The Prepped Team
December 1, 2021
4 minutes
You just finished a big job interview. Phew. Other than your obvious sweat circles, things went quite well. You want to seal the deal, so you consider sending a thank you email. But you worry: if you send one too soon, will you sound desperate? If you send it too late, you may fall off the radar. Then again, you aren’t sure if you need to send a post-interview thank you note at all.
We can’t be more clear about this: you definitely need to send a thank you email after an interview. While some job searchers may’ve once sent handwritten notes, in the post-pandemic world, a follow-up email will suffice. Not only will a thank you note keep you top of mind and look professional, it’s an excellent opportunity to solidify your connection with the interviewer(s) and sell yourself while reiterating your interest in the position. It’s also important to ask the right questions during an interview so you can get the job you want. But, if you forget to ask the best questions, don’t worry. You can do it in a follow-up email.
Most HR managers and interviewers agree that a follow-up thank you is a deciding factor when it comes to choosing a suitable candidate for a job. In fact, it may be the very thing that puts you ahead of the competition.
First of all, keep your message brief. The subject line should be short, professional, and address the interviewer(s) by their first name. The body of your email should express gratitude that the interviewer(s) took the time to meet you, then feel free to recap some of the highlights from the meeting and let them know you’re looking forward to next steps. If you’d like some handy templates to guide your post-interview thank you note, Prepped has your back. View our list of interview thank you note samples.
You don’t want to seem too eager, but you also don’t want to get lost in a sea of candidates or appear forgetful. Consider sending your follow-up email within 24 hours of your interview.
Still a little nervous about the idea of sending a thank you email? Here are a couple examples you can draw from, although you’ll want to make sure to personalize your follow-up note with details relevant to your own interview.
Hello Alice,
Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me yesterday afternoon. I truly enjoyed getting to know more about the marketing lead position and the work you do at XYZ Marketing. I left our conversation feeling even more excited about the role.
I look forward to hearing about next steps and hope we get the chance to work together soon.
Have a great afternoon,
Mary Sinclair
Hello Damien,
Thanks again for meeting with me yesterday to chat about the product designer role. As discussed, I think my experience leading design at XYZ design–– and in particular my role in the development of product Z–– would translate nicely to the work you do at ABC Design. I’m excited to continue the conversation and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best,
Maggie Roland
Take the guesswork out of writing your post-interview thank you email with one of our handy post-interview email templates. Templates are useful to help avoid spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and unprofessional language. They can also save you some time and unnecessary stress. That said, you’ll want to double check you’ve customized all the necessary parts before hitting send!
Get access to our free thank you email templates
Prepped is here to help you ace every step of the job search process, from deciding what to wear to an interview, to practicing answers to common interview questions with our AI Interviewer Tool, and sending a professional follow-up email to help seal the deal. Thank you emails are an essential part of the interview process and their potential influence shouldn’t be underestimated.
Ultimately, the most important thing about them is that you actually send one. Still need some help? Sign up for Prepped and get access to free resume templates created by HR pros.
To help further improve your chances of landing a job, learn more about our premium career resources.
The Prepped Team
December 1, 2021
The step-by-step approach to job search success.
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