How To Write Thank
Most job seekers put a lot of effort into crafting a resume and preparing for an interview. Heres what many people dont spend much time on but should: thank-you emails after interviews.
Its surprising how many job candidates dont bother to send a thank-you note, because it really does make a positive impression on employers. Its a simple step to take, and it can separate you from equally qualified candidates who dont send a thank-you email after an interview. And yes, you should write a thank-you message after a video interview just as you would an in-person meeting.
If the challenge of crafting a great thank-you email is holding you back from sending one, youve come to the right place.
How To Format A Thank
It is vital to remember that youâre sending the thank-you email to a potential employer. Itâs good to personalize the email, but you want to avoid being overly casual. Below are some quick tips to ensure that your email is appropriate for the workplace.
- No emojis
- No foul language
Note of appreciation and personal touch
The first line of your email should thank the interviewer for taking time out of their day to speak with you. Make sure you express your gratitude for the opportunity to interview with them.
To personalize the email, try to reference a discussion from the interview. Did the interviewer share information about their personal life, other things going on in the company, or a specifically interesting subject discussed? Adding this quick reference to a topic during the interview helps the reader remember who you are, and it demonstrates that you were paying attention and engaged during the interview.
Recap of your qualifications and value-add
The next thing that your thank-you note should include is how you can provide value to the company. Identify a problem, pain point, or opportunity that you discussed, and reinforce how your experience can resolve the issue.
Note: This should focus on how you can provide value to them, not how they can provide value to you.
How Soon Should You Send A Thank
Send a thank-you note within 24 hours of the interview. You want to still be fresh in the persons mind. The only exception is if the interview is on a Friday afternoon then, schedule the email to be sent out first thing Monday morning. We dont recommend sending an email over the weekend otherwise, itll be at the bottom of the inbox on Monday.
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Simplify Your Subject Line
Resist the urge to get clever or wordy in your email subject line. Keep it straightforward and to the point.
Manoske, career coach and co-author of The Job Search Manifesto, recommends people use the word appreciate throughout their email and that includes the subject line.
Appreciated your time yesterday is an example of a subject line he suggests applicants use.
Wendy Saccuzzo, a career coach, said subject lines like Following up, Thanks for the conversation and Thanks for the interview all work well for the occasion.
How Do You Start A Thank
Subject line
There is no need to get creative with the email subject line. A clear subject line that lists what the email is about, such as “thank you for the interview,” will work great. If multiple candidates are being interviewed, it may be beneficial to include your name in the subject line so that the interviewer can quickly see the email is from you rather than a different candidate.
Example:“Thank you for the interview â John Smith”
Personalized greeting
There are many appropriate ways to address a thank-you email. In today’s business culture, itâs more common to greet the contact person with a “Hi First Name,” or “Hello First Name,” rather than the more formal way of using an honorific and the contactâs last name
The best way to determine your email greeting is based on what you called the interviewer during your meeting with them. If you used their first name in the interview, address the email to their first name. If you used their last name, address it to their last name.
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I Really Blew Itinterview
Dear < insert interviewers name> ,
It was wonderful meeting you earlier today. Thank you so much for setting aside time from your busy schedule to interview me!
I really appreciate being considered for < insert job position> . I wanted to electronically provide you with my portfolio please find it here: < insert portfolio URL>
Additionally, a former manager will be reaching out regarding my best project. Looking forward to hearing from you, and hope you have a great day!
Best wishes,
< Your full name> < Your contact telephone number>
Interviews dont always go as planned. Were all human! Luckily, a follow-up can make up for some of the information you missed during the interview. Use the opportunity to bolster your application by sending a link to a relevant portfolio. You may even want to contact your reference to ask whether they could help you out.
Reiterate Your Interest In The Position
A second thank-you note is also a chance for you to enthusiastically reiterate your interest in the position and in the company. Be sure to mention something unique and specific that you and your interviewer discussed the organization, their company culture, or their mission, as they likely have interviewed several people. This will help jog their memory about your interview and allow you to stand out from your competition.
