As a business student, I have been trained for a long time on how to present myself during interviews, how to do an elevator pitch, and how to write a Thank You letter. It is almost like copying and pasting the same phrase and format but changing the personal information. Therefore, I started to wonder, is it still the best practice when everyone else is doing it?
Andrew Seaman, senior managing editor for jobs & career development at LinkedIn News, published a poll result saying that 60% of people always send thank-you notes after a job interview, 29% sometimes send the note, and 13% never send a thank-you note. He concluded that a thank-you letter might not get you hired, but the employers always found it nice to receive one. Therefore, a thank-you letter isn’t necessary practice but it is effective. It is an opportunity to show more personality, to highlight the details during the interview so the hiring managers and employers can remember you, and help build a connection in the future.
The thank you letter shown above is too generic for example, it’s too generic, and it couldn’t let people stand out. The best practice is to mention what you talked about during the interview to highlight and help the interviewer remember who you are.
The following example is another thank you letter that highlights what did well. It should be both appreciative of the time and at the same time reiterate why you are the best fit for the company: nothing new, just something you mentioned in the interview.
This is also a good follow-up email because it ends with “If there is any additional information you need from me, I will be happy to promptly provide it for you.” It might open up more opportunities to talk with employers and more chances of getting the position or even building a connection with the employers for future opportunities.
Awesome post! I agree that sending a thank you email after an interview can help the interviewers remember the conversation you had and make you stand out. When I was interviewing for internships, leaving questions at the end of my thank you emails gave room for the interviewers to continue conversation with me. I think it should be imperative to send a thank you email within 24-28 hours after the interview to stay fresh in the company’s mind. Have you ever struggled with writing a thank you email? If so, how did you approach your writing?
I love how you point out the idea of bringing up something that you did well in the interview or talked about in the interview. In past experience with interviewing, they love to talk about what makes you different. When you send an email, you should probably talk about what makes you different, as that will make them easily remember you, and make a better impression than the generic thank you note example you provided.
Ending the thank you letter is always a difficult part of the letter for me. The ending you recommended is a perfectly sounding ending that helps keep communications open while being a proper conclusion line. I like how you point out the different opportunities that arise from leaving the letter open.