| Page 2 of 2 < |
Express Gratitude After an Interview
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
"Using e-mail to send a thank-you note to each interviewer immediately after the interview conveys a message of appreciation, interest and technological savvy," she said. "Sending a handwritten note via snail mail a couple of days later confirms candidate interest and formally transfers the responsibility for the next communication to the employer."
A brief and businesslike note will work better than a lengthy and jovial letter. "One paragraph, consisting of four sentences, is perfectly adequate," said Stephanie Kay, co-president of TransitionWorks Inc., a Rockville consulting firm. If there's more, include a second paragraph.
"It's an opportunity to further sell yourself -- and to add something that you may wish you had said during the interview but forgot at the time," said Kay.
In composing the note, Distenfeld suggests avoiding the usual, trite openings such as "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me." Dare to be different by mentioning a point that came up during your conversation, she said. This shows the reader that you didn't just talk during the interview -- you listened.
When several people participate in the hiring process, don't forward the same missive to everyone. "Interviewers compare those thank-you notes and look for the candidate's ability to make a unique connection," Viehmyer said.
And don't bypass the middleman. If you send only one letter, said Julie Burritt, a human resources consultant at Nonprofit Staffing Solutions in Washington, it should go to the recruiter. "You would be surprised at how much say a recruiter has in who gets the job," she said.
Some managers may look at the thank-you notes they receive as "just one more thing to file," said Burritt, who admitted she does not place great importance on the thank-you letters she gets. However, she cautioned that other employers do.
"Everyone I have talked to who is in the generation before the Xers loves them," she said. "You will not lose a job opportunity for sending a thank-you -- unless it is addressed to the wrong company, or there are major spelling or grammatical errors. But you may lose the opportunity if you don't."
