Interviewing:
Thank You Notes
- Send a thank-you letter within 24 hours of your meeting. This is a vital part of the interview process and one too often ignored by job seekers. Depending on the company culture, send either a well-edited email or a hand-written note (as long as you have clear handwriting).
- A separate thank-you note should be sent to each person with whom you interviewed at the company. Never send the same note to multiple individuals.
- Thank-you notes should always be personalized and customized to the person with whom you met at the company.
- Thank them for interviewing you and specify the particular position you interviewed for (often, recruiters are interviewing for many positions at once). Reference something specific about your conversation with the individual, which will cause the interviewer to recall your discussion and keep you in active consideration. If possible, try to highlight one of the accomplishments you discussed during the interview, or introduce a new one that builds on your interview discussion. This also helps to build rapport and your relationship with this individual.
- Remember that the thank-you note is often a sales letter in disguise. If you left out pertinent information during the interview, be sure to include it in the thank-you note. It gives you the opportunity to emphasize the match between your background and the employer's interests.
- Always focus on what YOU CAN DO FOR THEM. Thank-you notes should not be overly long; on an email letter the recipient should not have to scroll down to view the entire letter. (See Sample Thank-You Note for more information)
- Be sure to follow up by phone according to the time frame you indicated in your interview or in your thank-you letter. The follow-up often determines who gets the job.
Sample Thank-You Note for the Job Interview
The sample letter below should only be used as an example. Be sure to personalize and create a unique letter after every interview.
December 2, 2007
Mr. John Smith
Vice President of Corporate Marketing
XYZ Software Inc.
285 Appletree Way
Boston, MA 02215
Dear Mr. Smith:
Thank you for taking your time yesterday to discuss the position of Marketing Manager at XYZ Software. I enjoyed our conversation, especially our discussion on using web-based software for teaching adult learners in university continuing education programs. During our meeting, we discussed the possibility of targeting several vertical markets as a further means of enhancing XYZ Software's competitive positioning. I agree with your recommendation and am eager to explore several industries in which I have significant experience. At eLearning Magazine, we focused our marketing programs on three key industries: High Technology, Financial Services and Government. At ABC Software where I led generation programs, our greatest success was achieved by targeting the top 500 firms in the Health Care and Technology Sectors.
I am eager to collaborate with the team at XYZ Software and am confident that my previous experience and skills in marketing programs will be an asset to your organization. I will follow-up with you on [name specific day]; in the meantime, if you have any additional questions, you may contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX or sholmes@bu.edu.
Thank you again for your time. I look forward to meeting with you again in the near future.
Sincerely,
Susan Holmes
"Take an initiative to find a career path, but during this process don't be afraid to ask where to start. The Feld Career Center is there to introduce you to many paths, but they also will work just as hard as you do to help you find what you are looking for. FCC was there throughout my whole process for my job search. I took the initiative to ask for help and made the effort."
—Purva Sanariya (SMG '08)
