After The Thank You Notes Are Sent
If you dont hear from them for a couple of weeks longer than you expected, dont panic. MUCH could be going on that has nothing to do with you at all. But do reach out to see what is happening. Do NOT contact them daily or even weekly for a decision.
NEVER suspend your job search while you wait for a decision from an employer, even if the job is your dream job.
Restarting your job search can be challenging and, if youve been turned down, you may be more discouraged because you need to re-start your momentum.
About the author
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a recent Visiting Scholar at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Susan is a two-time layoff graduate who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. Since 1998, Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt.org. Follow Susan on Twitter at and on , .
Mention A Highlight From The Conversation
Again, you want to keep this short and mostly focused on how grateful you are for their time and consideration. But to really stand out and remind the hiring manager of how wonderful the interview was , and remind them of who you are , briefly mention a highlight from the conversation or something you know they really enjoyed hearing or talking about.
For instance, if their eyes lit up and their ears perked when you talked about your excellent communication skills, touch on that again in your thank-you note. If you bonded over having graduated from the same college, a simple P.S. Go Wildcats! might put a smile on their face.
Template I To Reply An Interview Email Confirming Time Schedule
Dear Sir/Madame,
It was with great joy that I received your email inviting me for an interview as regards the post I applied for in your organization. Having a full understanding of your important operations and how little time there is, I write to confirm the Interview time.
The mail I received stated: Monday, 6th February 2017 9 a.m. And the venue is the conference room of your companys building.
I look forward to discussing some great ideas with you during the interview.
Thank you.
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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.
If Youre Writing A Thank
- Did I include a relevant subject line? Is everything spelled correctly there?
- Have I addressed the person Im thanking correctly? Am I spelling their name and email right?
- Did I make my point in under five sentences?
- Did I mention a specific topic, common interest, or question relevant to my discussion with this person?
- Did I say thank you at some point in the note?
- Are my signature, email name, and email avatar photo all in alignment to project a professional image?
- Did I use Grammarly to edit this note for correctness, clarity, and word choice?
- Did I proofread this email?
- Did I hit Send within 24-48 hours?
If you did all of these things, congratulations! You deserve to grab a book and a snack and take a break. The hard part is over.
Need more help following up after interviews? Check back for more insights next week.
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Why Is It Important To Write A Thank
Its true that some employers expect a thank-you letter after an interview. Its a gesture that reinforces your interest in the role, while also showcasing good manners. When you write a thank-you note after an interview, you gain yet another opportunity to influence your potential employer’s decision. If you write a thank-you note, you can reiterate your interest in and qualifications for the position.
A handwritten thank-you letter offers a personal touch and has the potential to set you apart from other candidates as many people dont mail letters anymore. However, it can take days for a mailed letter to arrive. The hiring process can move quickly so its recommended to always send a thank-you email, even if you decide to also send a handwritten letter. When you email, you can connect with the hiring team much more quickly and influence their decision before they complete the hiring process. Send your thank-you email no more than 24 hours after the interview.
Related:Guide to Thank You Notes
Should I Send Thank You Email 2 Days After Interview
Time To Move Forward
Rest assured, a speedy thank you note within 1-2 days of your interview is highly recommended. If a company is on a tight turn to make a decision, your tardy note may very well cost you a job offer.
Secondly, Is sending a thank you email annoying?
A quick thank you will never go out of style Even if done for reasons one disagrees with, it is still a nice gesture from someone making an extra effort. If we all get to the point where being thanked is viewed as annoying, everyone should be concerned.
Also Is it bad to send a thank you email 2 days later? Sending a polite thank, you note after an interview is a good thing to do, even if it isnt for sure going to matter. It might matter, and thats good enough. But sending it later may not hurt you, especially if they are still deciding about whom to call back for the next round of interviews.
In fact How soon is too soon to send a thank you email?
Thank you notes should be sent promptlywithin 24 hours of an interview, says Jennifer Lee Magas of Magas Media Consultants in Monroe, Connecticut. Erik Bowitz, senior resume expert at Resume Genius in Wilmington, Delaware, says thank-you notes should be sent within a week.
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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.
Expand On Any Discussions You Had In The Interview
You can use this next section as a chance to expand on anything you previously discussed in the interview. You can share any resources you found regarding a topic you mentioned or you can readdress a question from the interview and give more details if you were unsatisfied with your answer in the interview. If there were any topics you were unable to mention in the interview, but you believe they may help you stand out, you can mention that in your email as well. 
