Insider’s Guide to Writing Thank You Letters

 

Written by Lauren Lind

 

Thank you cards can break or make your chances of landing a second, third or final interview. It may seem like small thing to you, but to your interviewer, it shows that you appreciate the time they spent with you and you’re definitely interested in the job. A thank you letter can also be a great opportunity to reinforce your candidacy in case you felt like you might have missed anything or didn’t answer a question well. But how can you go about writing a good thank you? What else are you supposed to say besides thank you? Take a look at our tips to help you write a strategic and genuine thank you card that sets you apart from your competitors.

• Make sure to mention specifics from the interview. If they had concerns regarding XYZ being needed to be the perfect candidate and you were lacking in any of those areas, this is your chance to address those concerns. Sell yourself and show them that you are perfect for the position despite the weakness mentioned.

• If your response to a particular question got jumbled because of nerves, then this is a good time to elaborate on your response and tell them you would like to expand on your response after having time to think and would like to clarify your thoughts.

• If you feel the interview went fantastic and all you really want to say is thanks for your time, remember to still be specific. You can do this by connecting your top three qualifications with the job requirements and employer needs that were relayed to you during the interview.

• Show them you were paying attention to what they were saying by bringing up a point or specific information they shared. State how or why this sparked your interest and let them know that you appreciate them sharing that knowledge with you.

• Make a promise to deliver and keep that promise. This is the final moment to market yourself and leave the employers with a memorable impression.

•  Keep it short and sweet. I have made the mistake before of elaborating too much, and the truth is, employers only have so much time to read your letter, so keep it short and to the point.

A thank you letter is yet another tool in your job searching process that you can use to prove your worth to the company, show that you are grateful for the opportunity to speak with them and that you are serious about working for them. Use these tips to craft a great thank you letter and leave a positive, lasting impression.

Hat tip: Rosa Elizabeth Vargas