After your job interview, follow up with a thank you letter within two days. This is always recommended, but most candidates don’t take the time to write. Here are some of the top reasons why it’s important to write a thank you letter to your interviewer:
•Reminds you of the person who interviewed you. It’s like announcing you, the candidate, to your interviewer.
• Tells the interviewer to go on and on.
•Shows the interviewer that you have written communication skills. This is especially important when it is listed as a job requirement in the job description.
•It tells the interviewer that you are courteous and takes the time to thank you.
What you write in your interview follow-up thank you letter should be specific and not general. You don’t want to write a generic thank you that could be sent to any company and could be from any candidate. Here is a generic thank you letter sample:
Dear Mr. Hirem:
I enjoyed meeting you yesterday and hearing about your opportunity. I am very interested in joining your company. Thanks for taking the time to interview me.
To be honest,
john generick
At least one thank you letter has been sent, but you can see that this suits any company and any job. This is not the best note to send. There is also nothing in this thank you about your abilities. Remember that the thank you letter is a reminder announcement about yourself.
Start by talking about the company, not you. Review the job description and match your words to that. Think about what led you to apply. What was it that he said, “I can do that job” and then refer to those words? In the sample letter below, the candidate uses the words in the job description that read: “Experience in product line brands.”
Dear Mrs. Hirem:
It is exciting to see XYZ experiencing growth and adding new positions. My skills and successful experience in branding both product lines and companies will be an asset to your role as Director of Marketing. I am sure that he would quickly coordinate the project team to achieve the goals of the company.
I enjoyed talking with you and hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you again for your time and for considering me for this opportunity.
To be honest,
bob best
This letter has much more impact for the interviewer than the previous one. Bob listed some of his skills and related them to the position he is applying for. It is clear that he is very interested in this work.
Should you send your interview thank you letter or send it via email? I prefer the postal service. This is why:
•Emails can easily be deleted by mistake, often before they are read.
•Executives can easily receive 75-100 emails per day, and it may take several days for your interviewer to receive yours.
•Executives don’t get as much email at work, since email is used a lot, so your letter will stand out.
There are some exceptions to mailing. Let’s say his interviewer mentioned that he would be in his town, away from the head office for the rest of the week. Your interview was on Monday. You always want to send your thank you letter within two days of your interview. In this case, I recommend sending an email, but still sending the interview follow-up thank you letter. You can word the two letters slightly differently, so they are not the same.
This way you are covered. He sent a thank-you letter via email for opportune reasons, since the interviewer was not in his office. You sent the thank you letter within 48 hours of the interview. You have a backup plan, if the email is deleted or not read. If both letters are read, you are emphasizing to your interviewer that he is interested in the job and is sticking with it.
It’s important to take the time, write your interviewer a thank you letter, and send it off. You will stand out from the crowd of candidates in a positive way.