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Sample Thank You Email Template #1
Sarah,
I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me today about the job opportunity. I enjoyed learning about the role and where you see the company headed in the new few years.
I feel confident my experience with and will translate into similar success as your new
I can see by the types of projects you are working on that is an exciting place to work. I am highly interested in joining your team and contributing to its future successes.
If you have any more questions or need additional information from me please dont hesitate to reach out. I look forward to hearing back from you about the next steps.
Again thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Ask About The Next Steps
It’s great to be forthcoming about what comes next in the hiring process. This shows enthusiasm in the job. Asking something like, “What else can I provide to be helpful and move forward to the next steps?” is a great way to show your passion for the position.
Here is an example:
Looking forward to hearing what the next steps in the interview process might be. Very excited about this opportunity!
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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.
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:
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Keep Your Message Brief
Since the interviewer may quickly scan your email, you should keep the content brief and simple. As you reread your email, try to delete any unnecessary information that may not be relevant to the interview or to your qualifications for the position. This will make it easier for the interviewer to quickly read your email and return to their work.
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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Verify The Interviewer’s Email Is Correct
When writing your email, input the interviewer’s address right before sending it. Review your notes or the contact information the interviewer gave you before sending the email to ensure you’re sending it to the right person. You should also ensure the spelling of their name is correct before sending the email to remain professional and polite.
Three Templates For A Perfect Interview Thank You Email
If you want to create a strong professional brand and leave a lasting impression with employers, you need to master the post- interview thank you email.
As soon as you leave a job interview, its best to follow up with a sincere, professional, and engaged thank you email. Make sure they know you appreciate their time and attention in meeting with you!
Before we dig into the mechanics of a great interview thank you email, though, know this: sending an email is not a replacement for sending a handwritten thank you note to your interviewer. I always advise folks to do both after an in-person interview. But it will take a day or two for your beautiful thank you card to arrive on your interviewers doorstep. Email has the advantage of delivering an instant dose of gratitude to the people who have the power to give you the job of your dreams.
When writing your post-interview thank you email, keep these three things in mind:
To help you out, I built three email templates for you to follow. Use these templates as a guide to build your own personal rockstar thank you email to send after job interviews!
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Crucial Step: Add Customization To Your Interview Thank You Emails
Whenever sending thank you notes or emails after an interview, be sure to mention a specific topic you discussed with the interviewer, and why you enjoyed discussing it with them.
This is the best way to immediately show them that your post-interview thank you email is written especially for them, and not quickly pasted from a generic template.
Customization is key! Even the best thank you email templates or examples will appear to be low-effort if you dont customize them and show that you really wrote this for them.
So what types of things can you mention? Here are some ideas
First, you could mention something interesting you learned about the job or company from them. What caught your attention and sounded exciting about the position? If something sounds great about the role, say so!
Or, you could reference one or two of their interview questions and answers you gave in response. For example, if the interviewer asked an interesting question that you enjoyed talking about, you could say:
I really enjoyed your question about ___ and the discussion that it led to. It was also great learning about how XYZ company does ___.
Or you could mention something personal they discussed with you! Maybe the interviewer told you theyre going to watch their son at a big basketball tournament that evening.
You could say:
By the way, I hope your sons team did great at the basketball tournament. How did things turn out?
You could write:
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.
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What Is A Thank You Letter
Typically, a thank you letter is a brief document or email that is written to the hiring manager following an interview, usually within 24 hours, and is not more than a single page in length. However, thank you messages are not only limited to the hiring process but also should be sent to the people who helped you in a job or have helped you enhance your career in one way or another, to show appreciation and build strong relationships. Also, it is professional, courteous and thoughtful to send a letter expressing your gratitude, when and if you decide to resign from a position.
When writing this letter, regardless of the purpose or recipient, ensure it is well written, memorable and non-generic.
Given that the minority of job applicants consider sending a thank you note, it is a necessary closing act to the job hunt process and an easy way to stand out and beat your competition.
Should You Send An Email Acknowledging A Bad Job Interview
Send this only if you are absolutely positive that you failed the interview. Often, we can be too self-critical as we look back at our performance in an interview.
Apologizing for something that was NOT viewed as a failure by the employer can backfire, big time!
However, if an interview scheduled for sixty minutes lasted only five minutes with no business emergency reason given for the shortened interview and no apology or request to reschedule, something was wrong.
Or, the interviewer clearly lost interest and tuned you out, ending the interview with a chilly good bye. Then, you might have a failed interview.
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