You’re short listed for your dream job. You want it, badly.
Here’s how to get one step ahead of your competition – write a post job interview thank you letter. It says you’re keen, professional and the kind of person they want to hire. And it might be the deciding factor that gets you the job.
In a highly competitive job market, anything that lets you stand out is a good thing. If your last letter was to your uncle thanking them for birthday money, you might benefit from bettering your letter writing skills.
Job Interview Thank You Letter vs Job Interview Thank You Note
Letters are formal, usually typed and professional. Notes are more informal, usually hand-written and more casual. It’s your call which approach is more appropriate, although it’s best to err towards being too polite and too professional.
Pigeon post, jungle drums or email?
You want to get your interview follow up letter in front of the interviewers BEFORE they make their final decisions, so consider using email or fax ahead of surface mail. Email and fax are speedier, and best sent within 24 hours of the interview. Surface mail is fine if you’re confident in your postal system and the company’s internal mail or you know there is no rush to make the final job decision.
Hire me, I’m great!
The biggest benefit of writing a thank you letter after interview, is repeating why you’re the right person for the job. If interview nerves took hold, you can mention anything relevant you forgot and restate your good points – all from the safety of your PC.
KISS – Keep It Short and Sweet
Any benefit you gained will be lost if you drone on and on and on….. Try reading your letter aloud – if it takes more than 2 minutes, it’s too long. And remember to use spell check – it’s there for a reason!
Be bothered – it’s worth it
Writing a job interview thank you letter is perhaps more common in the US than other Western countries. Although it may seem like too much trouble or too obsequious, get over it and be bothered – it will become standard. You wouldn’t want to be the only candidate NOT saying thanks!
Read this article to see an example job interview thank you letter.
Download ‘Job Interview Thank You Letters’ in pdf format
Further Resources: Download Interview Anxiety Hypnosis mp3