The
after interview thank you letter is regarded by many modern job seekers
as an antiquated formality. They view the thank you letter as trivial,
bothersome, and time consuming – an unnecessary epilogue that might be
skipped when wrapping up the interview process.
To those that subscribe to this philosophy: Not writing a thank you letter after your interview is like tripping at the finish line of a triathlon.
After all your hard work and effort put into the planning and the
preparation for your interview, why would you lose your focus right at
the end and let this critical feature slide?
By not sending a thank you letter, you are allowing your name to fall into obscurity. As a job seeker, your thank you letter
is your last chance to wave your flag and be heard – your last chance
to end on a bang and send a final resounding image of a grade-A
applicant to your interviewer.
Yes it’s time consuming and bothersome to compose a custom thank you
letter after every job interview, but putting in the extra effort pays
off. Here are the ways you go about constructing you thank you letter:
Email or Letter?: The short answer – both. Most
applicants are already hard pressed to write even one thank you letter,
think about how you’ll stand out if you have two up your sleeve.
Immediately after your interview, send a quick and casual thank you
email to your interviewer. This will get you in front of their thoughts
and on top of their mind on the same day that you went in for an
interview – a wise decision. A few days later, re-grab their attention
with a formal, handwritten or typed thank you letter sent by traditional
means – snail mail.
Your second, true, thank you letter will set you apart as a higher
caliber of applicant. To really shine, make sure you adhere to all the
formatting rules of letter writing. A quick Google search will show you
the proper structure.
Stay away from gimmicks like perfuming your envelope to add “your
scent” or using brightly colored or outlandish paper – remember this is a
business document, not a love letter. It’s primary purpose is a
call-to-action, not the beginning of a romance.
Finally, as for content, thank the interviewer for their time, bring
up key talking points from the interview (to prove that you weren’t
asleep the entire time) and end on a powerful call to action that
advertises you as the best solution for their employment need. Overall,
be brief and be positive – whatever happens now, at least you’ve crossed
the finish line running full speed ahead.
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