How to Follow up With a Thank You Email After Your Job Interview
A Step-by-step Guide with a Free Email Template
Interviewing for a job doesn’t quite end with the interview itself. You get another shot to make a lasting impression but few people take advantage of it. Yes, sending a thank you email after the interview is what we are talking about. Don’t know how to craft the best thank you email? That’s about to change.
Because in this article, you will find:
- Why it’s a good practice to send a Thank You email after an interview
- How to write a great thank you email
- An easily customisable thank you email template
- Some FAQs on Thank You emails
Saying ‘Thank you’ sounds easy. Until you have to sit down and convey your gratefulness in writing. Most people struggle to do it in a way that feels authentic and heartfelt. Have you ever sent a Thank-you note? How easy was it to write it? If you are a natural, perhaps you won’t be reading this. But even if you are, this article will give you some fresh ideas.
First, let’s establish why saying Thank you the right way, matters.
Why Is It Necessary to Write a Thank You Email After an Interview?
So you’ve just made it home from the interview (or hit that red button on your screen in case it was online). Now you are asking yourself: “Can I do more to show that I want the job? Should I write a Thank You email? What is it good for?”
You might find this surprising but some hiring managers swear by Thank You emails. They consider them as more than a small gesture and good manners. For them, it’s the basis of their decision to hire you or not. The truth is, in some corporate cultures, you won’t make the cut unless you send that email.
Do you really want that job? Do you go the extra mile to show initiative and follow up before you know their final decision? By writing and sending a Thank You note you help the person hiring you to form a great impression of you as an individual and a professional.
Following up with an email is a way to demonstrate your soft skills. Chances are you will need to write many Thank You emails as part of your correspondence on your new job. By showing your prospective employer that you know how to do it, you give them another great reason to hire you.
How to Write a Post-Interview Thank You Email
Now that we established the why, let’s quickly get to the how. Here’s a structured step-by-step approach you can use for your all Thank You emails.
Step 1: Write a good subject line.
The perfect subject line (apart from a simple “Thank you”) could be any of the following:
- Re: “Thank you for your time today”
- Re: “Thank you for the great interview”
- Re: “Thank you for getting to know me”
- Re: “Thank you for the opportunity”
- Re: “My interview for [position title] today
Any of these would work. Don’t overthink it. It should be straight to the point.
Step 2: Impress with the body text, a.k.a the most important part
Here’s the part where you let your personality shine. Apart from actually saying thank you, add a bit of You in it. Touch on a topic you discussed or something personal the interviewer shared. Maybe you had some great ideas for one of the questions that you forgot to mention. You can casually sneak those in. Tell them one more time why you think you would be a great fit for the company.
Most importantly, keep it short, sweet and simple. Don’t turn this email into another cover letter but do include something that makes you stand out. Don’t be afraid to mention something personal that might have come up during the interview. For example, the interview’s daughter and you share an interest in marathon running. You can quickly touch on it at the end of your thank-you note. It will show you were paying attention to the details.
Step 3: Finish it right with the closing lines
This part is very simple. State that you are looking forward to hearing the company’s decision. Add that you do, no matter what they decide. In case you didn’t get the job, this simple line of text might prompt them to give you some feedback. And that’s always better than nothing.
When it’s done, check your draft for grammar and punctuation using Grammarly or similar software. If you didn’t already get inspired to write it yourself, just scroll down for an email example that we wrote that you can customise to your needs.
The Thank You Email Template You’ve Been Waiting For
At this point, you’ve probably drafted your own email but if you need some inspiration, we’ve got you covered with a template. No need to thank us 😉
Dear [Name of the Interviewer/Hiring Manager/HR/Recruiter],
I thought I’d drop a line to say thank you for your time today.
Interviews are always a nerve-racking thing but thanks to the great atmosphere you created, it felt like talking to an old friend.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the role of [position you interviewed for]. It was great digging in topics like [mention some of the topics you discussed, especially the ones related to your field].
On that note, I thought it was great that you asked me about [a question that related to how you would excel in this job]. I am sure my skills will help the company [what the job requires: expand the company’s markets, develop a new app for the company, etc].
Additional paragraph for extra dazzle:
During our interview, you mentioned [plans for growing the company/specific market, improving their service/product etc] and this got me thinking. This sounds so exciting and since I had some ideas that might be helpful, like [give some actionable tips and ideas].
After our conversation today, I have no doubts that I will fit right in [Company name]. I feel like I know so much about the company already and I would be honoured to join your team.
I look forward to hearing from you no matter what you decide.
Thank you again,
[Your name]
Thank You Emails FAQ
Should I write one if the job interview didn’t go well?
Yes, by all means, yes! You have no idea if the interview experience that you had was the same for the other side, a.k.a the people hiring you. Even if you are certain that the interview didn’t go as well as it should and there is *no way* you will hear from this company again, write the email. Here’s why:
- You will send an important message: “I know I blew it but I am still grateful for the opportunity”. You might be the first person they think of for another job in the future.
- It shows that you care and that’s what most companies are looking for
What if I don’t have the email of the interviewer?
Many people nowadays apply for jobs through a recruitment agency. You might be one of them. Maybe you don’t have the contact of the interviewers but you do have the email of someone in the recruitment agency. Send it to them. Recruiters act as advocates for their candidates. They are your connection to the company in this kind of situations and they will be representing your interest.
Are Thank You emails after interviews a thing in the Netherlands?
Generally, yes. That’s a good question. Perhaps thanking with an email after the interview isn’t the culture everywhere and it’s probably not expected in many countries. However, regardless of where you are from and where you are trying to land a job, a little gratefulness never hurt anybody. So don’t worry whether it is the etiquette, a well-written post-interview Thank You email wins extra points for you any time.
When should I write and send the Thank You email?
Start writing as soon as possible. That way you will remember as much detail from the interview that you can reference in the email. Besides, you will probably still be under some adrenaline and it will sound genuine and sincere. Send the same day or the day after. Don’t wait too long.
Who should I send the email to?
If you have the contact of the interviewer, send it straight to them. If it was more than one person, send individual emails or a joint one addressing it to all the people involved by name.