August 09, 2024
Newsletter ArticleSometimes the simplest of gestures can have huge impact. That certainly can be said for a thank you and follow-up after an interview. While most would think saying thank you is standard, in today’s world it often gets overlooked. However, employers are watching and in a tight candidate search, the time writing a quick interview thank you can put you above the competition.
Obviously, start with a nice thank you. You can thank them for their time, their insight about the opportunity, and for considering you for the role. Be genuine and sincere in whatever you choose to thank them for.
You want the interview thank you to be short and sweet, but beyond expressing your gratitude a thank you note also gives you the chance to sell yourself a bit more. Was there something particularly interesting discussed at the interview that perhaps was unique to your interview? Did the interviewer share something personal about their role or memorable that you could make mention of? Think about things that happened during your interview that were unique to you and remind them so that you can help them reflect and remember you and your conversations. The goal is to be memorable!
During the interview process we tell candidates to end with a strong close and ask for the job. The same can be said with a thank you. A great way to wrap-up your thank you is to express your interest in the role and remind them while you’d be a good fit. Again, a simple one line, something like — “I’m excited about this opportunity and feel I’m the right fit because….” It can be as simple as that.
One word of caution – while a thank you can be a great way to make a good impression, they can also lead to a negative impression. Take the same amount of time and care crafting and proofreading your thank you as you do your cover letter and resume. You’d hate to be eliminated from the candidate pool just for a few misspellings or grammar errors!
Now the question begs, do you send a written thank you or is an email sufficient? The answer is it depends. In a world inundated with digital correspondence, a written interview thank you can be more meaningful and give a more lasting impression. However, hiring timelines don’t always allow for a written thank you to make it to your interviewer before decisions are made. In that case, an email thank you is better than nothing. As a guideline, though, if you have the time, send it in writing.
It doesn’t take much to express gratitude and can mean that you get the job over someone else. Take the time and complete this simple step of writing an interview thank you in the process of job search success! Check out this article for further reading.
