Your interview is over and the way it ended left you encouraged about the opportunity. Now comes the hardest part of the job hunt: waiting for feedback from the recruiter or hiring manager. You still have some control over the process. Even if you are confident you will get an offer, you can always improve your chances of getting the job by emailing a thank you to the person you interviewed with. In addition to thanking the person you talked with, the thank you note reinforces the fact that you want the job. You can also view the thank you as a follow-up “sales” letter. In other words, use your thank you email as a way to stand out from the crowd, reiterate your core strengths, show the value you offer to the organization and sell yourself as the ideal candidate. Your thank you email could be what sets you apart from other candidates. In most cases the hiring manager selects the top 3 candidates, so if you’re neck and neck with other candidates, the way you follow up could put you in 1st place or it could push you out if you don’t. I was shocked to read this statistic by York Technical Institute ” less than 4% of applicants send thank you notes”. Don’t be part of the 96% of people that are too lazy to write an email. You should send the thank you within a day of your interview. Don’t appear too anxious by sending it right away, but don’t wait too long either. If you wait too long, you might just forget and this is one detail you don’t want to forget. If there was something you wish you had mentioned during your interview, but didn’t, here’s a chance to mention it in your email. Keep in mind though, that the thank you note should be brief and to the point. Make sure to spell check and proof your email. The time it takes you to write the thank you will be worthwhile, so don’t forget this step in the interview process to stay a step ahead of your competition.
Yes – you must write a thank you after the interview!
