A THANK YOU EMAIL AFTER AN INTERVIEW LEAVES A POSITIVE IMPRESSION
Be sure to ask everyone for their card or email address if they don’t have a card.
Sample thank you letters. If you use these, change them to your own words. See tips below.
A thank you letter allows you to explain, restate, give the better answer you realized you should have gave or clear up any potential misunderstandings. In addition, you can redirect your marketing campaign by focusing on something that you learned during the interview and re-emphasizing your strengths, accomplishments and skills. Sending a thank you letter shows the interviewer that you are a professional who is concerned about details. In the end, a thank you letter is your last chance to leave a good impression!
If it went well on both sides and they’re interested in you, you should send a thank you letter. If you’re confident it went well, start writing them before I get back to you. Send it to me first to proof read. In almost all instances, there is something that needs correcting or some modification.
TYPO’s: You don’t want to lose a job offer because of misspelled words or poor grammar.
Run it through spell check before sending it to me.
When sending me the thank you email to proof read, put in the subject line Company Name Thank You Letter. If you don’t get a response from me within 2 hours, call me.
If you weren’t able to get everyone’s email address, send the ones you did get and ask them to thank the others mentioning you would have liked to have sent everyone a thank you letter but wasn’t able to get everyone’s email address.
Comments from managers regarding thank you letters
* Thank you letters leave a very positive impression.
* Most important are soft and hard skills. You might see this as soft skills in regard to communication and behavior.
* An email is the best thing after an interview, preferably mentioning something special that was said at the interview that would make it stand out in the interviewer’s memory.
* I would begin to wonder about the applicant if I didn’t hear from him / her.
* A thank you note says a lot about how serious you are about the position, It’s also a chance to follow up on some questions that you may not have answered as well as possible.
* If I receive a thank you note (even an email is fine), it tells me the candidate is truly interested.
* It shows professionalism and follow up skills.
* Hiring managers get miffed because the candidate did not send a thank you to HR or “non decision makers”.
* I recommend sending everyone a thank you note but its important that each one has to be unique – no boilerplate documents!
* The letter sets the candidate apart from the crowd.
* A thank you letter was sent, the candidate didn’t get hired, but the manager hired him 6 months later.
The manager remembered his interest, professionalism and courtesy. The letter did it.
* When it came down to two candidates being equally qualified and equally liked, the one that made the extra effort and showed interest ended up with the job!
* Over the years, I’ve had the “problem” of hiring for a position where there was more than one qualified candidate. In these situations, two or three applicants had similar skills and experience. They interviewed well and had good references. So, how did I choose? Believe it or not, it was often the thank you note that helped make the decision.
The thank you notes that grabbed my attention were more than polite gestures—
* they addressed specific action items that person would take as a new employee.
* They effectively reached back to our interview, recalling specific details and how they clearly understood what my company needed to thrive—and how they would help achieve our goals.
* Basically, their thank you note, told me they “got it.”
Send within 24 hours or as soon as I tell you you’re being considered.
THE ONLY TIME NOT TO SEND A THANK YOU LETTER
If I tell you they’re going to make an offer, then don’t send a thank you letter. They might see something they don’t like and change their mind.
Thank you letters tips:
* Keep your letters short and simple – usually one page is enough.
* Help the interviewer remember you by referring to specific points discussed in your interview: Show that you were listening and mention something that will refresh the interviewer’s memory of you.
* Be sure your letters are professional. For example: typed and no errors, etc.
* Emphasize your qualifications, especially those that are most relevant to the position.
* Provide any information that was overlooked during the interview or that which was specifically requested by the interviewer.
* Express your continued interest and enthusiasm for the position.
Remember, very few people bother to send thank you letters – this can be your edge!
Do’s
* Send me all Thank You letter first for proof reading
* Send Thank You letter addressed to each person
* Send Thank You letter to HR and ask them to forward it if you don’t have their email address.
* Customize based on interview questions / topics discussed
* Show enthusiasm in thank you letter
* Ask when Hiring Decision is expected to me made (during interview or interview follow-up email)
* Have lots of patience and self-belief about the way job interview went.
* Spell check twice before sending
* Check if the thank you note is addressed to the right interviewer
Don’t s
* Be desperate in thank you letter Don’t say this is my dream job. Comes off desperate
* Don’t send Thank You letter in ALL CAPS
* Don’t call HR person or Hiring Manager daily asking for interview results
* Don’t break any bridges even if job was not offered
Sample Format Use this same basic format but tailor it to each individual.
Paragraph
1: Thank them for the interview / opportunity, remind him / her of the position for which you interviewed and compliment them (company, process, product, etc).
2: Reiterate briefly how your skills apply and tell them about the one skill / accomplishment that you didn’t get to talk about and wished you had and any previous similar project(s) you successfully accomplished.
Comment on something of importance that you discussed. Again, emphasize your strengths, experiences, skills, accomplishments and slant them towards the points that the interviewer considered the most important for the position. If you didn’t give a good answer or wish you said something else include your better answer in the thank you letters.
3: Thank them again and say that you are looking forward to hearing from them. Close them on the deal (“I am looking forward to joining the team at <company name> and would be available to start on”, If appropriate, close with a suggestion for further action (if a second interview is a possibility).
Start date should be within 2 weeks, 3 weeks if relocating; 4 weeks or longer won’t go over well but maybe possible.
Sample thank you letters. If you use these, change them to your own words.
Good Luck
BOB MOORE
Computer Recruiters, Inc. of Los Angeles
818 704 7722 From a CELL or the 818 area code. Days, Nights or Weekends 8 – 7:30 PST
888 918 5518 Toll Free out of the 818 area code. Days, Nights or Weekends 8 – 7:30 PST
bob@tekjobs.com
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