate was "awesome."

This example illustrates the importance of a targeted and substantive approach in cold outreach, especially on professional platforms like LinkedIn.