Imagine this, you have successfully navigated the job search and an excited employer has offered you an interview with their company. You prep for the interview and, well, frankly, you knock it out of the park. Now what? There’s one more piece of the puzzle that I would consider to be the cherry on top and that is a thank you note.
Typically the question I get in this part of the conversation is “what am I even thanking them for?” You are simply thanking them for their time and for considering you for the position! It is also a great way to keep you on the employer’s radar and further solidify your professionalism.
This note is also a way to show off your great written communication skills and display your enthusiasm for the company. This is a great opportunity for you to present any information that you forgot to mention in the interview or expand on a point you made that you’d like to clarify or add to. You can also drop a line in your note to build rapport with your interviewer based on some of the small talk you had before or after the interview such as “I hope you enjoy your family’s vacation next week! I hear they make the best funnel cakes in East Hampton” (I cannot honestly vouch for the funnel cakes in East Hampton, so don’t hold me to it!). A recent CareerBuilder survey of Hiring Managers revealed that 22% are less likely to hire a candidate if they do not send a thank you not after the interview, with 86% feeling that it showed a lack of follow-through.
Now the debate of whether to write or email a thank you note…nowadays there is a lot more flexibility with how you might send a thank you note.
In the CareerBuilder survey, 89% of Hiring Managers said they thought email was a great way to send your thank you note. Additionally, another survey by Accountemps, in which more than 500 Hiring Managers were surveyed, email came out on top yet again. Regardless of what this data says though, always play to your audience. If your interviewer drops some hints that they are a pen and paper type of person, then a hand-written note would likely be your best bet.
- Email – 87%
- Phone calls – 81%
- Hand-written – 38%
- Social media – 27%
- Text message – 10%