Thank you emails are so important. They're a chance to follow up with the person who met with you and express your gratitude. It's also an opportunity to leave a positive impression on them before they make any decisions about your candidacy, which is why it’s critical that they be well-written and thoughtful. In this blog post, we will teach you how to write a thank you email after an interview in 3 easy steps: (1) Introduction, (2) body of thank you email, and (3) closing sentence.
In addition to teaching you how to write a thank you email after an interview, we've also included several samples from our own archives for your easier reference.
In this step, you will introduce the reader to your email. To avoid sounding too stiff or formal, it is a good idea to include an anecdote that relates back to the interview and highlights something specific about the company's culture. For example, "I am writing because I wanted to say thank you for taking time out of your busy day yesterday so we could speak one-on-one."
Another option is including a compliment here such as, "Thank you again for meeting with me last week." This helps differentiate yourself from other candidates who have not yet followed up after their interviews and shows how much thought went into composing this note beyond just thanking them. If someone interviewed you multiple times before they gave feedback on your candidacy, this is the perfect place to include a follow up on that.
In this step you will share what thank you email typically covers in its body. Generally, these are three points: how much it means to hear back from them (or be offered an interview), why they stand out as a company or employer for you, and finally some specific feedback or request related with something about the process itself – either their questions during the interview or any other details which stood out positively/negatively about meeting with them specifically.
For example, "Thank you so much for taking time off work last week to meet me one-on-one at your office." Or "I am sorry to hear about the illness that has been going around and I hope you recover soon."
"I was impressed by your deep understanding of sustainability initiatives during our interview. I am looking for a company where environmental awareness is integrated into all aspects, not just one or two departments which takes it on as an afterthought."
Or "Thank you again for meeting with me last week. Even though we did not find a fit in terms of roles here at your company, please feel free to reach out if there are any specific positions open anywhere else that might be more suited for my skillset."
A good way to close this section is asking them once more what they thought about the process overall – whether they enjoyed their time interviewing with you, or if they would be open to meeting for coffee in the future, etc.
Finally, don't forget a closing sentence. This is where you can provide your contact information one last time and reiterate how grateful you are for taking time out of their day to meet with you. For example, "Thank you again so much for sharing some thoughts on my candidacy with me." Or "If I have not already done so, please feel free to reach back out anytime as I am always looking for new opportunities elsewhere."
"I appreciate that we had the opportunity to chat about myself and what skillsets might best fit into your company's culture." If there was something specific discussed during our interview which could lead to a potential opportunity, this is the place to say "I am attaching my resume and cover letter which you indicated might be helpful."
"Thank you again for your time. I look forward to hearing back from you soon."
Here are a couple of examples of thank you letters you can use to create the perfect one for yourself.
I am writing to thank you for taking time out of your busy day last week to meet with me one-on-one. I really enjoyed our conversation and appreciated the opportunity.
It was great hearing about all the different options within this company and it's clear that a lot goes into making sure we are delivering quality work, even in areas which might not be directly related to design or development.
As part of my research before coming on over, I read up on some things like 'Lean UX' and reading through a few articles helped solidify how passionate everyone here is about what they do – from clients down through each department. It also reinforced why this would have been such an amazing place for me to work. What was really outstanding to me though, is how you talked about the future of this company and what your aspirations are. It's not just a job for you but an opportunity to make a difference on so many levels – both within the world at large and in terms of sustainability initiatives which will impact people well beyond our current workforce.
I am sorry that we did not find enough common ground during our conversation. I wish you all success with finding someone who can take things forward from here as it seems like there would be no better place than where they end up going next.
If nothing else, please feel free to reach out if any positions open up anywhere else that might more suit my skillset or interests.
It was such a pleasure meeting you and I really appreciate your time as we discussed what it means to be on the ground floor of an exciting new company. You're clearly doing something right in terms of hiring, because even during our short conversation everyone I met seemed wildly passionate about their work.
I wanted to reach back out with some feedback after having had more time for my thoughts to settle.
If nothing else, please feel free to reach out if any positions open up anywhere else that might more suit my skillset or interests.
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me today. I appreciate your honesty and look forward to hearing from you soon.
I am a recent graduate of [Graduate School] where my major was in Business Administration, and while there are many different areas that could be interesting moving into, it is clear that this company would be an amazing place to work in.
[Department Name] sounds like it's going through some exciting changes; I'm sorry we didn't find enough common ground during our conversation. Thank you again for considering me.
If nothing else please feel free to reach out to me if any positions open up anywhere else that might better suit my skill set or interests.
It's always nice to follow up with an employer after a job interview, and while it may seem like too much work or not worth the time investment for a rejection, there are plenty of reasons why you should share your appreciation at their consideration.
The key to the perfect thank you email after an interview is being thoughtful in your crafting. A few things to keep in mind when writing a thank you email after an interview: