Send The Email Within 24 Hours
When it comes to sending your thank-you email, dont delay.
Do that within 24 hours, Nelson, the career coach, recommends.
If you interviewed in the morning, send it that afternoon. And if you interviewed in the afternoon, send it the following morning. A prompt note shows that youre responsive, a strong communicator with follow-through and that youre excited about the role.
If you wait two or three days to send it, though, the hiring manager might get a different impression of you that youre slow to respond or not too interested in the position.
I Need To Hear Back From You By
Hopefully, you and the recruiter discussed the hiring timeline during the interview. If you didnt, you might think that the thank-you note is a perfect time to ask when they will make a decision. But its not. It only comes across as rude and desperate. In this case, the best you can do is say, I look forward to hearing from you soon, and wait it out.
If you do have an offer from another company on the table, its polite to let the other employer know and ask when they might have a decision on their end so you can weigh your options. The operative word there is askyou dont want to dole out rude demands.
Should I Write A Thank You Email After An Interview
Yes, you should write a thank you email after an interview. Following up after an interview to thank hiring managers for their time is always a good idea, and sending an email is one of the most effective ways to accomplish this.
An email is more professional and less invasive than a text. It’s faster than a handwritten letter, allowing you to communicate more carefully than a phone call. While some of these other methods may be appropriate in certain situations, an email is almost always the best bet.
Writing an email also makes it easier to explain why you’re excited about the position and reiterate your passion and qualifications. Don’t overdo it, but including a line or two reminding the recipient about why you’re interested in the position and why you’d be a good fit can solidify who you are in the interviewer’s mind.
Make sure you always start your email with your note of thanks, acknowledging the interviewer’s time, and even mentioning something specific you enjoyed talking with them about. Making it personal shows that you put effort into your note, so don’t use a template or send the same email to multiple people.
As you write, match your tone to the tone of the interview, but keep it professional. Just because you bonded with the hiring manager over your love of snowshoeing doesn’t mean you get to assume you’re best friends now.
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Simplify Your Subject Line
Keep your email subject line straight and to the point. Resist the urge to get clever or wordy.
Simple, streamlined subject lines work best for the occasion, according to career coach Wendy Saccuzzo. Shesaid winning examples include Following up, Thanks for the conversation and Thanks for the interview.
Appreciated your time yesterday is an example of a subject line Manoske suggests applicants use.
This Job Would Be So Good For Me Because
This is a trap thats easy to fall into. You want to talk about all of the ways that the role would positively impact your life.
Heres the brutal truth: prospective employers dont care. It might seem selfish or cold-hearted, but they want to know about how youll add value to their companyas opposed to how they can benefit you.
Resist the urge to rant and rave about all of the reasons that job would improve your life, and place the majority of your emphasis on what you bring to the table and how that contributes to any company goals.
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After The Thank You Note Is Sent For A Bad Interview
They may respond and reschedule, or they may ignore you.
Let them decide if they want to give you another chance. Another opening with different interviewers may happen with them in the future, so just chill after you send this message. And, be extremely well-prepared for that next interview, if it happens!
If this is a small organization and you really want to work there, give them a call a week or so after you have sent the message to respond, particularly if you sent this message on a Friday or just before a holiday. Dont be a pest.
Your best strategy may be to wait until they have another appropriate job open .
What Is The Purpose Of A Thank
A follow-up email after a phone interview is more than just a courtesy its an important way to make sure youre getting noticed for the right reasons. A thank-you email gives you a way to follow-up with a recruiter and to make an additional sales pitch for yourself.
Your thank-you email can include a few sentences highlighting why youre a great fit for the role and referencing any talents you highlighted in your previous conversation.
Its also an opportunity to circle back to anything you wish you could have mentioned in your interview. Mention something valuable or interesting you learned about them that makes you want to work there.
Perhaps you are aware of their upcoming plans and have the technical skills to help. Or, maybe you simply want to revisit a previous interview question, whether you forgot to mention something or meant to reply differently.
Most experts recommend sending a thank-you email within 24 hours of completing your interview. Send individual emails to every person who interviewed you and make sure each is customized to the recipient and the company.
Thank-you emails that look like you cut and pasted the same text will hurt, not help, your application.
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How To Write A Thank You Email After Your Phone Interview
Related video: Interviewing: Tips for Before, During and After a Job Interview
The phone interview is one of the most important parts of the job interview process. To make yourself stand out to employers, you should send a thank you email after the phone interview to show your professionalism and politeness. Your thank you email should be brief and informative as you remind the interviewer why you’re the best fit for the position.
