How To Send A Thank You For The Interview Email

Template For A Thank You Email After A Phone Interview

How to Write a Thank You Email After the Interview & WOW Them!

An employer may conduct phone interviews, or phone screens, with a dozen or more applicants for every job opening. Youre in a crowded field of candidates, all vying for the opportunity to interview in-person. One way to differentiate yourself is to craft a considerate post-interview thank you email as soon as you get off the phone.

Subject Line: Thank you for your time today.

Dear ],

I appreciate having the opportunity to speak with you today about the ] position at ]. After our conversation, Im very excited about this opportunity. I believe my skills and interests are a perfect match for this role.

I am particularly interested in ]

I appreciate the time you took to interview me today, and I look forward to having the opportunity to meet you in person.

If you need any additional information from me, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Again, thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Send It Within 24 Hours

The best time to send your interview thank you email is while the whole event is still fresh in everyones mind.

Sending an email within 24 hours allows you to refresh the interviewers memory and remind them of your strengths.

A more tangible reminder would be to send a slightly modified typed or written note through the mail which means that the interviewer would receive it 2-5 days later.

Sending one or both is fine. But you do need to send it quickly while the company is still considering your candidacy!

What Employers Really Think Of Interview Thank You Emails

Its important to note that not every hiring manager cares about thank you emails. Some certainly do, while others dont at all. It truly comes down to their personal preferences.

However, its impossible to know which hiring managers care and which dont, and ultimately, theres no real downside to sending a post-interview thank you email, whether it is important to that manager or not.

Theres no real down-side to sending a thank you email.

Theres no negative connotation that can be implied from a well-written thank you email. Even if you werent the right fit for the job, sending a thank you note will signal to the hiring manager that you are professional and made the extra effort to follow up . This could help you with future position openings.

While they can be powerful, thank you notes arent the magic key to unlocking a job offer if you seemed unqualified, if you walk in without researching the job and company, etc.

However, in most cases where your interview went well, the employer is likely considering you against a few other candidates. In this scenario, the thank you email has the potential to help push you over the edge to the finish line.

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Are Thank You Letters Important

Consider thank you letters as a follow-up or after sales activity, an opportunity to reiterate why you want the job, why you are the ideal candidate for the position, the qualifications that you have and how you would contribute to the company if given a chance. Also, this letter provides the best opportunity for you to discuss other significant information that the hiring manager didnt ask you about during the interview, or expand on answers that you did not answer as well as you should have.

Sending a thank you message, business/work related or not, not only demonstrates your appreciation but also reminds the recipient who you are, as well as establishes and fosters a healthy relationship.

However, understanding when to express your gratitude, whom to thank, when to use them, and the different kinds of professional thank you messages is just as important as sending a thank you note. Read on to find out the types of professional thank you notes and how they apply in each situation:

Why Should You Send A Thank You Email Or Letter After An Interview

40 Thank You Email After Interview Templates

If you think its terrifying being interviewed, youre not alone. But let me tell you, interviews can be an equally traumatizing experience from the other side of the table.

I kicked off the search for my first hire at Grammarly earlier this year, and when the first on-site interview came around, I was terrified. Sitting there with my list of questions and my notebook, I tried to simultaneously project confidence, follow my companys values, ask the right questions, make sure my hair didnt do anything weird, and mask my nerves.

Sound familiar?

Even if interviews are a vital part of the recruiting process, the first round of the interview process can be awkward for everyone. Thats why its key to write a thank you note after the interviewoften the process has made them just as uncomfortable as you are! Thats why a killer post-interview thank-you note can help you make a great impression and land the job.

But dont take my word for it! Lily Zhang, a career expert at MIT, put it this way on The Muse:

Think of it this way: Your interview isnt over until you send a thank you note. You want to move the hiring managers from interview mindset to decision mindset as quickly as possible, so dont drag it out.

I asked Olivia Seastrom, a recruiter at Grammarly, what she loves about thank-you notes. She said,

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Explain What Makes You The Best Fit For The Role

You can use this next section to reiterate any skills or qualities you may possess that make you well-suited for the position. View the job posting as you type this email and mention any preferred skills they have listed that you may have as well. You can also reference your notes if you took any during the interview and use those to connect yourself to the position or company.

Highlighting Portions Of The Interview Unique To You

Its always great to create a conversation during an interview, instead of having it be more of a Q& A. Beyond your qualifications, interviewers are gauging if you are a fit for the company culture. If you are able to have an engaging conversation with them outside of interview questions, it shows you are able to get along with people on the team quickly. Whenever you engage in a conversation, it helps you stand out from the pool of candidates. This one sentence is optional but highly recommended. Itll highlight any topic that was discussed in the interview unique to you. Maybe the two of you connected over the same hometown, college, hobby, volunteering service, etc. This is a nice thing to bring up in your follow up email to remind the interviewer of the pleasant time they had speaking with you. Lastly, this sentence could also be blended with the portion on reiterating your interest in the company.

Examples:

I also enjoyed connecting over our time volunteering with the Peace Corps, its been a while since I met someone that also served in Ghana.

It was such a nice surprise to meet a fellow Trojan.

Its great to meet someone that loves plants as much as I do!

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Email Is Timelier But A Handwritten Letter Is Still A Nice Touch Heres How To Tell Whats Best For Your Situation

An interview thank-you email or letter is a must.

Job search etiquette is clear on one thing: An interview thank-you email or letter should be sent promptly. But therein lies the question, should your interview thank-you come in the form of a typed email or handwritten letter? Thats where things get a bit nebulous.

The most important thing is not whether you send a follow-up with email or handwritten paper, but whether you follow up at all, says April Masini, relationship and etiquette expert for AskApril.com. Missing that opportunity is more of a problem than choosing the medium is.

