Blog Details

Writing a Thank You Email After an Interview

You have just completed your job interview that you are really excited about. You know you should send a thank you letter/note/email to the individuals who interviewed you; however, you are not sure what to write. You do not know how much detail you should include or if you should send one to every person who interviewed you. Interview Expert likes to help our clients to stand out among other candidates during the interview process. Sending a thank you email/note/letter is one way to stand out. In this blog, we will discuss what to say as well as what not to say in your thank you message. We will provide you with sample templates that will help to make the process a bit easier. Let us start with how to write a thank you email.

Why is it important to send a thank you email?

First, it is simply a nice gesture to thank someone for taking time away from their work, deadlines, and projects to interview you. Second, it creates a positive connection between you and the person who interviewed you. Even if your interview went well, you must remember that most individuals have to squeeze multiple interviews into their busy schedules. When you take the time to send a thoughtful thank you email, it will increase your odds of leaving a lasting positive impression once the interview is over. Third, sending a thank you email helps you to stand out from the other candidates. When you invest your time in creating and sending a thank you email it will increase the odds of you standing out among other candidates. Very few candidates send out thank you emails, yet it can be a factor in the hiring decision in many organizations. Lastly, sending out a thank you email is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your professionalism and people skills. You can tell an interviewer that you are a detail-oriented person and work well with others, it is a totally different thing to show them. A well-crafted and timely thank you email letter shows you can follow up in a timely manner, your communication skills, and your understanding of the importance of expressing your appreciation for others. And last but not least, sending a thank you email, shows that you are still interested in the position.

Tips during the interview to help with writing a thank you email

• Take note of your interviewer’s name
• Mental or physical note items you discussed in the interview
• Jot down a few keywords that may help you remember the conversations
• Make the thank you email personal by using the above notes

How to write a thank you email:

A thank you email should be short, sincere, and sent quickly, within 24 hours, of your interview.

1. Address the email to the person who interviewed you and ensure you spell their name correctly (double-check spellings). It is not a good look for you to send a thank you email and have a misspelling of names or words throughout the email. If your interviewer’s name was Steven and he asked you to call him Steve in the interview, address him as Steve in your thank you email. If you had more than one person interviewing you, sending each individual a brief message is a good practice.
2. Make sure to include in your email a thank you for the person’s time and consideration for X job.
3. Briefly summarize why you are interested in the organization. You can do this by mentioning certain aspects of the conversation that stood out to you or sharing something that may help them remember what you may not have been about.
4. Include your continued interest in the job opportunity
5. Offer to answer any remaining questions the interviewers may still have

What to avoid when writing a thank you email

• Adding too much detail
  • Adding too much detail can deter the interviewer from reading the entire email. Remember you intend to say thank you for their time not to continue on with the interview. If you add too much detail, it may appear that you are desperate or that maybe you were not prepared for the interview. You want to thank them and remind them of you and your interview.
• Making a request
  • Everyone is busy! You have completed your interview at this point and your time for making requests have passed. You want to avoid creating more work for the interviewer as this can create a bad impression on you as a candidate. You do not want to appear to be difficult to work with. Rather, you want to appear to be easy to work with and someone they would like to hire.
• Mistakes
  • Avoid typos in your writing. Use spell check and have someone else double-check it for you, but do not send an email with mistakes. You also want to be aware of your grammar as this is a representation of your communication. Be formal yet comfortable in your writing.

Sample Thank You Email Templates

The following samples will be a start for you when you are writing a thank you email. Make sure that you take these samples and then customize them as it fits your needs. Use the tips above for examples of information that should and should not be included in your official thank you email.

Example 1

Subject Line: Thank You

Hello Steve,

It was great speaking with you yesterday about being a possible fit for your team. I appreciate the transparency into the project you are working on and what It is like working with XYZ company. It seems like an amazing team and an exciting project with huge potential. I am excited about the possibility of working with you. If you have any questions or want to continue our conversation, please reach out to me at any time.

I look forward to being in touch.

All the best,

Example 2

Subject Line: Thank You

Hi Steve,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today and sharing some of the innovative work that you and your team are doing to support your clients.

