THANK-YOU LETTER TIPS
Key guidelines for thank-you letters:
- Timeliness is almost as important as content. Email or write a thank-you letter to your interviewee within 24 hours of the interview.
- Spelling counts. Be certain you spell your interviewee's name correctly, as well as everything else. Ideally, you will have asked your interviewee for a business card so you can check spelling, title, address, etc.
- Use an appropriate greeting - In general use "Mr." or "Ms." or "Dr." unless you're absolutely certain that use of a first name would be more appropriate.
- Be polite. Thank your interviewee for his/her time. Acknowledge his/her busy schedule and express appreciation for the opportunity to talk.
- Highlight important ideas.
- For a job interview point out a few of your strongest qualifications.
- For an information interview point out a few specific points that your interviewee made that were of particular interest/use to you
Review sample thank-you letters for ideas:
- Sample thank-you letter for a job interview.
- Sample thank-you letter for an information interview.
- Sample thank-you letter for an Education/Teaching position interview.
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Resources available on the Internet
- www.damngood.com (tips and samples)
- CareerBuilder.com (tips)
"We received 100+ resumes for a job we posted recently on your site. I was surprised that after 20 interviews, only 7 sent follow-up thank you emails or notes - and only one note was received through the mail with the rest as emails. I'm sure I'm not alone, but the follow-up note makes a big difference in setting a candidate apart for multiple reasons: First, when you interview several people it's hard to remember who is who. Second, a well-written note shows who was paying attention and who really wants the job. The candidate I hired was a business undergrad and his follow-up letter played a big role in helping him get the job. It was to the point - and in a few paragraphs, he told me that he was very interested in the job, he restated what I had told him the job's required skills were and that he was up to the challenge." Lane Critchfield
JR Miller Enterprises Salt Lake City, UT |