Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Zety.com.
If you’ve made it to the interview, you’re up against four or five other candidates. It’s safe to assume their qualifications are similar to yours. You’ll need extra gear to outperform them.
A well-written interview thank-you email could be that very gear. Most candidates don’t send thank-you emails after interviews. Or they send out thank-you notes that just don’t cut it.
Thanks to this guide, you’ll learn how to write the best thank-you email after an interview and keep the conversation running.
Read on for tips on how to write a thank-you email after an interview to dazzle the interviewer.
Why You Should Send a Thank-You Email After an Interview
Here’s some data on how critical the post-interview thank-you email is to your job search:
- According to a study, 1 in 5 recruiters and hiring managers will automatically dismiss a candidate if they haven’t sent an interview thank-you email.
- What’s more, this survey revealed that 80% of HR managers consider thank-you emails helpful for reaching the final hiring decision. And yet — according to the same study — only 24% of candidates send them.
Sending any thank-you letter after a job interview puts you ahead of over half of the competition. A great, personalized interview thank-you email? That’s what will make you the frontrunner.
Can You Say Thank You for an Interview by Email?
Is a thank-you email always okay, or do you need a handwritten note? Actually, an interview thank-you email will be your safest choice.
Why? Because it’s quicker than a snail-mail interview thank-you letter. Plus, this study has shown that 94% of hiring managers find post-interview thank-you emails appropriate.
The only exceptions where it’s a good idea to send your thank-you letter via snail mail are:
- Jobs in extremely traditional industries such as wedding planning or stiff suit-and-tie law firms.
- C-level positions.
How to Write a Thank-You Email After an Interview
Remember: When writing a “thank you for the interview” email, always be genuine. Thank them for the opportunity, reiterate your interest, and remember to refer to what you discussed during the interview itself.
Here’s how to write a perfect interview thank-you email in easy-to-follow steps.
1. Create a Clear Subject Line
No puns, no jokes, go straight to the point. It’s the only way to make sure your thank-you email gets opened.
Sample subject lines for a thank-you email:
- Thank you, [Interviewer’s Name]!
- Thank you for your time and advice
- Thanks for the interview yesterday
- I enjoyed learning more about [Company Name]
- Thank you!
Simple as that.
2. Open Your Email With a Personal Greeting
3. Express Your Appreciation
- Open with a “thank you!”
- Be sincere and authentic when expressing gratitude or appreciation.
- Show that you care about the time the interviewers spent with you.
4. Restate That You’re Interested in the Job
- Mention that you’re eager to join the company in the role you interviewed for.
- If the interview made you realize the job is not right for you, clearly state that in your thank-you email. The hiring manager will appreciate your honesty, plus you’ll help them save time.
5. Refer to Something Specific You Discussed and Make an Offer
- Identify what’s particularly interesting to you about the position and explain why. This way, you’ll make your email after an interview feel personalized.
- Refer to your key skills and relevant experience and show how you will use them to help your future employer get what they want.
6. Remind Them About the Established Response Deadline
- Be brief and polite.
- Say that you’re ready to provide any information they might need.
- Remind them about the designated response deadline.
A succinct paragraph such as the one below will do:
“Should you need any additional information from me that could assist with the decision-making process, feel free to contact me. I look forward to our call next week, as discussed.”
7. Close With a Professional Sign-Off
- Thank them again.
- Sign off with a “sincerely” synonym followed by your full name.
- Below, put your basic contact details: telephone number and email address.
- Optionally, add extra links (e.g., your optimized LinkedIn profile, Twitter, or a personal website).
8. Send Your Interview Thank-You Email
Don’t forget to proofread your email before you hit “send”. You can use apps like Grammarly or Language Tool to help you avoid nasty typos or bad syntax.
Remember that you should send a thank-you letter after the interview while you’re still fresh in the interviewer’s mind — within 24 hours of the interview (the same day as the interview or the next).
If the interview takes place on Friday, send a thank-you email on Friday afternoon or Monday morning. Don’t send formal emails over the weekend.
How to Send a Thank-You Email to Multiple Interviewers
If you interviewed with several people, send a personalized thank-you note to each of them. Each of those thank-you notes has to be at least slightly different and personalized because they will likely share them.
The exception is a panel interview, especially if many of the participants joined via phone or Skype. In this situation, send one thank-you email after an interview addressed to everyone.
Don’t have everyone’s email addresses?
Send one email to the person whose address you have and either ask them to forward your thank-you email to other interviewers, or ask for the email addresses of the other recruiters and email them directly.
Sample Thank-You Email for After an Interview
Subject Line: Thank You, Amanda!
Hello Amanda,
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me and talk about the position of Senior Digital Marketing Specialist with ABC Inc. yesterday. It was a pleasure to learn more about your approach to growing organic traffic.
Our conversation made me even more excited to join ABC. What interested me, in particular, was how sharply your efforts are focused on the actual reader experience, not just technical SEO issues.
I was thinking about what you said regarding your plans to expand the email subscriber base by offering free bonus content downloads in the upcoming quarter. In my current role as a Content Marketing Specialist with XYZ, I found that using contextual click-triggers for bonus downloads within blog posts increased the subscription rate by 35% compared to regular pop-ups. I hope that helps!
I’m sure my experience can translate into similar success as your new Senior Digital Marketing Specialist.
If you need any additional information from me at this point, please feel free to contact me. Looking forward to hearing back from you next Friday, as discussed.
Thanks again for your time!
Sincerely,
Jane Redlock
515-255-0812
