Thank You Email After Interview - The Do's & Don't's
A thank you email after interview? Seems obvious but lets get it right first time!
It’s been a difficult summer after quitting your job but you persevered and finally landed an interview! Have you noticed how interviewing for a job has changed over the years, just like the job market itself? With the introduction of telephonic or Skype interviews now, communicating electronically for a good portion of the hiring process is the norm. Sending a post-interview email is now an essential part of the interview dance.
The post-interview thank you email gives you an opportunity to sum up your application and add some perspective to your candidature. Since your employer and you have had time to get to know each other during the interview process, you can use this space to introduce them to a side of you that might’ve missed earlier.
Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re writing that post-interview email.
The Do’s:
- It’s usually best to address them professionally.It’s usually best to avoid over familiarity because while some people appreciate it, it could very easily backfire on you.
- Do note, this can be very industry dependent - in tech, for instance, formality can often be a bad thing. Keep your finger on the pulse during the interview to know what line to toe.
- Use this email as an opportunity to showcase your enthusiasmbut avoid sounding desperate. Reinstate your desire to work at that company while maintaining a calm, professional demeanor. Use sentences like ‘I’m just emailing you to thank you for talking with me the other day. Company fit is a big deal for me, and I loved the values you mentioned of [x,y,z]’.
- Did you forget to mention something in the interview?Is there a question you feel feel you could have answered better about? This is a great opportunity to explain that and talk more about it in the words you couldn’t find in the interview.
- Make sure you proofread and check your grammar.Edit the form and sentence structure to make it readable. There is no regret greater than hitting send on an email with a very avoidable spelling error.
- Let’s face it!Nobody likes long emails. Keep your email to 1-2 paragraphs with 3-4 sentences in each paragraph and sum it up quickly. Use brief impactful statements and paragraphs and don't beat around the bush.
- Glide them forward- a nifty interview-hack is to use your words to move the interview forward. Saying something like “Looking forward to the next steps” puts the onus on the interviewer, and at the very least is likely to get you a response sooner.