Start With A Greeting
Once youve gotten your subject line down, its time to get into the actual content of the email. Wondering about the best way to do that? Start off with a personal greeting!
There are a few common ways of doing this, including Hello or Dear . And, when greeting your interviewers, remember to address them with the name they provided to you, which is typically either their first name or title.
If you were interviewed by more than one person, its best to send thank-you notes to each of them !
Why Send A Post
Sending an interview thank you email offers several major benefits:
- It shows appreciation and genuineness to your interviewer.
- It reaffirms your interest in the position.
- It brings you to the forefront of your interviewer’s mind.
Aside from showing gratitude and respect for your interviewer’s time, a thank you email allows you to stand out among other candidates who didn’t send one. Check out our page on interview tips for help succeeding at your tech job interview. Remote interviews come with unique challenges, so read our phone interview tips, too.
Thank You Letter After Group Interview
It can be difficult to form a connection with the decision-makers involved in the hiring process during a group interview. Luckily, sending a thank you email after your interview is an easy way to leave a lasting impression in the minds of your interviewers.
A thank you letter after a group interview is helpful because:
- It demonstrates that youre a thoughtful and courteous individual who understands the importance of professional politeness.
- You can highlight relevant credentials or experience which may have been missed during your interview.
- It gives you the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions or elaborate on a point in the interview you wish youd covered more clearly.
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It Sets You Apart From Other Candidates
In every job interview you go to, how many of your competitors do you think send their thank-you notes after the interview? According to a survey done by Accountemps, only 24% of job applicants send their thank you notes post-interview. With so many who dont care about sending a thank you letter, you can rise above the competition by being the one who does. It helps the hiring managers remember you and set you apart from all the other applicants vying for the same position. Moreover, showing your appreciation of the interviewers time increases your likeability, even if your interview didnt go as well as planned.
Common Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Thank You Notes
Making a thank-you note after an interview is easy. After all, youll mainly base it on what transpired during the interview. But before you learn how to make one, you have to know the dos and donts of doing one. Here are a few easy to memorize tips and tricks to help you compose your post-interview thank-you note:
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Writing A Thank You Email After An Interview
Wondering when is the best time to send a thank you note after an interview? The short answer is three hours. Youll often hear of a 24-hour rule, but it doesnt make sense to put this off so long. At the same time, you dont want to seem pushy or desperate sounds a lot like a first date, right?
The reasons for writing a thank you email after an interview are three-fold: first, to show courtesy and good manners two, to leave one last reminder of why you are suited for the job and three, to reiterate your interest.
Dont worry, this interview thank you note should be short and sweet. Here is a sample of what an interview thank you letter should look like:
Example of Thank You Email After Interview
Dear ,
Thank you once again for meeting with me earlier today and for discussing the role. I enjoyed learning more about the position and .
As I mentioned during our conversation, I think that my would be particularly valuable in contributing to your work on .
If there is anything else that I can provide in order to assist your decision, please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Kind regards,
This type of note assumes that you ARE interested in the position. Sometimes an interview will make you realize that a job isnt in fact suited to you. If this is the case, and you are sure that you will not accept a job offer, use the interview thank you email to politely state that you are no longer interested in the position.
An Informal Short And Sweet Follow
Hi, John,
It was great meeting you and chatting with you about the today! Our chat was very inspiring, and it was good to learn more about the role.
It sounds exciting, and I think I am the right candidate for the job, thanks to my years of experience in .
Thank you for the opportunity. Please contact me if you want to discuss it further.
As you can see, this email is relatively informal. Its probably better suited for younger companies and those that have a more casual company culture. It can also work after an unofficial and informational chat with a potential employer.
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Best Thank You Email Samples After An Interview
Below, youll find four good sample thank-you emails. These can also be sent as a typed or handwritten note if you prefer.
Later in the article, Ill cover the pros and cons of sending this via email versus a handwritten thank you letter/note. So if youre not sure which to send, make sure to read until the end.
For now, just know that you can use these sample thank you emails in both cases.
The Best Thank You Notes After Job Interviews Are Specific
One reason that its best to write your thank you note immediately after the interview is that youre more likely to remember what was said.
Remembering specifics lets you cite them in your note, by saying things like:
- I appreciate you letting me know that theres tuition reimbursement if I get my MBA.
- Your question about what I believe in has still got me thinking.
- Thanks so much for explaining how your company integrates new employees.
- It was great to learn that you also like tango, and Ill definitely check out that club in Queens.
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Phone Interview Thank You Email Example
Not too different from the sample email earlier.
Dear Ian
Cant thank you enough for spending time with me over the phone and discussing the opportunity at Apple, Inc. It sounds like an incredible opportunity to learn about Product Management and how technology will advance with younger demographics.
My previous work experience in the education space makes me a great fit for this role.
Im including a few of my projects and references below. Let me know how I can be helpful in moving forward in the process. Or if you have any further questions, let me know!
Thank you so much, Ian!
Melissa
The Best Thank You Notes After Job Interviews Are Sent
In this post, and After a Great Job Interview, Write a Killer Thank You Note, Ive laid out a lot of thoughts about how the write a great thank you note.
But being great is not your ultimate goal. Being remembered is.
So keep in mind: Your note will be exactly right if its sincere, has one specific comment, thanks the interviewer for his or her time or attention or skill or whatever, and gets sent ASAP.
Dont sit on a good note while you spend days or weeks trying to turn it into a so-called great note.
Someone once said that 80% of success is showing up and the best way to be successful with your thank you note is to make sure it shows up on your interviewers desk as quickly as possible.
Good luck with that. And for more about how to prepare yourself and your content, check out my new ebook, Interview Like Yourself No, Really! Follow Your Strengths and Skills and GET THE JOB.
Filed Under: Job InterviewsTagged With: job interview, job search, public speaking, thank you note
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A Formal Interview Thank You Email
Dear Mr/Mrs. Smith,
Thank you for meeting with me yesterday to discuss the opportunity at .
I enjoyed learning about the organizations and was impressed by your companys impact in the field of
I am very interested in the role, and I believe that my experience and skills would be a perfect match for the position we discussed. I can begin to contribute immediately by .
Please do not hesitate to let me know if I can provide you with any additional information. Thank you once again for the opportunity. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
This second option works better with almost all legal companies. Its a very formal and equally professional job interview thank you email.
Whichever option you decide to go with, dont forget to add your contact information at the end of the email. Yes, your new employer likely already has your contact details on record. But its in your best interest to make it as easy as possible for your prospective employer to contact you.
Approach To Writing The Follow
You can, of course, use the above template/example for your thank you after interview email, or you can write one from scratch. If you plan to write one from scratch, this section will serve as a helpful guide.
Steps to writing your own email:
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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 email after an interview. And yes, you should send a 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.
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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How Long Should The Thank You For The Interview Email Be
Now that you have some examples of a good thank you email, youve probably noticed that they vary in style and length. Still, none of these go into a lot of details and are relatively brief. On average, recruiters who help people find their next legal job recommend that a thank you letter for an interview should be between 85 and 150 words in length.
It can go up to 200 words, especially if youre applying for a high-level position or you have plenty of experience in the field. At the end of the day, the key is knowing the company where youre applying for the job. This will help you decide what type of follow-up email after the interview works best.
If youve agreed on something in your interview, make sure to follow through, even if it exceeds the aforementioned word count. These arent rules set in stone, and it is up to you to craft the appropriate email for the job youre applying for.
An Example Thank You Email To Send Following A Job Interview
Hi Kristin,
Thank you for the chance to interview with you yesterday. It was a great conversation, and I appreciate your considering me for the position of .
As we discussed, Ive executed several non-traditional marketing campaigns in the last couple years, and Im confident Id be able to do the same with .
Im happy to answer any further questions you may have, and Im excited about the opportunity here. I know my experience would go a long ways in helping you in your goal of reaching a new demographic of customers.
As per our conversation earlier today, Ill expect to hear from you by the end of the week. The references you asked about are attached.
Thank you again,
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Send It Within 24 Hours
In my experience, 95% of the thank you notes I have received from candidates were via email. While email is a bit less informal than a handwritten note, it is much faster than sending it through the mail.
When youre sending a thank you note, speed is important. Make every effort to send the email within 24 hours of the conversation. Once managers are at the interview stage in the hiring process, theyre looking to move quickly. They’ll make a decision soon after the last candidate, leaving a short window to influence their decision.
To make things easier on yourself, start writing the thank-you note before your interview. By having it written ahead of time, youre not starting with a blank slate. You can fill in the specific details afterward and send it off quickly. Just make sure to proofread it very carefully before you send it off.
Why Write A Thank
There are multiple surveys and research that support why sending one is key:
- TopResume: A survey by TopResume showed that 68% of employers and hiring managers say writing a short thank-you note post-interview matters. In addition, they mentioned 16% of interviewers rules out a candidate if they didnt send a thank-you email.
- CareerBuilder: In a survey by CareerBuilder, only 57% of candidates sent a thank-you note after their job interview.
- Robert Half: 80% of hiring managers agree that receiving thank-you emails after an interview is helpful in the hiring process.
This means that 31% of qualified candidates didnt send any type of follow-up email after their interview.
It takes about 5-minutes to complete this note. Its clear job seekers should spend a few minutes to send one once the interview is complete.
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Tips For Writing An Interview Thank
Here are additional tips for writing a strong thank-you email after a job interview and what to include:
- Express Why You Want the Job: In addition to thanking the person you interviewed with, your thank-you note should reinforce the fact that you want the job, so view this thank-you as a follow-up “sales” letter. Restate why you want the job, what your qualifications are, and how you might make significant contributions.
- Bring Up Anything You Wish You Had Said: Your message is also the perfect opportunity to discuss anything of importance that your interviewer neglected to ask. For example, if you didnt have a chance to explain why you thought that you would fit in well with the company culture, you might briefly state this in the email.
- Revisit Any Issues Brought Up During the Interview: Finally, use your letter to address any issues and concerns that came up during the interview, including topics you neglected to answer as thoroughly as you might have wished. For instance, if you feel that you botched an interview question, you could explain your answer in more detail here.
How Long Should A Post
Keep your thank-you email short and sweet. It should total three to five brief paragraphs coming out to 90-150 words. Anything over this length risks pushing your interviewer’s attention span and going unread.
Even formal industries expect thank-you notes to stay under 200 words. Be concise, and don’t overthink the email.
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How To Write An Effective Interview Thank You Note
Founder, career coach and interview coach behind CaffeinatedKyle.com. My goal is simple: to help people find jobs they LOVE.
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Thank you notes are an important yet often underestimated component of a strategic job search. A well-written thank you note is an opportunity to showcase your communication skills. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate the art of follow-through.
How do you write a thank you note for a job interview? What do you include in a thank you note? What specific words do you use in a thank you note?
Here are five steps to write an effective job interview thank you note in the digital age.
1. Start by thanking the job interviewer.
Gratitude is a critical ingredient in a winning thank you note. Begin your thank you note by expressing your appreciation to the recruiter or hiring manager for their time and consideration. Also, mention anything helpful, interesting or memorable you learned from the interviewer.
Example: Thank you for meeting with me today to discuss the role with . I enjoyed learning more about why you joined the team, your leadership philosophy and our mutual love of Starbucks.