In this article, we explain why a thank you email after a phone interview is important, how to send one and include a template and examples of effective thank you emails to help you write your own.
When To Send An After Interview Thank You Note
With any important piece of writing, planning is half the battle. Should you follow up over email, in a handwritten notecard, or on social media? And what should you write?
There are two vital factors to consider when writing a thank-you note after an interview: speed and specificity. Thank yous are not better late than never. In fact, most interviewers expect an email or letter within a day. That means time is of the essence, and you need to work quickly! As one Glassdoor recruiter puts it, it is vital to send a thank you email to your interviews within 24-48 hours.
Even though you must write quickly, you also need to personalize each thank-you note to the interviewer. Gone are the days where I would look at a template thank-you note and consider it worth my time to read. As Valerie LeClair, Grammarlys Director of Recruiting, once described to me,
Write from the heart! If a candidate is going to write a standardized, impersonal note, there is no reason to even send it.
But dont panic! Take a deep breath and reflect on your interview experience. Now, ask yourself these idea-generating questions:
- How did the interview go? Did anything weird happen?
- Did I flub on a question I know I have a better answer for?
- Did I forget to ask the interviewer one of my questions?
- Is there something additional this interviewer should know about me?
- Did I discuss anything interesting? Find any similarities to my interviewer?
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Bad Job Interview Sample Thank You Emails & Notes To Recover
- Post authorBy Susan P. Joyce
This is the thank you that you send to an interviewer when you absolutely positively KNOW that you really messed up in the job interview. If you feel like you need interview help, consider scheduling a mock interview.
You were late, gave a bad answer, forgot to include something important in an answer, or made some other major error.
In this message, apologize for your poor performance, bad behavior, or missing information, and try to recover.
This thank you may save the opportunity. OR, it may remind them when you were less than impressive and end any opportunity you might have had.
Sending a standard thank you note might be a better idea. See the samples in Formal Interview Thank You Notes and Sample Interview Thank You Email Messages.
If you know for sure that they are not considering you, perhaps a thank you note after receiving a rejection is more appropriate that thank you note works much more often than you may think. But send it only when you really like the people you met and want very much to work for that employer.
The Right Time To Send A Thank You Note
Think of atime you did someone a favor, maybe you gave them a gift or helped out with aproblem. A few days pass by, and you get no thanks. Are they ever going tothank you? How does the lack of gratitude make you feel? Well, hiring managersare no different, says Sharon Schweitzer, Business EtiquetteExpert and Founder of Protocol and Etiquette Worldwide.
An interviewer gave you an opportunityduring your meetingone that couldve been given to someone else. Thank themwithin 24 to 48 hours, no later. Otherwise,it seems you had much better things to do with your time, which isnt a goodimpression to leave on a job hunt, continues Schweitzer.
Sending a traditional handwritten note viasnail mail? Thats okay as long as the interviewer receives it three to sevendays after the interview.
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The Power To Get You Hired Amidst Close Competition
How do recruiters, hiring managers, business owners, start-upfounders, and pretty much everyone in the hiring profession choose betweenequally promising candidates?
Sometimes, it comes down to cultural fit, other times personalitybecomes a deciding factor. But what if both seem equally nice and perfect withthe team?
Thats when a thank you note can make all the difference. Leslie Saul, Owner of Leslie Saul andAssociates architecture and design company, shared this story:
One time, my team was stumpeddeciding among three good candidates. I met all the candidates, and alsothought anyone of them would be a great addition to the team.
Two days later, I received ahandwritten thank you note from one of the candidates. He also wrote a note tothe staff who interviewed him. The second candidate sent a thank you note via email,while the third one didnt contact any of us. In the end, I hired Mr.Handwritten Note Guy. He turned out to be a great hire!
Now that you know how to write a thank you email after an interview, it’s time to put the examples and points above to good usehelping secure your new position.
Browse through our professional resume templates on Envato Elements or GraphicRiver to find a great resume design.
Show Your Appreciation Within The First Few Sentences
Next, show your appreciation within the first few sentences. Be specific about why you are sending your email, and explicitly thank the company and individual for taking the time to meet with you. You can also include your appreciation for learning specific details about working in the organization or having a specific question answered. For instance, thank the professional you spoke with for answering your questions about their corporate benefits or how the company handles overtime pay.
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Formatting Tips & Tricks
There are an infinite number of ways you can write a thank-you letter. And while thereâs no one right way to do it, there are a few tips and tricks you can keep in mind while drafting your note.