That said, there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Let these criteria be your guide in determining whether to send an interview thank-you email or letter.

When Do I Follow Up

How to Write a Job Interview Follow Up or Thank You Email

After sending the thank you notes, you’ll likely feel on edge, checking your phone every few minutes, waiting to hear back about your job prospect.

Take a deep breath.

Youve done what you can by preparing for your job interview.
You’ve shown gratitude and strengthened connections by sending a thank you.
Now, give it a few days.

It is recommended that you wait at least three business days before sending an additional follow-up note after that initial thank you email.

Okay, now that you know you should send a job interview thank you email and when you should send it, lets talk about how you should write it.

The image below illustrates the six key parts of an interview thank you email.

Don’t worry, we’ll provide more detail on each of these thank you letter sections below.

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Use Good Quality Thank You Notes Or Paper

If you are going to hand write your note, use standard thank you notes you find in a stationery/card store. Dont use fancy and flowery cards unless they are appropriate for the business , and avoid very small cards since that will limit your ability to include sufficient information.

Thank you notes typically fold in half with Thank you on the top and the inside blank. Hand write your thank you on the bottom half or the right half of the inside of the note, depending on how the card works, so that your note is immediately visible without having to turn the card to view it when opened.

If you are sending a word processed note, be sure to have good quality paper in your printer with, hopefully, matching envelopes for you to use.

Before You Send Proofread Everything

Email templates are only as good as the effort you put into filling them out and proofreading them.

Go over every detail and make sure it actually makes sense for your situation. If not, sending that thank you email or letter will do more harm than good.

Example: In the third sample email earlier in this article, it says, thank you for taking the time to meet with me.

If you had a phone interview, you should say, thank you for taking the time to talk on the phone with me.

Right?

Otherwise, its going to sound a bit odd, and they might suspect you just cut & pasted from a template. Not good!

So be careful, take your time with these sample emails, and make sure every single word makes sense.

How Do You Say Thank You For Considering My Application

How do you say thank you for considering my application?

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Thank you for your consideration and forthcoming response.

Thank you for your consideration and attention to this matter.

Thank you for considering my request.

I am very grateful for your consideration.

Thank The Interviewer For Their Time

Sample Thank You Letter After Job Interview : Interview ...

Start the email with the interviewers first name as seen in the samples below. Express your gratitude and be authentic in your writing. If you talked to multiple managers send them each an email if you have their contact info.

A key tip is to ask for a business card when you talk to each employee. If they dont have one ask for their company email.

Remember If you are talking to 3 or 4 people in an interview it is crucial to make a good impression with each one. A thank-you note goes a long way towards this step.

Things To Avoid When Following Up

At the same time, there are also a few things you should avoid:

Don’t Hound Your Interviewers: Initiatives such as a thank-you email and a follow-up a week or so later are more than enough. Beyond that, you won’t be promoting yourself you’ll be stressing them out. Remember that your goal is not only to show the hiring managers that youre qualified but also to convince them that they want to work with you.
Don’t Send Anything That Makes You Look Bad: This includes personal social media profiles that contain unprofessional pictures or behavior. Err on the side of caution when determining this. You might see nothing wrong with a photo of you enjoying a margarita on a tropical vacation, but the hiring manager might feel differently. Likewise, don’t send memes or be too casual in the tone of your email by using internet acronyms, etc.
Don’t Overwrite: Keep your message short and focused. The interviewer will not want to read a very long thank-you email. Focus on saying thank you and briefly reiterating your interest in the position.
Don’t Send Misspelled or Grammatically Incorrect Emails: Even professional editors make mistakes when they try to work on their own. Get another set of eyeballs to look over your work before you hit “send.”

Why You Should Send One

A thank you email after an interview makes a positive impression on hiring decision makers. Heres data to help you understand just how much a thank you note means.

68% of recruiters/hiring managers say a thank you email after the interview matters

And theres another reason to write a thank you after your interview. Its the polite thing to do.

Sending someone a thank you may not be a normal activity for you, but the interviewer did invest their time to meet with you and that is worthy of saying thanks. You are being polite and showing respect.

And theres one final reason to send a thank you. Your note provides you with one more opportunity, perhaps the last one, to remind the interviewer that you are very interested in the job and are indeed the right candidate.

Here are three points you want to address in the thank you letter you send after your interview:

Your interest in the role
Your fit with the company
The value you will deliver if hired

Additionally, sending a thank you helps make you memorable. Believe it or not, very few candidates send them!

When an organization interviews lots of people, it is very easy for them to mix candidates up or forget specifics. Your thank you helps remind them who you are!

Strictly Virtual Position Interview

Dear < insert interviewers name> ,

Thank you so much for setting aside the time to interview me!

I really appreciate being considered for < insert job position> , and Im looking forward to learning more about life as a virtual employee at < insert company name> .

If you have any further questions, please dont hesitate to reach out. I hope you have a lovely day!

Best wishes,

< Your full name> < Your contact telephone number>

As remote working becomes more popular, chances are that you may have had a virtual interview. Communication is key to remote working teams. Therefore, sending a thank-you note to demonstrate your communication skills is essential.

When To Send An After Interview Thank You Note

How to Write a Thank You Email After an Interview (+ a Template!)

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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Template For A Thank You Email After An Informational Interview

Are you conducting informational interviews with people in your industry? Informational interviews are casual one-on-one networking sessions, and they are one of the best ways to build a professional network and get the inside track on jobs. If someone has taken time out of their busy schedule to meet with you, you absolutely must send them a thank you email. Because showing some courtesy is the best way to leave a good impression with this valuable new professional contact. Plus, its a great way to start an ongoing correspondence so that you can start to build a professional relationship long-term.

Heres my template for a thank you email after an informational interview or any personal meeting with a new contact:

Subject Line: Thank you from ]