Way to go! You survived your interview.

Now that it’s over, you should do three things – right now:

1). Take 5 minutes to think about three things that went well.

Did you have a couple questions that you had GREAT responses to? Did you get an especially good reaction to one of your hero stories? Did you love the outfit you wore? Remember those things and how they made you feel.

2). Take 5 minutes to isolate one area you can improve on for next time.

Whether the interview “went well” or not, I only want you to pick ONE area to work on. Any more and your chances of memory & action decrease exponentially. One area of improvement. One learning to take with you into next time (which, hopefully, will be your second interview!)

3.) Send a thank you note.

This is SO important. Even in today’s digital, ephemeral world of content, a thank you note (or a thank you email makes a difference.)

But sending a thank you note is one of those kind of old-school practices that can be tough to navigate if you’re new to the process (or if you haven’t done it in a while.) Now you may be asking…

Why Do I Need to Send a Thank You Note After a Job Interview?

Simply put: it’s polite. It’s proper etiquette. And good etiquette goes a long way. Taking just 5-10 minutes to send a thank you letter, note or email after a job interview can carry considerable influence.

Benefits of a Thank You Note After a Job Interview

You’ll stand out – Thank you notes are becoming somewhat of a dying art. Especially with younger generations, the frequency of interviewers receiving thank you notes after job interviews is slowly decreasing. Sending a thank you note will not only leave a positive impression, it will also help you stand out against a pool of other interview candidates.

You get a final chance to make a good impression – Whether your interview completely rocked, or it didn’t quite go the way you had hoped, a thank you note or email is a great way to:

• Expand on an answer you gave during your interview. You can reiterate points you made, including why you’re a great fit for the position (See our Thank You Note Template below for an example of this).
• Give an answer to a question that you feel you didn’t answer to the best of your abilities
• Make a suggestion for a problem that was brought up during the interview
• Send a final reminder of just how awesome you are

You’ll show respect and courtesy – Interviews take time on both ends. By sending a thank you note, you’re taking the extra step to acknowledge your interviewer’s time and commitments, and showing them how much you appreciate them taking time from their busy day to meet with you.

You get a chance to show off your writing skills – Pretty much no matter what industry you work (or hope to work) in, writing and communication skills are important and necessary – you’ll use these skills every day with the company’s potential clients, customers and vendors. By sending a thank you note, you get a sneaky opportunity to show your potential employer your writing skills – and they’ll definitely be reading carefully to see how you come across either in email or in print!

You can link to your online portfolio – By sending a thank you email, you can actually show off your work (and let it speak for itself) by including a link to your online portfolio, LinkedIn account, or professional social networking profiles (The Balance Careers). Pretty much everyone engages in social stalking as part of the background check process nowadays, so you might as well point your interviewer in the right direction, and show that you have nothing to hide!

When Should I Send My Interview Thank You Note?

You should send a thank you note after a job interview within 24 hours, if not the same day.

Who Should I Send a Thank You Note to After My Job Interview?

The rule of thumb here is to send one thank you note to each person who interviewed you. A great way to set yourself up for success here is by asking for a business card at the end of the interview – that way you’ll have everyone’s contact information.

P&P Tip: Be sure to modify your message so each interviewer gets a unique thank-you email. It shows attention to detail and extra effort.

If there was an administrator, receptionist, or HR assistant who also helped with the interview process, it’s courteous (and goes above and beyond) to send a thank you note to them as well.

Should I Send a Thank You Email or a Written Thank You Note After a Job Interview?

The answer here is largely dependent on your personal style and how you want to present yourself, as well as what would be “normal” for the company you interviewed with. Was it a tech or SaaS company? You probably want to go digital. Was it an event planning company? Written “snail mail” might be nice.

Email Thank You Note Advantages

Sending a thank you note by email is the most popular and widely accepted way to follow up with interviewers. “The Accountemps survey found that 94% of HR managers say it’s appropriate to send a thank-you note via email, as most (65%) of the thank-yous they receive are sent by email” (Monster.com).