Email vs. Handwritten
Handwritten letters have a certain charm, but in most cases, a thank-you email is the best choice. Why? For one, an emailed thank-you can arrive instantaneously, while a postmarked note can take days to arrive. For another, handwritten letters might feel like a bit much. So when in doubt, send an email. Exceptions could occur if a) youâre close enough that you can simply drop off a handwritten letter, b) youâre applying to a very traditional or old-school organization and c) if you have a prior relationship with an interviewer .
Length
Donât feel pressured to send a five-paragraph essay â thank-yous should be short and sweet. Just as you donât want to spend too much time writing one, your interviewers donât want to spend too much time reading one. After all, theyâve got their own jobs to stay on top of. Make your thank-you letter long enough to cover everything you need to say, but short enough that it only ends up being a few sentences long.
Voice & Tone
Mistakes To Avoid When Creating Thank You Emails
Not only is it important to figure out who to write a thank you email after an interview, but its also critical to know what you shouldnt do. Small missteps can carry big consequences with them, especially since this short message serves as the last impression you might make before the hiring manager makes a decision.
No pressure, right?
So, what shouldnt you do? Well, lets start at the top.
When you write a thank you email after your interview, dont get cute with your subject line. Now isnt the time for jokes, puns, or weirdness. The hiring manager is busy, and they probably get a ton of messages, so make sure your subject line is ridiculously clear.
Whats another biggie? Getting long-winded. You need to be concise. In most cases, your entire email shouldnt have more than a few paragraphs, and each one of them should be very short, typically around two or three sentences. If youre going on longer than that, reread the email and edit the heck out of it.
Additionally, remember, a thank you email isnt about you its about them. You need to focus on how you can make the hiring managers life easier, not what they can do for you.
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Sample Thank You Email Template #2
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for meeting with me at your office this afternoon.
I enjoyed hearing about the companys long-term goals related to the development of your latest software features. It was also interesting to hear how the software engineering department will go about adding them to their roadmap.
seems like an interesting place to work with the many exciting projects youre working on.
I feel my experience programming with Python would be a great addition to your team. Several of the projects I have worked on using Python should help close the skills gaps you mentioned.
I would relish the opportunity to work with you and your team. Im excited to see what the future holds for the software development team.
If you have any further questions or need anything else to move the process forward please let me know.
Regards,
Use Correct Spelling And Grammar
One of the fastest ways to disappoint the recruiter is bad spelling and grammar. Not only is this sloppy and lazy, but it also shows the recruiter you don’t care and aren’t willing to take the time to ensure mistakes are avoided. Yes, we all make mistakes, but there is no excuse for language mistakes in a thank-you letter. Microsoft Word has an excellent proofreading tool and should be utilized. After writing the letter, check it using your computer’s proofreader. Next, read the letter out loud to catch any mistakes missed by Word. Keep in mind, Word often misses similarly spelled words and usage. For example, manger is mistaken for manager, and to is mistaken for too. Double check your information as well. Hiring managers take offense to misspelled names and incorrect addresses. Make sure it’s Stevens and not Stephens.
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Show That You’re The Perfect Fit
Along those same lines, employers want to be excited about you in the decision making process. Give them a reason to believe that you’re a perfect match for the position. Hiring managers choose candidates based on their alignment with the company. Skills, experience, values, and philosophy all come into play. Go back over the job listing and choose the two most important traits the company looks for in an applicant. Compare those traits to items in your resume and connect them. Look for the company’s mission statement and apply it to your own core beliefs. Don’t just make a claim. Show how you’ve applied these principles and values to your career and life. Here are two examples:
Honesty, integrity, and dedication: These are the three principles I incorporate into my professional and personal life. In my previous role as , I applied these three values by
In my previous role as , I applied my knowledge of by . Through this project, I learned the most important elements of any business are the clients we serve.
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Preparation: As The Job Interview Ends And Right After Youget Home
As theinterview winds down, make sure you dont forget:
- To thank theinterviewer
- Get the businesscard of everyone you talk to, especially if you had a multiple or panelinterview
- Re-iterate youreagerness for the company and position
- Ask about thenext steps of the process
- When you canexpect to hear back, and the best method to follow-up
This information will give you an idea ofhow long the waiting game is, the interviewers correct job title and contactinfo, as well as the least intrusive delivery method for your thank you note.
Listdown everything you can remember from your interview as soon as you gethome:
- Your answers orcomments they liked
- Your answerswhere the interviewer expressed concerned or confusion
- Follow-upquestions you forgot to ask
- Points of mutualinterest, not necessarily work-related
Dont rely on your memory. Remember whatevery interviewer commented or focused on to make your thank you letters standout.
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