A little Thank You goes a long way

Since I have been recruiting for some time now there are a couple tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way. Tips for candidates on how to tighten up their interview process to help land their dream job, and suggestions for hiring managers on how to improve their interviewing process for today’s market. Since I am talking to people all day everyday, I have heard a lot from both sides and wanted to share some of this insight with you to help you either land the job or hire great people.

Today’s focus is a topic I have been hearing about a lot lately from hiring managers, and have had to remind candidates of…

A little Thank You goes a long way.

What’s one of the first lessons we are taught when we are kids growing up? I can hear myself repeating it to my parents now in a sing song voice now, “Always say please and thank you”, and god forbid you forget it! Even if I was slightly delayed in saying please or thank you my parents would give me the immediate reminder, “Now what do you say?”, “Thannnnk Yooouu”.

Once you grow up and you are officially an adult and you don’t have your parents behind you reminding you of your manners. Sometimes, sadly, we get so caught up in life that we may simply forget how powerful and important a simple thank you can be.  

In life in general, it really is so important to say please and thank you, our parents weren’t lying...

Thank you's are especially important when you are interviewing for your next potential job. Whether you hated the interview or are dying for the job, a thank you is an ABSOLUTE MUST! You should should always thank them at the end of the interview, but in addition you should be sending them a thank you AFTER your interview.

Whoever interviewed you for your next potential job took 30 minutes, maybe even an hour or more of time out of their day to make time for you. Of course, they want to give you that time because of the value you may be able bring to their company, but time is our most precious asset so we need to show appreciation when someone gives us some of theirs.  

But we all already know that right? …. Wrong.

The reason I am writing about this is because I am constantly hearing from hiring managers saying that candidates did NOT send a thank you after an interview. They are not happy about it and have started to ask me questions of why people aren’t sending them anymore. It turns them off from a candidate and truly can be a make or break on whether or not you get another interview, or ultimately the job..

Writing a thank you note is SO important and is an absolute MUST whenever you are interviewing. Since it is so crucial, I wanted to take the time to remind you the different ways of HOW send a thank you, WHEN to send one in the interviewing process and WHAT to write.

HOW can you send a thank you?

1.Thank You Email- Sending a thank you in an email is definitely the most popular and efficient way. If you don’t have their email ask HR, your recruiter, or whoever set up the interview for you what their email address is. Sending a thank you via email is definitely the fastest and most direct way to get your thank you to a hiring manager, so if you want them to see it right away I would try this method.

2. LinkedIn Message - If that doesn’t work try sending a thank you via LinkedIn. Not everyone is on LinkedIn, but MOST people are. Some hiring managers are on LinkedIn often and others are not, so you will run the risk that when they see it might be a bit delayed, but it’s better late than never!

3. An old fashioned hand written letter. If you are the type that really loves this gesture, by all means do it! I would just be mindful of the interview process, how many you write and the time it takes getting to them. Some companies have multiple interviews with multiple people in it, so this may not be the most efficient way and there could be a serious delay in receiving the letter. With that said, this method might be best to be saved for the final interview or after you get the job. It could be a really nice personal touch.

I’ve personally gotten two written thank you's from candidates in the past and I will never forget them.

WHEN to send a thank you and who to send it to… 

There is only one answer for this - for EVERY person you interview with after EVERY single interview. If someone took valuable time out of their day to interview you or help you, they deserve a thank you note. 

Some larger companies will have your final interview be a full day with back to back interviews, not including the 5 phone interviews you had previously… Even then, there should be some kind of thank you note given to each of those individuals after each interview.

WHAT to write.

This may seem simple, and it is, but it’s really important to include these points in your thank you.

1. Start by thanking them for taking the time to interview with you.
2. Then write about something you learned in the interview, and why you are excited about the opportunity. This part shows that you were actively paying attention and that their time wasn’t wasted because you were able to get something out of it.
3. At this point, I would suggest you close them on the next interview, OR if you want to be less forward, conclude why you would be a good fit for the position. This part may feel weird for people not in sales, but it’s very important. By closing them on next steps or telling them why you would be a good fit for the position it shows: A. that you want the job, which is important in the market we are in and           B. it reminds them of reasons they want to hire you.
4. Finally I would end it with another quick thank you or note of appreciation.

There you have it!! Now you know HOW to send a thank you, WHEN to send a thank you, and WHAT to write about, so there are NO excuses on why you shouldn't me sending them! =]

Remember, when you send a thank you it shows your appreciation, good manners, and respect. Even in our laid back culture being polite and showing respect has never gone out of style. A little thank you will always goes a long way.

Comment below and let me know how this helped!

Love, Em

https://emily-rose.blog/