How to write a Thank You Letter ? Thank You Letter What is a Thank You Letter ?

How to write a Thank You Letter ?  Thank You Letter What is a Thank You Letter ?

Writing a thank you letter, or thank you email, after an employment interview is a must. In fact, some employers think less of those interviewees who fail to follow-up promptly. Plan to send out your thank you letters or thank you notes as soon as possible (preferably within twenty-four hours) after your interview.

Customize Your Thank You Letters

If your interview was a fairly informal process and/or you achieved an immediate rapport with your interviewer, a handwritten note is fine. When you're not sure what to write, review thank you letter samples and follow up letter samples to get ideas. You can also use a thank you letter template as a guide when writing your letters.

In addition to thanking the person you talked with, the thank you letter reinforces the fact that you want the job.

 Note: Even if you do not want the job, write a thank you letter respectfully withdrawing your application, because you never know what the future holds so why burn your bridges?

Group Thank You Letters

What if you spent an entire day being interviewed (and taken to lunch) with several people? Are individual thank you notes appropriate or should you write a "group" letter? Choose your approach based on what you think will be most in keeping with the "personality" of the organization. Also, consider whether the interviews had very much in common with one another. If there was a great deal of similarity (i.e., shared concerns mutually voiced by your interviewers), perhaps a "group" letter will suffice. My preference though, would be to take the extra time and send an individual thank you letter to everyone you met with.

Lunch or Dinner Interviews

When dining and interviewing be sure to thank everyone you spend time with, both for the meal and for taking the time to discuss the position and the company with you.

When You're Not Sure What to Write

Time takes precedence - get a simple, appreciative thank you note in the mail or send a thank you by email without delay; save your creative efforts for another time. If you're not sure what to write, review a few sample thank you letters or personalize our thank you letter template.

Your cover letter and résumé were flawless; you were perfectly qualified for the position, and you nailed the interview. So why didn't you get the job? If you didn't send a follow-up thank you letter to your interviewer, that just might be the answer.

Following up to thank the hiring manager for his or her time is not only polite; it also demonstrates a sincere interest in both the position and the company. According to a survey from online job-matching service TheLadders, 75 percent of interviewers said that receiving a thank you letter from a candidate impacts their decision-making process.

Thank you notes are best sent via email within 24 hours of the interview. They should be brief (no more than two paragraphs) and reference particular points from the conversation.

"Following up allows you to reiterate the case for why you are the best person for the job.

As with your résumé and cover letter, customize your thank you note, and double- and triple-check it for grammatical and spelling errors. You don't want to ruin a great interview experience for the hiring manager with a typo-filled follow-up. If you met with multiple people during your interview, be sure to send one note to each person if they gave you their contact information.

 Sample thank you letters

Based on these tips, here's an easy template you can follow for a thank you letter after the interview:

Good afternoon, Mr./Ms. [Last Name]:

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me yesterday about the [Job Title] position with [Company Name]. It was a pleasure meeting with you, and I truly enjoyed learning more about the role and your company. After our discussion, I am confident that my skills and experiences are a great match for this opportunity and that I can quickly become a valuable member of the [Company Name] team.

I am very enthusiastic about the possibility of a career with your company and would greatly appreciate a follow-up as you move forward with the hiring process. If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me at [Email Address] or by phone at [Phone Number]. Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you in the near future.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

Following an interview, promptly (within 2 business days) write the interviewer a letter expressing appreciation and thanks for the interview. 

 The purpose of this letter is to:

Show appreciation for the employer's interest in you.

Reiterate your interest in the position and in the organization.

Review or remind the employer about your qualifications for the position. If you thought of something you forgot to mention in the interview, mention it in your follow-up / thank-you letter.

Demonstrate that you have good manners and know to write a thank-you letter.

Follow up with any information the employer may have asked you to provide after the interview.

Hard copy, handwritten or e-mail?

Thank-you letters can be hard copy typed, handwritten or e-mailed.

Hard copy not-handwritten are most formal and are appropriate after an interview.

Handwritten are more personal, and can be appropriate for brief notes to a variety of individuals you may have met during an on-site interview.

E-mail is appropriate, particularly as a supplement (i.e. do both e-mail and hard copy) when that has been your means of contact with the person you want to thank, or if your contact has expressed a preference for e-mail, or you know your contact is travelling and will not have access to hard copy mail in a timely fashion.

What to do if you don't hear from the employer

Before your interview ended, your interviewer should have informed you of the organization's follow-up procedures — from whom (same person who interviewed you, someone else), by what means (phone, e-mail, etc.), and when you would hear again from the organization. If the interviewer did not tell you, and you did not ask, use your follow-up / thank-you letter to ask.

If more than a week has passed beyond the date when you were told you would hear something from the employer (and barring some major event in the news like a merger or acquisition or other event that would be taking employees' attention), call or e-mail to politely inquire about the status of the organization's decision-making process. Someone (or something) or an unexpected circumstance may be holding up the process.

 A polite inquiry shows that you are still interested in the organization and may prompt the employer to get on schedule with a response. In your inquiry, mention the following: name of the person who interviewed you, time and place of the interview, position for which you are applying (if known), and ask the status of your application.

Source: Internet