Secrets to Writing a Perfect Interview Thank You Note

Times have changed, and so have my articles that address the crafting and execution of the Perfect Thank You Note that follows a job interview.  A Thank You Note is required, as always, after each formal interaction with the company you are engaged with during the entire process.   That has not changed, what has changed is the speed in which they expect it and that follow-up speed after each interview step can be the difference between getting the job offer or not.

Certainly follow-up speed alone will not be the sole criteria used to judge your Thank You Note skill-set, yes it is a skill!  So I will incorporate a few points from my earlier and older Thank You Note articles that have not become outdated and include the new.

The Art of Mastering the Thank You Note:

1. Upon completion of EACH interview step, field visit or plant tour (what ever your industry garners as part of the interview process), you must send a Thank You Note via E-mail immediately that very same day.  At this time I suggest NOT TEXTING A THANK YOU unless you are 100% certain the company's culture supports this type of interview communication.  Some companies consider it rude and a cop-out from putting in the time of writing a formal email thank you. This may change over time, but not enough companies are in that camp.
2. If you are interviewing for a Sales Position, you must pump that Thank You Note out within an hour of completing the interview.  Sales people are hired for their sense of urgency and the ability to close a sale and hiring managers get to see that in the manner in which you handle the Thank You Note Process. Sales people, to get that type of speed, you usually must send it from your phone and with your spell check on immediately following the interview.
3. The obvious is still the obvious, your Thank You Note must be well written; spelling, punctuation and grammatically correct.  Jobs that require a college degree expect you to have the ability to write as if you had one!
4. Meaningful content rules!  The Thank You Note does not have to be a novel, a short paragraph or two is fine, but the content must be consistent with the spirit of the interview.  You thank your interviewer for their time and share your high interest level, but you then must make the note consistent to what was discussed during the interview.  If you feel the interviewer valued a certain skill-set or work experience that was revealed during the interview, then insert that within your Thank You Note as you re-sell yourself and remind them of that strength.  This personalizes the Thank You Note and sets you apart from all the other generic Thank You Notes the interviewer will receive from others.
5. If you were able to close the Interviewer to the next step (this means a confirmed yes, that you are moving forward and the interviewer confirmed this before you departed the interview), then you need to reference that in your final statement. I.E. "Thank You for the opportunity for the next interview step, I look forward to meeting with  you again..." or whoever or whatever else is the next step you were able to gain commitment.
6. Sign off with formality (yes still in this day and age):

                                                                   Sincerely,                                                     

                                                                   John Doe

                                                                   XXX-XXX-XXXX  (your cell no.)

                                                                   XXXX@GMAIL.COM

If you are sending this from your phone, make sure your name and contact information is correct since most people have to add that in manually vs. auto signature.  Also, remember that most interviewers will be viewing your Thank You Note from their cell phone and will use your cell number to possibly auto call you from the cell number you typed in; make sure it is correct!  Make it easy for your Interviewer to contact you again if they wish.  

Many recruiters and Hiring Managers will tell you about candidates who were very strong during the interview process, but a botched or never delivered Thank You Note prevented them from either moving forward or even receiving a job offer after a final interview!  

Remember, if you are the lucky one to receive the coveted job offer, send that final Thank You Note for the job offer!  Make sure it registers the excitement of the moment and how happy you are they selected you!  Most new hires forget to do this. Don't ever forget to be thankful for the person or people who extended you a job offer that you accept.  That job offer could be the beginning of a new life and career path that you may not realize at the moment of acceptance.  Sometimes that realization may come to you many years later as you look back upon your career.  Be thankful for the possibilities they just extended to you.  It can be life changing.

This article written in Memory of Dick Witham, Former Western Director of  Davis & Geck, who passed December 13th of 2014.  Dick hired me in 1982 and gave me my career journey to be one of the first women hired as an Operating Room Sales Representative and promoted up through the ranks of the Medical Device Sales Industry in a time when women were not hired, let alone promoted.  THANK YOU for hiring and promoting me numerous times and being my trusted mentor for 17 years during our employ together and the many years afterwards during your retirement.  You are missed by me, all of your former sales and sales management team! RIP

©Linda Hertz, All Rights Reserved  

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