Nailing the Post-Interview Thank You Note
Brad
Picture this: you’ve just finished your interview. The hard part is over. Now it’s time to hurry up and wait for feedback from the company… right?
Not quite.
Why are thank you notes important?
A seemingly small, but powerful gesture after you finish an interview is the thank you note. Whether we agree or not, for some managers this can be a make-or-break decision for moving forward with a candidate. Here at Custom Business Solutions, we find the power of a thank you note to be three-fold:
1) it keeps you “top of mind” for the client after an interview,
2) it serves as a continued expression of your interest, and
3) it’s just plain polite to say thank you!
the formula
Whether it’s your first round, or the final sign off before an offer is extended, sending a quick thank you via email is a good idea. If you’re stumped on how to do so, we’ve got you covered. Below is a helpful formula for nailing the post-interview thank you note:
1) Greeting
2) 1-2 sentences expressing thanks for taking the time to connect
3) Quick reference to something specific discussed during the interview
4) Reiterate excitement for the position/why you’d be a great addition to the team
5) Next steps
6) Sign off
Dear INTERVIEWER,
Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me about the JOB TITLE/ROLE position. I appreciate your time and enjoyed learning more about the team and the SPECIFIC DETAIL/PROJECT/TECH STACK involved.
I am excited to continue the conversation and discuss how I can bring SPECIFIC SKILLS MENTIONED to the team and help drive PROJECT DISCUSSED to success.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any additional questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
NAME
PHONE NUMBER
HELPFUL HINTS
If you have email addresses for each of the interviewers, we recommend sending an individual note for each person. If not, you can forward to the main contact and ask that it be distributed to the other interviewers.
Plan to send your thank you note as soon as possible (within 24 hours), whether it’s an-person or virtual interview.
Lastly, spell-check the body of your thank you, confirm the spelling of interviewers’ names via LinkedIn or previous email correspondence.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Today’s interviewing landscape looks a bit different than it did in years’ past, and thank you notes tend to fall by the wayside as an afterthought. Making it a priority at the end of the interviewing process can help candidates move forward in the process, and we say, “Why not do everything in your power to give yourself the best shot?”
Happy writing!
—Erin Tillman, Technical Recruiter at Custom Business Solutions, Inc.