Why Thank You! A Brief Tutorial on Thank You Notes

Phew! The hard part is over – you made it past the HR screening, the hiring manager’s phone interview, and after a successful in-person interview, all that’s left is to wait for an offer, right?

Definitely not. Make like Jimmy Fallon and step up your interview game with a Thank You note! A concise, effective thank you letter exemplifies your ability to follow through and solidifies your interest in the position. You’ll strengthen your chances by nailing this integral step in the hiring process

As a recruiter, I always encourage my candidates to follow up with a thank you letter.   After coaching many candidates through this process, I learned that it’s not always clear what should be included in a thank you note, how long it should be, or who it should be sent to. The following is a brief list of thank you note tips that will help you create an effective follow up to your in-person interview.

• Compose a new message. Don’t respond to a previous thread. Don't include anything else in the body of the message.  The thank you note shouldn’t be an afterthought, but rather a well-thought-out and deliberate follow-up.
• Start with a thank you. I know this sounds silly, but you’d be shocked at the number of thank you notes I’ve reviewed that don’t actually use the words “thank you!” Your first sentence should thank the entire team you met with for taking time out of their day to meet with you. Ex: “I’d like to thank you, as well as the entire engineering team, for taking time to meet with me today.”
• Strike a chord. The second sentence is a chance to show them that you were really engaged during the interview and share why you are interested in this specific opportunity. (AKA You’re not just looking for any old job; you are looking for this job.) You can mention a project or initiative discussed during the interview, a challenge they are currently facing, or something the company stands for. Ex: “I know that this department’s biggest initiative is creating a responsive website; I’ve led two teams through this challenging task and it is an area in which I excel. “ or “The consistent theme I heard today is that a collaborative company culture is a top priority; this really resonated with me as I am a big proponent of teamwork.”
• End with a statement of intent. Make it clear that you absolutely want the job. If they are debating between two final candidates, they’ll want to choose someone who is just as excited about them as they are about that candidate. Ex: “If given the opportunity, I’d love the chance to join your team.”
• Send the thank you note within 24 hours. It’s imperative to keep the momentum going in the hiring process. While sending a physical letter is certainly nice and may make you stand out from the crowd, I recommend emails over physical letters for a few reasons.
  1. You can forward an email. The likelihood that someone is going to walk your physical letter all around the office is very low.
  2. Mailing a physical letter takes much too long. In this digital age, things move fast and hiring decisions get made quickly. By the time your physical letter arrives, the decision may already be made.
  3. An email gets to the right person right away. A physical letter will be intercepted by a receptionist, assistant, or mailroom staffer. There’s no guarantee if will get to the correct person, much less in a timely manner.
  4. All that being said – it’s always nice to drop a hand-written thank you note in the mail in addition to the email thank you. If the company has a longer hiring process, it will be a nice reminder of your candidacy a few days after your visit.
• Email the appropriate person(s).  If you don’t have everyone’s contact info, send the thank you to your main point of contact and let him/her forward to the team. If you received business cards from multiple people, copy them as well. It will encourage them to confer and recap if they haven’t already. If you’re working with a recruiter, send the email to him/her first to read and critique.  Let them forward to the appropriate people. This gives them a chance to follow up, ask for feedback, and ideally, sing your praises to the hiring manager!

You’ll notice that if you follow these tips, your thank you letter will only be 3-4 sentences. That’s the goal: a concise, effective thank you letter. A long-winded email will likely not be read in full; do yourself a favor and keep it simple.

Whether you follow these recommendations precisely as-written or you use them as loose guidelines, it’s sure to give you an edge. No matter what you do, be sure to take time to send a thank you note. Gratitude is an attribute that looks good on everyone!