The immediate aftermath of almost every interview plays out as follows. You leave the office convinced you just gave the interview of your life and there’s no way they are not going to hire you. Then the questions start to come as you ride the elevator back down to the lobby: “Why didn’t I tell them this?” “Why did I say that?” By the time you reach the ground floor, you are certain that you have blown it. You finally come to a reasonable conclusion before you reach your car: you did okay. Now there’s nothing more you can do about it.Or is there? Why not leave a lasting impression with your interviewers by expressing your appreciation in a well-written thank you letter? The thank you letter templates and writing tips provided here will show you how to compose such a document.
Thank You Letter Template
Take a moment to review the thank you letter included here. Pay close attention to how Dennis expresses his gratitude for the interview and discusses the impressions he had during the process. Notice, too, that he keeps his tone professional, avoiding the pitfall of coming across as desperate.
Dear Mr. King,
I would like to thank you personally for considering me for your senior data analyst position and granting me the opportunity to interview with both you and Ms. Jones. Yours is an organization that I had previously identified as one I would love to work for, and the prospect of turning that dream into a reality is exciting.
From our brief conversation, I could easily tell you and your department have a firm commitment to data integrity. I wholeheartedly agree with you when you say far too many in our profession accept a standard error rate as an inherent consequence to data mining. Thus, my goal is to seek continuous improvement in my own work in the same way you challenge your employees to do.
I would also be remiss not to mention how delightful it was visiting with you and Ms. Jones. The interview environment can often be tense, yet you two succeeded wonderfully in making me feel welcome and at ease. I see such your company’s culture as one I could fit into easily.
Again, please accept my sincere thanks for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you again. Good luck with this difficult decision and good wishes to you and your colleagues going forward.
Sincerely,
Dennis Davis
How To Write a Thank You Letter
There are some who may question the need for sending a thank you letter. They may think if you feel you should follow up after your interview, you did not make a strong enough impression in the first place. Yet the purpose of a note is more than just to follow up.
First and foremost, it should be to express gratitude. Remember studies show that as many 200 people might apply for a single corporate position. To warrant consideration among such a large group is truly an honor, even if you do not end up getting the job.
Your thank you letter also serves as way to show how far you are willing to go to succeed in the position. It causes employers to presume if you are willing to take an extra, unsolicited step in the hiring process, you may also go above and beyond your responsibilities on the job.
As you use the thank you letter template to write, remember to keep your specific audience in mind. If you are trying to impress, then sending a general form letter that simply has different names and companies inserted into it is unlikely to do so. Rather, write a personalized note to every person who participated in your interview. Referring back to the example provided, for instance, the jobseeker should also write to Ms. Jones. The content need not vary greatly between letters; just make sure you personally thank all the parties who were there.
Close by restating your thanks and wishing your readers good luck. Let them know that you do indeed want to hear from them, even if they may give you bad news.
What To Avoid In Your Thank You Letter
The challenge in writing a thank you letter following a job interview is not to sound desperate. The confidence you convey is what truly separates your correspondence from a simple ploy intended to get attention. Therefore, you should never let your writing become unprofessional. Even if the meeting was incredibly laid back and casual, you should still avoid any slang terms or informal language in further communication. Remember that you will have plenty of time to develop a rapport with your interviewers once you are on the job.
Along those same lines, do not automatically assume that you have formed a friendship with those who interviewed you. Unless they have invited you, do not go home and immediately reach out personally on social media. Doing so without their permission can be crossing a line. Some might even view it as harassing or threatening. The same is true with sending gifts, such as flowers. Stick with a thank you letter until you hear back on the job.
How To Follow Up After Sending Your Thank You Letter
Technically, your thank you letter is a form of follow-up. Therefore, you may want to wait to reach out to a prospective employer a little longer than you would in other circumstances. Typically, if a company has already contacted you and brought you in to interview, they will inform you of any further action they intend to take, whether to schedule another round of meetings, to let you know if they chose another candidate, or to offer you the job.
However, you should always ask when the interviewer plans on making a decision. That lets you know what the company’s timeframe is. If the supervisor indicates he or she wants to fill the position quickly, then try following up on your thank you letter within one or two weeks. If the company is in no hurry, feel free to wait up to one month.
Top 5 Thank You Letter Writing Takeaways
1. Be brief and concise
Remember that you do not want to appear overly anxious. Heaping the interviewers with praise may create just such an impression. Instead, keep your letter to three or four paragraphs consisting of an equal number of sentences.
2. Send a hand-signed letter, if possible
E-mail may be the preferred method of communication for many in the business world yet not when you are trying to convey thanks. You can type an email anywhere in a small amount of time; drafting a hand-signed letter, on the other hand, shows that you took the time to sit down and really think about what you were writing.
3. Do not wait longer than 48 hours to send your letter
You want to make sure that your interviewers remember you when the time comes to make a decision. A quick memory of you requires that your name be fresh in their minds. Sending a thank you letter within 24-48 hours will accomplish this purpose. Make creating a note your first task after arriving home from your interview.
4. Maintain your professionalism
You should extend the professional tone established in your letter to the rest of your correspondence. Send it in a blank envelope with a mailing seal containing your contact information (if you have one).
5. Do not send a “no thank you” letter
If you change your mind about the job, do not send a letter saying that. Choose instead to make no contact with the company at all.
