How to Send a Thank You Email After Interviews

Before leaving the room, ask that everyone provide you with their business card so you can keep in touch. Doing so allows you to address each person individually and by first and last name. For the sake of not being too casual, you’ll be able to type Mr. or Ms. and their surname as opposed to only their first name. The benefit of writing separate emails to each person you interviewed with is that if they were to leave the company and seek employees in their new position, your gesture of gratitude would stand out. It also shows professionalism because it appears as though you’ve taken time out of your day to draft a personal response to each person who sat through the interview with you. It’s a way to continue to make a good impression long after the interviewing process has concluded.

In addition to thanking each interviewer personally, the email that you’ve written should serve as a note of interest that explains what the job means to you, how you’ll bring new and fresh ideas to the company, and how you’ve achieved professional success in the past. Staying on topic and keeping the email brief is ideal as people have busy schedules of their own to follow. Keep in mind that if you were to write a thank you note, you’d only have two to three paragraph’s worth of space to draft your response. If there were any questions asked during the interview process that you don’t feel that you answered adequately, this is the moment to do so.

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Employers receive spam in their inboxes daily. To prevent your thank you email from being deleted before it is read, make sure to include the position that you interviewed for in the subject line of the email. That way, when the interviewer goes to their inbox, they see your first and last name as the sender with a subject pertaining to the job the company is trying to fill. Seeing a message from a familiar name alerts the interviewer to the legitimacy of the correspondence. That way, they can open it and reply to it at their convenience. It won’t be stuck sitting in the trash folder, and you won’t be left wondering why you received no response.

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Draft the thank you email in a Word document and copy it into a blank email. That way, you can spellcheck and proofread your response before sending it. A heartfelt thank you loses it appeal when blatant mistakes are found throughout an email. Taking this extra step ensures that your effort is respected by all parties involved. It shows that you’re thorough and pay close attention to details which counts in a professional setting. It keeps you in the mind of the interviewer for good reasons, not bad ones because you failed to proofread your email before sending it.

Although it’s tempting to send photographic proof of every achievement you’ve earned throughout adulthood, it’s best not to. If it wasn’t something you listed on your resume or had someone request that you send to them, don’t. This includes links to your social media accounts especially if they’re not of a professional nature. Check the signature at the bottom of your emails to make sure it doesn’t contain a quote that is inappropriate or detail personal social media accounts featuring photos of you partying with family and friends. The signature can easily be updated to address a more professional audience.

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The things you send to your family and friends because you think they are cute, funny or witty have no place in your business-related emails. Keep in mind that not every interviewer finds memes, emojis or slang forgivable. It can be the one thing that stands in the way of you getting the job you interviewed for. Even if the company has a creative background, don’t send anything extra. Spam filters and virus scanning software often view attachments as potential threats. The likelihood of the interviewer seeing the message being sent is slim as it likely went directly into the spam folder.

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In the event the interviewer does request additional materials supporting your education, training, certification or skills, send it in the thank you email. Zip everything into one file or compile a single PDF that can be opened and looked through quickly. Companies have virus scanning software that will alert them that the file or attachment is safe. Make sure that everything that you send looks professional. Take extra time cropping photographs, organizing portfolios, and compiling lists of references. Give the requested task the same amount of attention you did the interviewing process.

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Time is of the essence when it comes to hiring employees. It’s imperative that you send the thank you emails as soon as possible so that they remain relevant. If you don’t, you may be passed up because another candidate beat you to the punch. A rule of thumb in every industry is to send the email within 24 hours of conducting an interview. It’s something that many people fail to do which gives you a distinct advantage if you follow through. After taking the time to proofread for typos, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes hit the send button.

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Having access to the interviewer’s email does not give you explicit permission to write them hourly or daily. Exercise good judgment when you do decide to follow up with an employer. Keep in mind the deadline that they gave to you regarding their final decision. If you’ve not heard back from the company by this timeframe, feel free to inquire about the position. Allow the interviewer time to draft a response because they’ve likely received multiple emails from other interviewees that they interviewed. Patience is an attribute that wins you jobs while impatience can cost you the position you worked so hard to make yours.

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Even if you thought the job was yours, it might have been given to someone more qualified. If any of the interviewers write you back to let you know that another individual was hired over you, submit a reply thanking them once again for their time and requesting that they keep your resume on file. Doing so allow that person to know that you’re still interested in working for their company which could work out to your favor. Never draft a response when angry. Proofread your work before sending it. Keep the reply email shorter than the thank you.

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