Thank You Notes

You just had an interview for a position you really want. Before saying your prayers that you are the chosen candidate, make sure you send a thank you! Some interviewers are sticklers about a thank you note…and you don’t know if the person you just met is one of them! Many candidates ask, should I send a hand-written note, or an email? While I do love receiving hand-written notes on nice stationary, we now live in a digital world, so an email is perfectly acceptable.

Whatever you do, do not send it from an iPhone. Instead, take the time to boot up your laptop and craft it from there. If you have met with multiple people, you should send an individual thank you message to each person. I would also change the wording of each message somewhat, and make sure to add something specific that you discussed, in case the interviewers compare notes. So, you have your email up and you are staring at a blank screen…what do you write? Here are a few basic items that should be included in your thank you:

· Thank the interviewer for their time

· Express your interest in the position

· Mention your key strengths and how you feel these would translate to success in the role

· Reflect on one key point the interviewer mentioned (to show that you are a good listener)

· Keep it concise!

· And above all…make sure you spell & grammar check it, and confirm the spelling of the interviewer’s name as well as the company name

You will want to send your thank you ideally the same day, but within 24 hours is acceptable. A tip we give our candidates is to jot down some specific notes right after the interview that you know you want to include in the thank you. Should you not have their email, see if you can obtain. If you can’t get an email, I would suggest doing a hand-written note on nice stationary and also consider sending on LinkedIn.

One final thought, what if you didn’t like the Company, people, or role? Still send a thank you! You never know who knows who in the industry, and while you may not express your interest in the role, you can keep it short and sweet with thanking them for their time and paying them a compliment.