Recruiter Outreach in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France
A good first message to a recruiter in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or France is short, polite, specific about the role, and written in the local variant of the language. The pronoun, the greeting, the spelling and the sign-off are all small signals, and together they tell the reader whether you understand their market.
This guide covers what tends to differ between the four markets and gives you a pattern for each. These are general tendencies from common business writing, not rules, so adapt them to the person and company in front of you.
What do all four markets have in common?
In all of them, recruiters read many messages, and a message that gets to the point is respected. Say who you are in a line, name the role or the kind of role you are interested in, give one reason you fit, and make a small ask such as a short call or the right contact.
Skip long flattery and long summaries of your career. A link to your profile or a short attachment does that job. If you are writing across a border, say where you are based and whether you already have the right to work in the country, because that is often the first question.
How do you write to a recruiter in Germany?
German business writing is direct and factual. A first message to a recruiter usually uses Sie and a greeting such as "Guten Tag Frau Schmidt," or, when you do not know the title or gender, "Guten Tag Anna Schmidt,". Informal "Hallo Anna," is increasingly normal in tech and startups, but formal is the safer start.
State the reason for writing in the first or second sentence, name the role, and give concrete facts about your experience instead of adjectives. Close with "Mit freundlichen Grüßen" for a formal message or "Viele Grüße" or "Beste Grüße" for a friendlier one. Use the letter ß in standard German written in Germany.
What changes in Austria?
Austrian writing is similar to German but often a little more courteous, and titles carry more weight. If the person's profile shows a title such as Mag., Dr. or DI, using it in a formal message is appreciated. Do not add a title you cannot see on the page.
Austrian vocabulary also differs in places. For example, January is often "Jänner" in Austria. Greetings such as "Guten Tag Frau Schmidt," and closings such as "Mit freundlichen Grüßen" or "Beste Grüße" work well. Keep the ß, which is used in Austria as in Germany.
What changes in Switzerland?
Swiss Standard German does not use the letter ß. It is always "ss", so "Grüsse" and "Strasse". A message that contains ß signals immediately that the writer is not Swiss, which is not a disaster but is easy to avoid. The usual closing is "Freundliche Grüsse" or "Beste Grüsse".
Do not write in dialect. Swiss people write standard German in professional messages and speak dialect, so a message in Standard German is the right choice. In French-speaking Switzerland, you will see "septante" and "nonante" for 70 and 90, and closings such as "Meilleures salutations" or "Cordiales salutations". Swiss business tone is polite, precise and understated.
How do you write to a recruiter in France?
French professional writing values politeness before the request. On LinkedIn, "Bonjour Julie," is the usual greeting even when the rest of the message uses vous, and "Bonjour Madame Martin," is right when you know the title. Vous is the default for a first message; tu appears in some startups, mostly after an invitation.
Open with a polite sentence, then say why you are writing and name the role. Close with "Cordialement" or "Bien cordialement". Use French punctuation, with a space before a colon, question mark or exclamation mark, and prefer French words over English ones where a common French term exists.
How does Letter Moth help with these differences?
Letter Moth now has a variant for each of these markets: German for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and French for France and Switzerland. Choosing one tells it which spelling, greeting and sign-off to use, and you pick formal or informal address next to it. The draft is written from the recruiter's profile or the job post you have open, so it can name the role and a real detail.
A draft is still a draft. Read the greeting and the sign-off, check that names and titles match the page, and cut anything you could not back up in an interview. For the structure of the first message in any language, see how to ask for a referral on LinkedIn and how to write a cold email that gets replies.
To set up your defaults, install Letter Moth and choose your language in Settings. For choosing between formal and informal, read Du or Sie? Formal vs informal address.
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Drafts a LinkedIn note, cold email or application answer from the page you are on. You edit it and press send. 5 drafts a day are free, no card needed.
Frequently asked questions
Should I write to a German recruiter in German or English?
If the job post is in German, write in German. If it is in English or the company works in English, English is fine. When unsure, match the language of the posting.
Do I need to use a title like Dr. or Mag.?
Only if the person's profile shows it. Titles matter more in Germany and Austria, but never add one you cannot see.
Why does Letter Moth have separate German variants?
Because spelling and conventions differ: Swiss German has no ß, Austrian writing uses its own vocabulary, and sign-offs vary by country.
Is a message in French from a non-native speaker a problem?
Not if it is polite and clear. A short, correct message beats a long, ornate one, and French recruiters generally appreciate the effort.
Keep reading
- Du or Sie? Formal vs Informal Address in Outreach Messages How to choose between du and Sie, tu and vous, tú and usted in LinkedIn messages and cold emails, with a safe default for each language and when to switch.
- Write LinkedIn Messages and Cold Emails in Other Languages Letter Moth now drafts LinkedIn notes, cold emails and job answers in German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch, with the right country variant.
- How to Ask for a Referral on LinkedIn (With Message Examples) How to ask for a referral on LinkedIn without being awkward: when to ask, what to include, message templates for contacts and strangers, and how to follow up.
- How to Write a Cold Email That Gets Replies: A Practical Guide Learn how to write a cold email that gets replies: subject lines, a simple four-part structure, real examples, follow-up timing and mistakes to avoid.