Thank you letter for an interview

Twod

Hi all

I've been a longtime lurker for this board. Been trying to change jobs and finally had success today, so I thought I'd share a tip, that has worked wonders for me!

I bought the book 'What color is your parachute?' read it, didn't think much of it, apart for one tip which i experimented with -

send a thank you note after the interview, even if you don't want the job anymore

I have had 4 job interviews over the past couple of weeks, two I sent a thank you email to within 24hours of the interview. Just said Dear so-and-so, thank you for allowing me to interview for the position and meeting Mr X, Y, Z. If you want the job say why you want it even more now, (I can see myself enjoying working in your company...). Keep it very brief, an opening sentence thanking for the interview, a 2-3 sentence paragraph why they should hire you/why you want the job, and a closing sentence (Look forward to hearing from you soon) Kind regards, My Name.

The two interviews I sent thank you 'emails' to I got offered, both of them said it was nice to recieve a thank you email as it showed I was still interested in the job!

If you decide you don't want the job after the interview, send a thank you, but no thank you letter, just to make there job easier, and you can casully ask if they know of anything in the field that might be of interest to you (you can only but ask, they might reply with your perfect job!)

I honestly didn't think it would work. It might not work for everyone, but if it helps anyone...

Good luck job hunting!


Trudi

P.s Don't buy the book, save your money! If anything get is form a charity shop, thats where I found mine, and most librarys have it.

Mistral001

To be honest it sounds like a bit "American" and pushy. Might not go down well with every prospective employer.

Gargatron

It's an interesting idea, doing something to stand out from the crowd like that really could make the difference. I might try it with an occasional interview (assuming I get any more!). I agree with Mistral001 though, it could backfire. But I do like the idea of sending THEM a rejection e-mail. Let's see how they like it!

pawsies

Yeah sounds a bit desperate. It would put me off if I was the employer =]

hcb42

It can make an impression actually, done well.

I had several short emails with my new employer on email...before I was offered the job, mostly instigated by them - but I dont think I have gone for a job in last ten years, where the question of still interested has not come up informally at the end.

cazziebo

As an employer it doesn't put me off at all, and several times it's meant I've moved someone from the maybe pile to the yes for interview... One of the most important things about a candidate is that they want to work for my company - a gesture like this reinforces that they are serious. (I really can't emphasise how many people take very little or no care over their applications)

Right now, when there are so many applying for jobs, anything at all that sets you apart (positively!) from the crowd will help. So many good people just don't get past that initial application stage because they don't stand out - it's not because they are not good candidates. Of course, not much can be done to rescue a poor application or candidate.

:TWell done, OP! Good luck in your new job

hcb42

I couldnt agree more, having spent the afternoon reviewing CVs received since Friday, very few seem to care about the role in question. It seems when email became the norm, we forgot how to make decent applications....!

and one tip, get a professional sounding email address, using your proper name above all if you actually want to be remembered in someone's inbox among 1500 others....you'd be absolutely amazed at the numbers who email from [EMAIL="stoned_on_saturday@hotmail.co.xx"]stoned_on_saturday@hotmail.co.xx[/EMAIL] or similar...! To avoid getting numbers then use a middle initial or even make a middle initial up to make it more memorable or substitute an x e.g. [EMAIL="johnxsmith@gmail.com"]johnxsmith@gmail.com [/EMAIL]
etc...anything and much better than [EMAIL="johnno379smiffy@hotmail.com"]johnno379smiffy@hotmail.com[/EMAIL]!!

InsideInsurance

I agree with the majority here in that it is a good idea as a way to stand out. I would caveat it with two points however, that it should be a thank you note and not a begging note. Secondly, as a recruiter I am too cavalier for it to work with me as with very very few exceptions I have decided if to hire you or not long before you've had chance to type your note so it wont work with everyone

nancy_31

I never tried to send any thank you note before. I will try to send it to some companies especially to those I received an invitation. And I will see if I will receive any positive response from them. I know it should be arranged in a simple format and with short and concise content. Can you share some good examples of a thank you letter?

emmielou

I have sent an email after interview before and whilst I didn't get the job I did get a very nice rejection letter explaining that I had been their second choice for the role and to keep an eye out for any future jobs:rotfl:

I also recieved another letter a couple of weeks later which was the obviously the standard letter they send out so I guess that it may have also meant that they came back to me quicker than they did the other people so in that respect it was good as well.

I think there is no harm in sending a letter thanking them for the interview just don't ttreat it as a second interview.

Slinky

My husband is waiting (still!) for a 3rd interview to be arranged (2nd face to face) for a job where he has been told they are considering 2 candidates. After his face to face interview we scoured the net and found the email address of the recruiter and sent a polite thank you email reinforcing interest in the job (without begging). Who knows whether it will make any difference but the chances are he will have done it and the other candidate didn't, maybe if it comes to a difficult choice at the end, it just might tip the balance in his favour?