You walk out of your dream company’s office. Your CV dazzles, the job interview went well, you answered all questions like a real professional, and the recruiter seemed impressed. Wait. It’s too early to celebrate. There’s one important task left to accomplish. It’s time to write a thank you email after the interview.
Why a thank you email is important
According to the Robert Half survey, 80% of HR managers in the US take thank you notes into account while making a hiring decision. Yet, only 24% of candidates actually send thank you emails after an interview. Here’s your chance to stand out!
In her recent article, Jessica Liebman, the executive managing editor of Insider Inc., shared a rule she follows: If a candidate doesn’t send you a thank you email, don't hire them.
“When I first started hiring, I came up with a simple rule: We shouldn't move a candidate to the next stage in the interview process unless they send a thank-you email,” writes Liebman.
This position may seem too harsh, but if writing a short thank you email can increase your chances of getting an offer, why miss out on such an opportunity?
“Your thank you email indicates to a recruiter that you're motivated and interested in the role. It’s a great way to show that you haven’t forgotten about an employer just after leaving their office. You really want to stay in touch and continue the dialogue,” says Anastasiia Martyniuk, a recruiter at Readdle.
Thank you email after an interview: good and bad examples
Sending a thank you email after an interview already separates you from the crowd. But let’s look at the examples to find out what makes a good follow up email.
Example #1
Example #2
Can you see the difference? The first message is so generic that you can just copy-paste, and fling it at multiple recruiters at once (that’s just so evil). Such a thank you email provides no value for a recruiter.
The second email can be trickier to draft, but it does show a recruiter your motivation and interest in their company. Let’s see how to write a good thank you email.
How to write the best thank you email after an interview
1. Make it personal
Nobody wants to be called, “Dear Hiring Manager” in an email, especially after you’ve already met in person. In your message, address a recruiter by name. It’s also a great idea to include their name in the Subject: line. For example:
- Thank you, [NAME]!
- Thanks for your time, [NAME]
- Pleasure to meet you, [NAME]
At the beginning of your email, thank a recipient for meeting with you and mention the position you applied for, so a busy recruiter can quickly recall you.
To personalize your thank you email even more, refer to something specific you discussed during the interview. Mention what interested or excited you the most about the company or the role you applied for. It’s a great way to show how engaged you were during the conversation.
2. Add value
Surely, you did your best during the interview, but now you have another opportunity to show how you can help a company and even give them something valuable right in your short thank you email.
If you feel like your interview didn’t go well, you still can make a better impression in your thank you email.
Provide some ideas or solutions that can benefit a company and show how you can help. Have you noticed a bug in their app? Do you have any ideas on how to make their website more responsive? Have you tried some successful tactics to acquire customers and believe they’re relevant for this company?
This way, you’ve taken initiative, demonstrated your skills and abilities, and even helped the company before getting anything from them. Your thank you email stands out even more!
3. Close the email friendly and professionally
At the end of your email, you can thank a recruiter once again and say that you’d be happy to stay in touch. Show that you’re open for a conversation and are ready to provide any additional information a recruiter may need for making a decision.
Close your message with a professional email signature. Use polite phrases like “Sincerely” or “Best regards” followed by your full name. Below, include your contact details: Your phone number and, optionally, links to your LinkedIn or personal website.
Our email client Spark makes it easy to add beautiful email signatures for various situations and quickly select the needed one while drafting an email. Learn how to create a professional email signature.
4. Check grammar and spelling
Reread and edit your message before sending. This advice may seem obvious, but an annoying typo or grammar mistake can ruin your finely crafted thank you email. You can use tools like Grammarly to make sure your writing shines.
The most important thing to double check is the recipient’s name. No misspelling allowed!
5. Choose the right time for sending your email
Make sure to send a thank you email less than 24 hours after an interview. A hiring manager may make a decision shortly after the series of interviews so there’s no reason for a delay.
Professional etiquette requires to email people during the work day, and don’t disturb them at night or over the weekend. Sometimes it’s easier said than done.
Imagine, you wrote a perfect thank you email late at night after an interview or met a recruiter on Friday afternoon and finished your email after the end of the work day. Sending it right away doesn’t sound like a good idea, but you’re afraid to forget about it later.
Fortunately, Spark makes emailing so much easier. It allows you to schedule emails to be sent later. You can draft an email whenever you want, and Spark makes sure the recipient gets it at the appropriate time.
In this article, we’ve learned how to write a thank you email after an interview. Personalize your email as much as possible, add value, close your message friendly, double check everything, and schedule the right time for sending. We hope these tips will help you land your dream job. Did you find them useful? Let us know in comments!
Maria Henyk 
