Remember the days when your parents made you write thank you notes for all the birthday presents your friends brought you at your birthday party? How about thank you notes for graduation cards? Whatever the context, thank you notes show how grateful you are for the time, energy, and sometimes monetary donation that people give you.
The art of thank you notes shouldn’t be limited to when you receive a gift. While it may be hard to draw a parallel between children’s birthday parties and the interview process, thank you notes are the connecting line! Sending a thank you note after an interview is an imperative in the job/internship application process. You want to let the company representative know how much you valued the conversation you had with them and your eagerness to work at said company.
Writing a thank you note is now easier than ever with a “new” thing called email! But really, typing up an email does the job for thanking someone for their time. The content of your message matters more than the media you use to communicate your message. Also, you can pinch pennies and skip the cost of stamps.
Here are my top 5 tips to writing Interview thank you notes:
Do It Immediately
Try to write and send your thank you note as soon as possible after your interview. It will be easier to remember specifics about your conversation with the recruiter. Writing the thank you note immediately after your interview also allows the interviewer to remember you. For maximum impact, thank you notes need to be received by the recruiter BEFORE the hiring decision.
Use a Professional Subject Line
Keep the subject line of your email short and to the point. Employers are more likely to open an email if they know what they are about to open. Don’t allow your email to come off as spam and sent straight to the trash.
EXAMPLES:
"Thank you – FIRST AND LAST NAME"
"Thank you – JOB TITLE, FIRST AND LAST NAME"
Proofread Your Email Before You Send It
Spell check exists for a reason people. USE IT! Make sure that your thank you note is free of grammatical errors and spell checked. Have a trusted adult or friend check over your note before sending to get an extra set of eyes on it. I can’t tell you the number of times I almost sent an email where I had the word “the” written twice in a row.
Download Grammarly, a FREE application for proofreading any document, for an extremely thorough review of your thank you note. www.grammarly.com/
Keep It Short
Try to convey your message in, at most, one page. I’ll be honest, there’s a point at which an email is just too long that people just stop reading. You may have written the sweetest note in the history of thank you notes but if it’s over a page only half of it will be read. Stick to the basics of explaining your continued interest in the job, enthusiasm for the company and point of some of the experiences that would make you the perfect fit for the position.
Check Out the Purdue Center for Career Opportunities Handbook
You knew I was going to give a subtle plug to one of the FABULOUS resources we have here at the CCO. Pick up a copy of our Career Planning Handbook to find a ton of other very valuable information when it comes to what you should do after an interview and more career development information.
Don't have time to stop by Yong 132 for your copy? Here is a link to the online version:
https://www.cco.purdue.edu/Students/WhatWeOffer#CCOHandbook
As Always,
BOILER UP! HAMMER DOWN!
- Lilli Cole
