Thank You Letters

You’ve prepared and aced the interview and now you have left the interview site wondering when you are going to hear back from these people on a job offer.  What do you think is the most logical next step?  When someone gives you something what did your parents teach you to say?  They taught you to say “Thank You” and sending a thank you note after an interview to your interviewer(s) is no exception.

Why send a thank you letter?

1.  It is courteous and shows you understand professional protocol

2.  It is another opportunity for you to express why YOU are the best candidate for the position

3.  It shows you thought enough of the interview and opportunity to show gratitude

4.  If the candidate pool is close – it helps you to stand out to your potential employer because believe it or not, not many people send thank you notes

It is all about separating you from the pack and leaving a positive lasting impression on those individuals who spent time with you either over the phone or face-to-face to ask you questions about your skills, previous work history, training and education.

What should go in to a “Thank You” letter?

• Don’t be long winded.  People have very little time to read a novel
• Get straight to the point, remind them of the interview date with you (you are not their only candidate they are talking to most likely)
• Highlight some of the roles and responsibilities they mentioned to you regarding the position to show you were paying attention
• Then relate how your skills and experience correlate to the position and the attributes of the ideal candidate for that position
• Close with a salutation that leaves a mark and helps them to remember you

How soon after the interview should a thank you letter be sent?

IMMEDIATELY.  If possible same day.  Hopefully during your round of interviews you requested and collected business cards of the interviewers’ contact information.  Their card should show their email and corporate mailing address of their location.  Sending a thank you via email OR snail mail are both considered rather important.  Rule of thumb – don’t let more than 3 days go by without sending out your note.

It may seem obvious that one should send thank you letters but you would be surprised how often it isn’t done or even thought of.  Sometimes the candidates they are interviewing are so close in skill set and “chemistry” – yes I said chemistry that it is difficult for the interviewer to decide who to select.  A thank you letter may be just the think to put you over the top and get that return call with a job offer for your dream job.

If you don’t know how to formulate a post-interview thank you letter, there are several templates on the Internet.  Simply “Google it”.

Happy interviewing!