The Art of the Thank You
What's the lasting impression you want to leave with your interviewer?
Many would say it’s your final handshake and thank you, as you step out of the interview room - you may break the formality and discuss the rest of your day, or you may wrap up with a formal handshake. Either way, you leave from a position of strength. Job done.
Your job is not done!
The humble thank you card or email should be the immediate focus of your efforts post-interview - while you're fresh in your interviewer's mind, you take the time to write something that not only thanks them for their time, but reiterates your desire for the job.
A thank you card, letter or email should never be discounted as an incredibly effective post-interview necessity.
What’s the best format for sending a thank you card?
Something physical, generally speaking, shows a little more thought - it’s easy to send an email - however, this is very much dependent on your personal rapport building and the relationship you have built with your interviewer, recruiter, hiring manager or a mix of all of them.
There is no perfect thank you letter you can copy and paste into a personal letter headed card and expect a job offer the next day. The skill is in making it personal, relevant, to reiterate your desire for the job after meeting the decision makers, and how excited you are to have been considered.
It’s also worth taking the time to highlight how many people have helped in the process to get you to interview - there is a chain of administrators, decision makers and recruiters who have taken the time to analyse, organize and commend you for a role. Recognise them!
- Thank the interview by name,
- Where possible, send separate letters or emails to each interviewer,
- State what you liked about the interview, the company, and the position,
- Emphasize briefly and specifically your suitability for the job,
- Address concerns about your qualifications that came up during the interview (if any did),
- Mention any issue that you didn’t have the opportunity to discuss, but do so briefly,
- If you felt you had a particularly friendly interview, you might close with a sentence or two referring to something you talked about unrelated to the interview (like sports, common interests, or family).
- Reiterate your thanks, and to that of the admin staff and recruiters (if involved) in the process,
- Proofread before sending,
- Send it immediately after the interview, or within 2 working days,
Is there a time where you do not send a thank you card?
Yes. Thank you cards, letters or emails are sent after a face to face interview, or after a series of interviews with decision makers in a company.
There is no need to send a thank you email or letter after:
- A screening interview,
- A group interview (although this can be optional, but as the interviews are less personal it’s not necessary),
- You’ve waited more than 48hrs
Should I send a Thank you card if I don’t get the job?
Yes. Absolutely.
There is nothing more unexpected, and humbling, than an interviewer who has rejected you receiving thanks, especially when it’s worded from a position of learning and development and seeking constructive feedback on why you didn’t get the job.
If you’re at all cynical about this, remember, you never know who you might be employed by. The best candidates are the ones that are memorable, and being able to frame a failure as one of development and growth shows maturity and self-leadership.