Job Interview Thank You Notes
Wondering if you should send a thank you note after your recent job interview? Don’t think – just do it.
Remember that most hiring managers will be interviewing multiple candidates for their vacancy so it’s important to set yourself apart. A thank you note is yet another way to do that. It won’t be a slam dunk because I’ve found that most people do send thank you notes these days. Still, put as much effort into your thank you note as you did your resume and you’ll increase your chance of a job offer even more. Here are some things to think about when writing your thank you note.
- Write it within 24 hours of the interview so that you remember enough to write a thoughtful note and so that it arrives to the hiring manager soon after your meeting.
- Include specific details from the interview so that the note doesn’t seem like an off-the-shelf note. “I enjoyed discussing your upcoming (insert specifics) project”
- Use the thank you note as an opportunity to reiterate skills you feel that you did not sell well enough during your interview. This is probably the single most important reason to send a thank you note.
- If possible, hand write a note rather than send an email. You’ll probably be the only one who did not send the note via email.
- Send a separate note to each person you met with and follow suggestions 1-4 for each.
Anybody else have anything to add to the list to help readers write great thank you notes?
One critical tip: Use the person’s preferred name, not what’s on their business card. My given name is Philip, and I frequently get cards (and e-mails) addressed to Philip. Zero attention to detail means zero chance at working for me. If you’re not paying close enough attention during the job interview, or can’t at least right down my name on the back of my card, you don’t deserve to work with me. After all, I’m a customer too, so if you treat me like that, I’m wondering how you’ll be treating the customers I’m going to pay you to serve correctly.
Hi Phil – thanks for stopping by. That’s a great point! There are so many times during the job hunt that people make the mistake of not personalizing.
I’ll tell you something I always struggle with. Being from the south, it was crammed down my throat that you should always call people Mr. or Ms., rather than by their first name. So, even if you asked me to call you Phil rather than Mr. Gerbyshak during the interview, I’d still slip up and call you Mr. Gerbyshak.
Gina – Mr. Gerbyshak is ultra-respectful, and I totally get and appreciate that. Philip instead of Phil not as much.