Job interviews are stressful to deal with. As a prospective applicant, you are putting yourself on display to try and win over your interviewers while also outshining the other applicants. Once the interview is over, we often think to ourselves “hopefully I did well enough… what happens next is out of my control”. Although your credentials and interview performance do play a huge part in determining your success, there is more that you can do to boost your chances – and that is with a simple thank you message to the interviewers. Follow-up messages are not only nice gestures that show gratitude for the interviewer‘s time, but they also demonstrate that you are keen for the job. Of course, it pays to include more than just a simple “thank you”… If you’re interested in finding out how to craft the perfect post-interview follow up note, read on!
The elements of the thank you
Forbes contributor Robin Ryan is a specialist in recruitment and job hunting, and she is a firm advocate of post-interview thank-yous. “Career Builder (an American job listing database like JobsDB) reported that 57 percent of job candidates never write a thank you note and yet decision-makers still expect them,” she describes. Although sending thank yous are more common practise in western countries, it still pays to take on this habit – especially if you live in a country where it’s not a common practise. Think about how pleasantly surprised your interviewer would be if you were the only candidate to send a thank you!
If you’ve been applying to multiple jobs and have attended several interviews, it may be tempting to create a template message that you can just shoot off after filling in the interviewer’s details – don’t do this. This is akin to sending generic Christmas greetings, and although it can be considered a nice gesture, it lacks heart. Picture it like this: if you are an interviewer who has to screen hundreds of people, and out of the blue, you receive an email from John Smith saying “Thank you for your time. It was great speaking with you” – you’d probably have no clue who this person was!
To prevent this problem, Ryan recommends personalising every message. “Start with this subject line: Thank You ‘person’s first name’,” she explains. “When you customise the email to me, I’m more likely to open it as it’s unlikely I’ll recognise your email address.” Instead of simply thanking them for their time, tie in your message with parts of the things you’ve learnt or talked about during the interview. Did you learn something interesting about the company’s culture or was the interviewer helpful when you asked questions about the job? Highlight that! Any shmuck can send a thank you message, but it’s these small details that let the interviewer know that you valued the conversation.
Next, Ryan points out several things to include:
· Emphasise two or three strengths that you can contribute to their team
· Include any addendums you might have forgotten to highlight during the interview – “keep the message brief, but make the point clear”
During the interview, if you noticed the interviewer had asked several questions about a particular topic (ie. leadership, management, work ethics etc), it is almost guaranteed that they expect it to be an important attribute of their new hires. “That is a tip-off that you should address your ability.” Although Ryan doesn’t mention this, we think it’s also important to be humble when listing your strengths. Phrases like “I’m the perfect candidate for the job” are needlessly aggressive and may present you in the wrong light.
In the event that the interviewer is looking for a skill that you do not currently possess, it’s not the end of the world. “Stress what you do bring to the job and then mention how you have learned other processes and systems very quickly in former roles,” Ryan points out. “The key is to reassure the decision-maker that you will come up to speed quickly.”
To wrap up your message, always include some form of call-to-action with your contact details (for the interviewer’s convenience so that they don’t have to dig up your resume/application again to find your details). A simple “please don’t hesitate to contact me at XX” is usually good enough. Most importantly, be sure to proofread everything carefully – a spelling or grammar mistake can and will ruin the value of your message. “Be speedy,” urges Ryan. “Messages must be emailed within twenty-four hours, preferably the same day as the interview if possible.” The longer you wait, the less likely the interviewer will be able to recall the details of your interview!
Putting it all together
Let’s try writing an example where we are applying to an advertising agency to fill the position of a senior copywriter at Agency X.
Subject line:
Thank you Tim for the interview opportunity
Body:
It was great speaking with you today. Having been a part of Super Co’s leading creative team for over five years, I am confident that I can apply my learnings at Agency X. Colleague interaction and feedback are very important to me, and as discussed earlier, I am always eager to sit down with my teammates – be it for brainstorming ideas, problem solving or a simple heart to heart. I understand that Agency X primarily deals with product advertising, and although my background leans towards corporate advertising, I am flexible and certain that I’ll adjust to the changes.
Thank you again for your time, and should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at sam@somemail.com or #### ####.
Best regards,
Sam
Considering how COVID has shattered the stability of the job market, employers want to make sure that they hire people who have the tenacity to stick around. “Demonstrate you really want this job. The employer believes a person who strongly wants the position is more likely to perform better on the job.” There’s no better way to show your determination than to follow-through with a post-interview thank you!