You should use your thank-you note to persuasively reinforce the ways your skills and experience are a good match for the position for which you interviewed. Your thank-you note should also reflect the differences in tone between the interviews.
This is a final chance to make the case for choosing you for the role.
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Thank You Email Length: How Long Should Your Message Be
Some samples above are more formal while others are more casual. Youll notice that theyre all relatively brief, though. In my experience as a recruiter, a short thank you email after the interview is best. On average, I recommend 85 to 150 words.
And thats true whether youre writing a thank you email after a phone interview, Zoom/video interview, or a second/third in-person interview.
Its also true whether youre writing to thank a recruiter, HR person, hiring manager, or anyone else who spent time interviewing you!
Your message could go up to 200 words if youre very far along in the hiring process and have spent multiple hours interviewing with people from the company, but Id still aim to be brief and concise, rather than sending a full page.
Use your best judgement, though. You know your industry and prospective employer, so think about what type of message theyll appreciate. The advice above is simply what works best for the greatest amount of people, on average.
Phone Interview Thank You Email Examples
Dear _______________,
Thank you for granting me a phone interview to discuss the loan officer position with . After learning more about your companys methods and guidelines for granting loan applications, your companys stellar business ethics, and your companys culture, I am more excited than ever about the prospects of joining your team. My expertise with FHA, VA as well as conventional loans is outstanding. Over the past 15 years I have steadily built incredible business relationships as well as an extensive business network. Referrals have been the backbone of my success.
Youll find that Im am extremely passionate about what I do, as well as competent, skilled and very motivated. If you offer me the job I would be honored to continue my loan officer career with your company. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any additional questions about my educational background, experience, or portfolio.
Thank you again for the phone interview. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Respectfully,
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Example Interview Thank You Email #:
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for your time yesterday. I enjoyed the interview and it was interesting to hear about how the team is expanding and the new types of customers youre trying to attract.
Im confident that I can take what Ive learned at < Current Employers Name> and step into your role and be successful, so Im eager to hear your feedback when you have a chance.
Dont hesitate to contact me in the meantime if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards, Biron Clark
However, if youre in a more traditional or formal industry, or if you want to send a thank you note in the mail rather than email, one of the next two thank you note examples will be better.
Who To Write A Thank
In general, its a good idea to share a thank-you note with everybody you interviewed with individually, from recruiter to hiring manager to potential colleague. If you dont already have their contact info, request it from your main point of contact throughout the hiring process , explaining that youd like to thank them for taking the time to speak with you. If you had a panel interview, you might want to save your time by sending one email to the main interviewer with everybody else CCd.
If you spoke to many different people say, you presented to a room of 10 or more its probably not practical, or a good use of your time, to include each and every one of them. In this case, you can follow the same procedure you would in a panel interview: Send one note to the main interviewer with several of the key players CCd.
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Example : Detailed Thank You Email With An Offer Of Assistance
Subject: Your Name Thank You
Company
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
I am sending this email to express my appreciation for taking the time to speak with me today. I am grateful for your patience and eagerness to answer all my queries and provide information about your company and team. I especially appreciate you giving me the tips necessary to XXX.
I also wanted to thank you specifically for discussing onboarding and training methods for new team members, and I hope to continue our discussion again sometime in the future. The standards you mentioned will be valuable resources as I develop my career.
Since I mentioned that I have experience with handling YYY, I would like to offer my services should COMPANY ever need additional hands. You may contact me anytime. I look forward to future engagement with you.
Once again, thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Email Address
Staying In Touch After The Thank You Notes Are Sent
Hopefully, you will get an email in response to this message, but dont panic if you dont hear from them on their deadline. MUCH may be happening that has nothing to do with you at all.
Read 5 Absolute Must-Ask Questions for Your Next Job Interview to get the details you need about how their hiring process works so you have contacts and their guidelines.
If they said they would contact you in a week, DO reach outafter five business days to see what is happening if they have not contacted you when they said they would. If you forgot to ask when they would be contacting you after the interview, five business days is a sufficient gap to demonstrate that you are interested, but not a nuisance.
