Sending a Thank You Letter after a Job Interview – Why and How?

by | Last updated Oct 18, 2022 | Published on Jul 12, 2019 | Digital Transcription

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Sending a thank you note after an interview is considered to be a good practice and is an important part of any job-hunting strategy. For review at a later time, employers maintain transcripts of the interviews they conduct to hire the best talent and for this they rely on digital transcription agencies. A candidate who has performed well in the interview can enhance the impression he/she created by sending a note of thanks to the employer. However, as per a recent survey conducted by Accountemps of human resources (HR) managers, three out of four job seekers don’t even care about sending a thank you note after an interview. The survey also found that of the HR managers who participated in the survey only 24% received thank you notes from applicants. In fact, 80% of survey respondents said that thank you notes are helpful when reviewing candidates.

Sending a Thank You Letter after a Job Interview - Why and How?

Jennifer McClure, the president of Unbridled Talent, a Cincinnati firm specializing in talent acquisition, recruiting, and staff development, says that sending a well-crafted and timely thank you note can add a positive impression to an already positive connection. The Muse, a New York City-based online career platform says a well-written thank you note helps you to stand out when the competition is particularly stiff, such as when you are being compared with a candidate who has credentials just like yours.

Reasons Why You should Send a Thank You Letter after a Job Interview

The following are some of the reasons why you should send a thank you letter after a job interview:

  • It is an indicator that you are showing common courtesy and respect to your interviewerBy sending a thank you note after an interview, you are telling your interviewer explicitly that you appreciate the time they have given you. Here is a sample of a thank you letter expressing gratitude for your interviewer’s time, enthusiasm for the role, and appreciation for learning more about the opportunity and the company.
    Hello < Name of the Interviewer>,Thank you for taking the time to speak with me <today, yesterday/Friday/etc> about the < Title of the Job > position at < Name of the Company >. It was a pleasure talking with you, and I really enjoyed hearing all the details you shared about the opportunity. (www.careersidekick.com).

common courtesy
(Source: https://careersidekick.com/thank-you-note-after-interview/)

  •  Helps you to stand out among other aspirants – Sending a thank you note will help you to stand out prominently among the competition. A recent survey of CareerBuilderon Hiring Managers reported that 22% of employers are less likely to hire a candidate if they do not send a thank-you post-interview, with 86% feeling that it showed a lack of follow-through.
  • Provides you an opportunity to reiterate points that you have made during your interview – After attending the interview, you may feel that you could have more strongly emphasized a certain skill or experience that the employer is looking for. The good news is that a thank you letter gives you the opportunity to do that. You must use the first paragraph of your note to thank your interviewer and the second paragraph to emphasize the key points you made in your interview. In addition, you can use a similar strategy to clean up any interview rough spots you may have had. Here are some examples that show how to emphasize the points you made in your interview.
    “I feel my skills and experience is a very good match for the requirements of this job. As we discussed you need someone with strong [whatever] skills, and I have extensive experience with [whatever technology or tool that is important to the job and that you have experience using]” (www.astrixinc.com).
    You can also say, “I am confident that my skills will allow me to come in and succeed in this role, and it’s a position I’d be excited to take on”. (www.careersidekick.com)

interview

(Source: https://careersidekick.com/thank-you-note-after-interview/)

  • Mention points that you forgot to highlight in your interview In the second paragraph of your thank you note you can mention points that you have forgotten to make in your interview. For instance, you can include the following.
    “I am now even more excited about the position and my fit for the role. In addition to my record of organizing successful project launches under strict deadlines, I also have extensive multimedia production and editing experience. I also have experience successfully streamlining project processes in my current role and know that skill would be valuable in meeting your goals for making processes more consistent across the team.” (www.biginterview.com). “Thank you again for considering me for this wonderful opportunity. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns or need more information. I look forward to hearing from you next week [or whenever they said they would be in touch] and hope to join your staff soon.” 

    Best regards,
    [Your name] 

    Signature
    Your Name
    Your City, State, Zip Code
    Your Phone Number
    Your Email (www.astrixinc.com)

sample thankyou letter

(Source: https://astrixinc.com/importance-sending-thank-job-interview/)

  •  Helps show your written communication skills – A well-crafted note of thanks can inform your employer that you have excellent writing skills. Now it is clear that thank you notes are a job-search imperative and it is time to look at how to send them.
  •  Email – E-mail is considered to be the most popular and accepted method to send a thank you note after an interview. The Accountemps survey showed that 94% of HR managers considered it appropriate for candidates to send a thank you note via email, as 65% of the thank you notes they received were sent by email. You should send a thank you note immediately after you return from an interview, typically within 24 hours after the interview. One of the advantages of e-mail thank you notes over their snail mail counterparts is that it is the quickest way to put your name back in front of the interviewer.
  • Snail mail – You can also send a thank you note via the ordinary postal system. If the company you interviewed is formal and traditional, then use snail mail to send your thank you note. Now, the next question is whether it should be handwritten or typed. The typed format is the standard and will show your ability to communicate professionally by proving that you know how to address, format and sign a letter. Handwritten notes are suitable if you would like to extend your thanks to others in the office who helped you out.  According to the Accountemps survey, 86% of HR managers like handwritten thank you notes. However, handwritten notes account for only 21% of the letters they receive.

Sending a thank you letter in a professional and polite manner will help leave a good, lasting impression in the mind of the interviewer.

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