The obvious advantage of email thank you notes is the speed – if you know the company is looking to make a decision very quickly, then email is definitely the way to go.

Written Thank You Note Advantages

More often than not, you should opt for an email thank you note, but if the company you interviewed with is very formal, traditional, or in any way “old school,” then a written thank you note is the right level of formality.

In general, written thank you notes are a nice gesture. According to the same Accountemps survey referenced above, “86% of HR managers like handwritten thank-you notes, yet handwritten notes account for only 21% of the letters they receive.” Sending a written thank you note will definitely help you stand out – for a good reason!

If you are worried about timeliness – you can always send an in-depth email thank you in addition to a written thank you note.

Job Interview Thank You Note Template

Don’t overcomplicate your post-interview thank you note. According to Poised & Professional standards, every job interview thank you note should include:

1. A “thank you” to the person who interviewed you for the opportunity
2. A follow up on why you’re a great fit for the role
3. A follow up on why you’re a great fit for the company/culture
4. An actionable closing statement that sets expectation of if/when you’ll hear back

Job Interview Thank You Letter Template With Customizable Fields

Here’s an thank you note template for you to use:

Hi [interviewer name],

Thank you for meeting with me today to discuss [position]. I really enjoyed speaking with you and learning more about [the duties of the role OR details about the company].

After our conversation, I feel strongly that I am the perfect candidate for [position]. My experience in [3 points of relatable experience] perfectly aligns with your expectations for this role.

In addition, I know that I would be a great fit for [company’s] culture and goals. I am [3 personality traits], which I know would mesh seamlessly with [company’s] standards.

Thank you again for your time today, and for considering me for [position]. If I can provide any further information for your review, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

I look forward to hearing back from you [later this week, next week – any timeline they gave you during the interview. If none was given, say “soon.”]

Sincerely,

[name] [your contact information]

Sample Job Interview Thank You Letter

Here’s an example of that thank you note template in action (with a few modifications/some custom flavor):

Hi Chelsea,

Hope you had a great weekend!

I wanted to say thank you again for taking the time to bring me in to interview and meet with other members of the Poised & Professional team.

After our conversation, I feel strongly that I am the perfect candidate for the Managing Editor. My experience in creative content strategy, relationship management, and project organization perfectly aligns with your expectations for this role.

In addition, I know that I would be a great fit for Poised & Professional’s culture and goals. Your culture is truly unique, and I’m confident that my collaborative spirit would not only fit in with, but also elevate team output.

Let me know if there’s anything else I can provide as you move forward with the decision-making process.

Sincerely,

Alyssa

What Subject Line Should I Use for My Thank You Email

If you go the digital thank you note route, you will need to use a professional subject line to cut through the clutter of you interviewer’s inbox. Here are some great examples of subject lines to use:

• Thank You
• Thank You!
• Thank You – [Job Title]
• Thank You – [Your First Name] [Your Last Name] [Job Title]

Other Thank You Note Writing Tips

Be concise – Get rid of unnecessary words, and try to be as “to the point” as possible in your thank you note. Concise language conveys confidence. The last thing you want to do is sway an interviewer in the opposite direction because you were too verbose.

Proofread, and then proofread again – Another error you want to desperately avoid in your thank you note – any typos! After you write up your thank you note, read few it through it several times to make sure spelling, grammar and syntax are correct. We like the tool Grammarly to help with email proof-reading. And, consider sending to a friend or family member before sending back to your interviewer. You can never be too thorough.

…Not so hard, right? Writing a thank you note just takes a few minutes, but it can make a BIG difference in whether or not you get a second interview, or the job itself! Don’t make this simple mistake – use our job interview thank you email template today!

Want to set yourself up for interview success? Download our FREE 5-page Interview Readiness Worksheet – it’s our gift to you!