From our conversation, I understand tha the pace is fast, the work is top-notch, and as hard as you work, you have all have a great time doing it together. People’s passion for their work was tangible and the sense of community was amazing.

I also understand you are looking for a person who can hit the ground running, does not need hand-holding, and is fun to work with. I am confident that I am that person.

If you have any questions or want to continue our conversation, please feel free to reach out at any time.

I look forward to being in touch.

Best,

Example 3

Subject Line: Thank You

Dear Mr. Smith,

I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today to discuss the financial planner position at XYZ Associates. I appreciate you sharing the history behind your family business and that you care for every customer as if they were your own family.

From our conversation, I understand that maintaining the legacy of top-notch service is your priority, and you are looking or planners who want to continue that legacy for years to come. As I shared, I have a young family of my own, and I am looking to put down roots with an organization that I can be proud to work for. I am excited about the possibility of joining your team.

If you have any questions or want to continue our conversation, please feel free to reach out at any time.

Sincerely,

Example 4

Subject Line: Thank You

Hi Steve,

Thank you so much for chatting with me today. It was such a pleasure to learn more about the marketing manager role, and I am very excited about the opportunity to join XYZ Company and help your team reach a new audience with your amazing content.

I look forward to hearing from you about the next steps, but please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide any additional information.

All the best,

Example 5

Subject Line: Thank You

Hello Steve,

I just wanted to thank you for inviting me to your office today. It was great to hear about XYZ’s company’s goals for streamlining your software and placing an emphasis on quality design, as well as how you see the engineering department playing a role in these initiatives.

XYZ seems like a wonderful workplace, not just because you mentioned some great summer outings! I really admire the mission that drives your business, and look forward to the opportunity to help your team implement some of the ideas I mentioned around redesigning the homepage.

Please let me know if there is anything else you need from me to move the process forward.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Example 6

Subject Line: Thank You

Hi Steve,

Thank you so much for meeting with me today. I enjoyed learning more about your career trajectory at XYZ and where you see the company going in the next couple of years.

To follow up on our conversation about churned clients, I have attached a short deck I mocked up on my initial ideas for increasing renewals. I am happy to discuss this further if you see it being a helpful resource.

I can tell XYZ is a special place to work, and I would be thrilled to join such an innovative, hardworking, and passionate team of individuals. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can provide to make your hiring decision easier.

Best regards,

Example 7

Subject Line: Thank You

Hi Steve,

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to interview me for the research assistant position. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the opportunity to become part of your team.

I would be an asset to your company because of my strong research, data entry, and writing skills. As we discussed in the interview, my work at XYZ Company introduced me to the foundations of scholarly research. At the same time, my experience as a writing tutor at the University Writing Lab expanded my writing and proofreading abilities. If given the opportunity, I’m confident that my knowledge and skills will be a great fit for this position. I’m very interested in this position, and I look forward to discussing this opportunity with you soon.  

Thanks,

Example 8

Subject Line: Thank You

Hi Steve,

I loved our conversation today during the interview. Thanks for making time for me. I feel that I’m very qualified for this freelance project because of my education, experience, and interpersonal skills.

In my previous projects, showcased on my LinkedIn Profile, I have honed my web development abilities and provided excellent value for my clients. I know that I will be able to apply my skill set to create a visually appealing website with all of the functionality your project requires.

Thank you for your consideration,

Conclusion

After an interview is complete, it can be more of the most crucial times in the interview process. Likely, the interviewer may still have other candidates to interview. You do not want to be a candidate who is forgotten or lost in the crowd after the interview is over. One of the most effective ways to remind the interviewer of you and your interview is by writing a thank you email. A thank you email can be very persuasive if written properly and delivered in a timely manner after the completion of the interview. For the email to be most relevant, you should draft the email while the information is still fresh on your mind. Ideally, you would want to send the email within 24 hours after the interview. Make sure to use your resources and utilize a prepared email template to make the process less stressful. Ensure that you send the thank you email through whatever avenue you used to communicate with the interviewer. If you connected with the interviewer through LinkedIn, send the thank you email through LinkedIn.