After
the Job Interview – What Next?
Okay,
you did the interview! Terrific! You hope that you stood out above the rest of
the applicants. But only time will tell.
So now
what? Head back to the job postings? Submit more resumes? Fill out more applications in hopes of
attaining another interview? Wait! You’re not finished with this one yet. There’s one more step you should
take.
The
Post-Interview Thank You Letter
Often
overlooked, the post-interview thank-you letter is important, because it may be
the one thing that sets you apart from all the other applicants. After all, everything that you have done so
far is to one end - to “sell” yourself, right? This is part of that ongoing
process.
The
Thank-You Letter should be done as soon as you return home from the interview. I recommend writing at least some portions of
it before the interview, so that when
you return home, the points you touched on while there can be implemented directly
into your letter. You no doubt mulled
over every detail of it on the drive home. So now is the perfect time to record those
thoughts, while it is fresh in your mind.
This follow
up letter doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should nonetheless be memorable.
How to Write Your Thank You Letter
1) Make it short, only one to two
paragraphs long. Use the same Heading as
you used on your resume and cover letter.
2) Begin by thanking the
interviewer for the time she has taken to meet with you.
3) Remind them of some of your key
qualifications, things you discussed during the interview and which you think
may have made an impression.
4) Then discuss two to three
points that were brought up during the interview – things like projects she
said you would be working on if hired, the people you would be working with,
how your education or past experience would be beneficial in accomplishing those
tasks.
5) Finish the letter by thanking
them again, then indicate when you will next follow up. You can send up to 3 short communications
over a month’s time.
Sample
of a Thank You Letter
The Thank You Letter
