A thank you note is an often overlooked post-interview practice, which in this time of email and IMs, is falling to the wayside. But it shouldn’t, it’s another important way of making yourself stand out as a serious candidate for a job. Read on and let Carissa explain why:
Sending thank you notes after an interview is a great way to follow up about a job you want without feeling like you’re pestering the employer. It’s also just good etiquette. Here are some tips to make the most of post-interview thank you notes:<br />
- Send a brief thank you message by email, followed by a mailed thank you note. This gives you two opportunities to remind the employer of who you are and how great you’d be for that job.
- Use simple, professional-looking thank you notes or blank cards, and write them by hand. This gives them a more personal quality than printing them from your computer.
- Include your contact information in case the interviewer wants to get in touch with you.
- Keep it short and sweet. Use this opportunity to say thank you for taking the time to interview you, as well as mention something said at the interview to jog their memory of you. For example:<br /><div style=’margin: 20px; background-color: #ededed;border:1px solid #e1e1e1; padding: 10px’>Dear Mr. Rodriguez, <br /><br />Thank you for taking the time to meet with me last Thursday. After the interview I’m more interested than ever in the team lead position. The Hamilton project you described sounds very interesting, and I think my skills and experience could be an asset. If you have any additional questions for me, please don’t hesitate to call me at 646-555-9424. I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you again.<br /><br />Best regards,<br />Carissa Doshi</div>
- Send thank you notes to everyone who took the time to interview you — including HR and lower-ranking, non-decision-making employees. Hiring managers often ask their employees to screen potential new hires during the interview process, and treating those employees with the same politeness and respect you show their boss can both make you their favorite candidate and start a working relationship off on the right foot.
<br /><br /><br />If thank you notes make you nervous because you still aren’t sure what to say, <a href="http://www.carissadoshi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/thankyoutemplate.docx" target="new">use this template [Word 2007]. Just fill in the blanks and copy it onto your own paper.
Remember: what you say in your thank you notes isn’t half as important as the fact that you send them.<br/>——<br/>Carissa Doshi is a business writer and the president of Gen Y Media Group. She gives career advice and blogs about her experiences on <a href="http://www.carissadoshi.com" target="new">www.carissadoshi.com. You can also follow <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/CarissaDoshi" target="_blank">@CarissaDoshi on Twitter.