A well-written thank you letter after interview can help you make an impact on the interviewers. It can increase your chance of getting hired so learn how to write one.
There’s very high importance of giving a thank you letter after interview but most people miss it out
You left a big interview feeling confident you made a positive impression. You’d like to have the role, but you know at least two other candidates have made it to the final round. So, what can you do to give yourself a little more leverage? Write a thank you letter after interview. Not a thank you note, a thank you letter!
Thank you letters have been a staple of the executive’s career search strategy for a long time – and for good reason; they work. Most of your competition for a role will send the customary note thanking each participating interviewer for their time and then reiterate their interest in the opportunity. Great; someone taught them proper interviewing etiquette. However, they are missing a prime opportunity to reaffirm their potential value.
How to Write a Thank You Letter After Interview
If you’ve had a positive interview experience and you left feeling confident, then chances are you’re still a contender for the role. The company has invested valuable staff time hoping they will learn you have both the credentials they need and a persona that meshes well with the existing team and culture. So, there’s a pretty good chance they will review whatever you send them at this stage, regardless of document length. A well-crafted post interview self-marketing flyer (aka a Thank You letter) can not only restate qualities brought forth in the interview but can impart additional incentives to place you at the top of the list!
A thank you letter after the interview can also provide the opportunity to mention something you wished you’d said during the interview. It also can give you the chance to readdress any concerns brought up by an interviewer. Whatever you choose to include, it should be relevant, further confirm your value or fit for the team and organization and be presented with confidence. If you had more than one interviewer but only one is the decisionmaker, the thank you letter should only be sent to the one with the final say. However, it is still wise to send a thank you note to the remaining members of the panel.
In most circumstances, creating the thank you letter in email is acceptable. To reduce the chances of sending it before completed or grammar-checked, it’s wise to create the content in MS Word or similar, then paste it into an email. The subject line should be simple but have substance. For example, “Thank You” isn’t enough for the subject line. “Something you might find valuable” or “One more important thing” or “Before you make a decision” will certainly grab their attention. Conversely, it’s a good idea to avoid using terms that can subconsciously work against you when constructing your subject line such as “forgot” or “concerns” .
Begin your thank you letter after interview with a sincere and specific message of appreciation. For example:
“Dear David:
Your vision for XYZ’s prosthetics R&D team over the next five years is nothing less than awe-inspiring. Your passion and commitment created a new level of excitement for me about utilizing my microengineering skills to provide the vital expertise needed for such precise design. Thank you for taking time to give me such a tremendous overview. I’m confident my past three years fine-tuning similar circuitry at AAA Labs will reduce XYZ’s time to market.
The body of your thank you letter written after interview should either mention skills or experience directly related or valuable to the team / organization that wasn’t mentioned in the interview or should clearly refute any concerns raised by one or more interviewers. Remember – be specific, be confident and back up your claims with facts. If possible, use 3-5 bullet points.
Your concluding paragraph should mention the interviewer(s) by name and include a positive statement regarding your fit with the team / organization. If the timeline for the next steps in the process were shared during the interview, let them know you look forward to hearing from them at that time. Even if you have had several conversations with the interviewer, it’s important to continue to show deference and respect by concluding your thank you letter with a formal closing. “Sincere regards,” your common first name (i.e. Jim or Kate) and your last name allows for a touch of familiarity without sacrificing professionalism.
Ultimately, your goal of writing and giving a thank you letter after interview should be to continue to show interest and commitment if you sincerely want a role. Most, if not all, of your competition will send a thank you note after the interview then stop their campaign. Studies show that hiring managers will often choose an enthusiastic determined candidate even if they’re less experienced. A well-crafted thank you letter could be the ace up your sleeve that ultimately lands you the dream job!
