My favourite example of the template thing is this, which I get several times a day most days:

<blockquote>Dear Steve,

We found your resume online, and it seems perfect for an opening we have for a client right now who is looking for a junior developer with at least 5 years of Python experience. Expertise in project managing Ruby software projects would be a definite plus. If you'd like to discuss it further, please drop me a line. I look forward to talking to you, Kevin!

Or, if you're not looking for opportunities right now, please let us know and we'll stop emailing you.

Thanks,

Ms X, Mysterious Recruitment</blockquote>

Now, I realise firstly that they may well be recruiting for GCHQ, the NSA or the FSB. In that case, the mystery about who the employer is is possibly understandable. But even then, "a client in the defence/intelligence community" would give me *some* clue. And that'd be nice. Nicer still would be "a client in the defence/intelligence community, based in the northern hemisphere"... I'm as willing to relocate as the next guy (and would consider that a bonus, not a drawback) but I'm pretty sick of getting job adverts for lousy jobs on lousy money in lousy places I wouldn't dream of moving to for all the tea in china.

Secondly, my CV does not once mention Python. Nor Ruby. And it clearly shows (well, perhaps not... know anyone who does CV coaching? :) that I'm not in the market for a "junior" position.

Third, my name is Kevin, not Steve. Getting it right once is a nice touch - kudos to the recruiters in question - but twice would've been better.

Fourth, putting the "if you're not in the market right now" bit on the bottom seems like a great idea until you realise that when you email them telling them you're quite happy in your current position, but you'll keep their details on file in case anything changes... they ignore it completely, and keep on sending you jobs.

Ugh... recruiters! :-)

I used templates a great deal when I was recruiting, but I think it's important to categorize them and then look at the categories.  So you have confirmation templates, response templates, responding to requests for information templates etc.  What of those can you consolidate and address inanother way...that's where I think companies could use blogs more effectively to address the latter--the information most often requested and questions addressed....

Templates really help if you are in recruitment firm.

Kev - Yeah, that's pretty bad!  

Susan - I totally agree on both points.  I always had about 20 different templates ready to go for any situation.  I also found that linking to blog posts were a great way to explain information without making the email sound like a total form letter.  Great suggestion!

Stephi - Yep, templates absolutely help.  The trick is to personalize the templates so they don't look like mass mailers and make candidates feel special ... like they are! :)