DO NOT contact them daily or even weekly for a decision.
DO move on with your job search. This opportunity may happen or it may not. Dont pause your job search until you know. Keep searching. Best case, youll have a choice to make between two jobs. Worst case you wont lose any momentum.
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An Interview Follow Up Email That Stands Out
A personalized thank you letter helps you stand out.
Refer to what was discussed in your conversation to reinforce your interest in the opportunity, says Kelleher. Cheung agrees that it is important to Not give platitudes applicable to any position and every company.
If youre doing many interviews, write down a few notes after each one while everything is fresh in your mind. That way, you can accurately reference discussions and key points in your interview follow-up email.
Cheung also advises candidates to, Discuss what makes you better, for the position. Think about areas where professors or internship supervisors said you excelled. For instance, if youre a candidate for an accounting position, bring up any awards or compliments from performance appraisals that are relevant to the position.
Group Vs Panel Interview
A panel interview is an interview format with several interviewers and one candidate. In a panel interview, each interviewer will ask questions from their unique background that pertains to their role at the company. The panel is typically made up of people from teams you will be working with in the position. Panel interviews are typically used to get in-depth information about the candidate from several different perspectives for an important or competitive role.
Read more: How to Succeed in a Panel Interview: Tips and Example Questions
Because a panel interview consists of multiple interviewers, you have more people to impress. A panel interview thank-you letter provides a simple but effective way to express gratitude to all the individuals you met with. Its best to create individual thank-you letters or emails for each participating interviewer. . For this to be successful, it is important to collect their contact details so you can send a befitting thank-you letter after the interview.
For panel interview thank-you letters, its advisable to include unique angles from the conversations you had with each interviewer. That creates more connection and shows your genuine level of interest in the position. Since all the interviewers have a say in the hiring decision, this gives you more leverage to get the role.
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Second Interview Thank You Note Samples And Tips
After the second round of interviews for a new job, you will need to send a thank-you note to your interviewer, even if the same person interviewed you the first time. Sometimes a second thank-you note can be hard to writeafter all, haven’t you already said everything you had to say in your first letter? Instead of seeing it as one more thing to do, try thinking about your thank-you letter as an opportunity.
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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Include A Return Address On The Envelope
Worst case, if your card isnt deliverable, you will know when the Post Office returns it to you.
Include your business card in the thank you note, just in case the recipient doesnt remember you. The business card also makes it very easy for the recipient to reach out to you without going to the trouble of digging out your resume or application.
Sound Appreciative And Excited
The tone of every post-interview thank-you email should be appreciative and excited, Jensen said.
Makes sense. A thank-you note that fails to properly convey the senders appreciation of the recipient is a pretty lousy one. So dont play it cool or hard to get: Thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you, and say you appreciated the conversation.
Youll want some excitement to be evident in your tone of voice too. After all, youre interested in the role, and you had a great conversation with the interviewer. Make sure they can sense your enthusiasm. Your note shouldnt read like an overly formal robot wrote it, or like this is the third follow-up email you wrote that day.
Be careful not to let your excitement veer into desperation though. Hiring managers dont want to see candidates begging for a job.
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Simple Thank You Email
This is a basic, simple thank you note.
Subject: Thank you for the interview on
Dear :
Thank you very much for your time today to interview me for the position of . I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about this job, to meet you and , and to see your facility .
As we discussed, I have of experience with . With my background and experience, I believe that I could become a contributor to your team very quickly.
I am excited about this opportunity to join . Please do not hesitate to email or call me if you have any questions or need any additional information.
I look forward to hearing from you .
Best regards,
When To Send After Your Job Interview
Um, now. If sending via snail mail, write and post the letter immediately after the interview. If youre emailing, by the end of that day is preferred, but within 24 hours is a must. You want the note to get there while theyre still talking about you. They could be making the decision in the next few days, and if they get your thank you earlier than the other candidates, it could put you one step ahead.
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