While you will make your first impression during the interview, don’t let the communication stop there – always send a thank-you note via email afterward. Here are five steps to mastering the thank-you note:
Be cognizant of the time.
Thank-you notes should be sent as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours of the interview. Not only does this show your thoughtfulness to each recipient, it also demonstrates your timely communication skills, and communicates your interest in the role. As we will cover later on, the more specific the content of the note is the better, so try to craft it while your memory is still sharp.
Double-check the recipients.
Each individual involved with the interview should receive a thank-you note, not just the hiring manager. Pay special attention to the names you’ve stated in the greeting and be sure to personalize each note specifically. Just as each person took the time to consider you as a potential teammate, take the time to acknowledge their labor. If you don’t have a recipient’s email, ask the hiring manager to provide it or ask them to forward your note along to the recipient on your behalf.
Be genuine in your gratitude.
The most essential aspect of this note is the thank-you itself. You want to be warm and effusive without veering into the territory of insincere and wordy. A concise and heartfelt note is much more effective than a drawn-out and repetitive one.
Add details.
Inserting specific details from the interview conversation is one tool to make you really stand out. Use the opportunity to remind them of something specific that makes you highly qualified for the role or an aspect of the role that excited you specifically, include that detail and associated reaction in the interview.
Send them often.
Often a hiring process may involve multiple interviews. Remember, in addition to each interviewer deserving their own note, each interview deserves its own thank you note. Meaning if you advance to the second, or third, or fourth stage of hiring, don’t take your good fortune as an excuse to lax in thank you’s.