A 5-Step Template for Writing Post-Interview Thank You Notes
For upon |Here at Career Contessa, any time we interview someone, we wait to see whether they’ll write a thank you note or not. You’d be surprised how often they don’t—and that’s right about when we decide not to hire them.
Sending a thank you note after the interview can really set you apart from other candidates because it signals your continued interest and solidifies a positive impression with the interviewer.
But it’s more than that: I’ve actually had hiring managers tell me to wait to schedule a second interview until we receive a post-interview follow-up email, and we’ve skipped hiring someone at Career Contessa when because we don’t receive a thank you (it’s one of our 11 reasons why you don’t get a job offer). Yup, it’s that important.
HOW TO WRITE A STELLAR POST-INTERVIEW THANK YOU NOTE
Avoid just going through the motions, because employers will see right through a generic note. Instead, tailor your message to the specific interviewer and company using a flexible format like so:
The 5-Part Thank You
- How much you appreciated the meeting (the “thank you” part!)
- Something specific about the interview or items discussed
- Why you are excited about this opportunity
- A brief explanation of why you’d be a good fit for the job
- Next steps and your contact information
Make sure to send the note (via email) within 24 hours—and be sure to send one to everyone you interviewed with, not just the hiring manager.
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A SAMPLE POST-INTERVIEW THANK YOU EMAIL
Still not sure what to write? Here’s an example of a short and sweet post-interview thank you note (the keyword here being short—when it comes to interview follow-up emails, less is usually more):
Dear [interviewer name],
Thank you again for taking time to speak with me about the [job title] position and for giving me additional insight into the responsibilities and day-to-day duties involved. Our conversation today only increased my interest in the role. I would be thrilled to use my [insert a skill or two that you discussed in your interview, such as “editorial skills and background research and interviewing”] to benefit [company name] and your goals, including the work you’re doing on [insert a specific example of a project or work your interviewer mentioned, such as “expanding into video and other multimedia content”].
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions for me! I look forward to having another conversation with you soon.
Best regards,
[Name]
[Email address]
[Phone number]
BONUS: A THANK YOU NOTE TEMPLATE FOR AFTER A SECOND INTERVIEW
We get this question often, so I wanted to cover it here as well: when you’re asked in for a follow-up interview, you should send another thank you note via email (again, within 24 hours). Send it to everyone who is involved. Really, the process doesn’t vary too much from the first interview thank you note, except that you’ll want to make it shorter. One trick I love is to expand on a topic you covered with your interviewer in your second meeting. Here’s a template:
Hi [interviewer name],
It was a pleasure speaking with you again today about the [position]. I loved hearing more about [a project or goal that came up in your latest interview]—and can’t wait to potentially help your team on it! As always, please let me know if you have any questions or if I can send any additional information your way. I’m looking forward to moving forward in this process!
Regards,
[Name]
Simple enough, right? If you don’t hear back right away, that’s OK—wait about 5-7 days before following up (you can reply to your original thank you note) and expressing interest one more time.
The article was originally published here.
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