After your job interview, send a thank you letter within two days. This is always recommended, but most candidates don’t take the time to write. Here are some of the top reasons it is important to write a thank you letter to your interviewer:
• Reminds you of the person who interviewed you. It’s like advertising you, the candidate, to your interviewer.
• Tells the interviewer that you follow up and follow up.
• Show the interviewer that you have written communication skills. This is especially important when it is listed as a job requirement in the job description.
• Tells the interviewer that you are courteous and that you take the time to thank them.
What you write in your interview follow-up thank you letter should be specific and not general. You don’t want to write a generic thank you that could be sent to any company and could be from any candidate. Here’s a generic sample thank you letter:
Dear Mr. Hirem:
I enjoyed meeting you yesterday and hearing about your opportunity. I am very interested in joining your company. Thank you for your time to interview me.
Sincerely,
John generick
At least one thank you letter was sent, but you can see that it suits any company and job. This is not the best note to send. There is also nothing in this thank you about your abilities. Remember that the thank you letter is a reminder announcement about you.
Start by talking about the company, not yourself. Review the job description and link your words to that. Think about what motivated you to apply. What did you say, “I can do that job,” and then refer to those words. In the sample letter below, the candidate uses the words in the job description that say “Experience in branded product lines.”
Dear Mrs. Hirem,
It is exciting to see that XYZ is experiencing growth and adding new positions. My skills and successful experience in branding both product lines and companies will be an asset to your position as Director of Marketing. I am sure that I would quickly coordinate the project team to achieve the objectives of the company.
I enjoyed talking with you and hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you again for your time and for considering me for this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Bob better
This letter has much more impact on the interviewer than the previous one. Bob listed some of his skills and related them to the position he is applying for. It is clear that you are very interested in this job.
Should you send your thank you letter for the interview or email it? I prefer the postal service. This is why:
• Emails can easily be mistakenly deleted, often before they are read.
• Executives can easily receive 75-100 emails per day, and your interviewer may not receive yours for days.
• Executives don’t get as many pieces of mail at work, as email is used a lot, so your letter will stand out.
There are some exceptions to mailing. Let’s say your interviewer mentioned that he would be in your town, away from the central office for the rest of the week. Your interview was on Monday. You always want to send your thank you letter within two days of your interview. In this case, I recommend sending an email, but still sending the thank you letter to follow up on the interview. You can write the two letters slightly differently, so they are not the same.
This way you are covered. He emailed a thank you letter for timely reasons as the interviewer was out of his office. You sent the thank you letter within 48 hours of the interview. You have a backup plan, whether the email is deleted or not read. If both letters are read, emphasize to your interviewer that you are interested in the job and that you keep it.
It’s important to take the time, write your interviewer a thank you letter, and send it out. You will stand out from the crowd of candidates in a positive way.