How to Write a Professional Thank You Email After an Interview? 6 Essential Guides

What can you do after a job interview? There are many voices on the internet offering advice – some saying you should send an interview thank you email, a card or even presents, while others commenting that doing so may cause more harm than good. So, what is the best thing to do?

There are quite a lot of things a job seeker can do within 24 hours after an interview, such as saying a short thank you by making a phone call, sending a text message or even sending a physical card. These ideas all make sense from the job seeker’s point of view.

If you are familiar with the culture of the company to which you are applying, feel free to respond in ways that you think are appropriate. But if you are not confident with your understanding of the company’s culture, you may consider responding with a thank you email after interview as discussed in detail in this article.

A thank you email after interview, as its name suggests, is an email you send after the interview to express your gratitude for being invited to the interview, but its purpose extends far beyond that.

It can also be regarded as a “follow up email after interview”, which is an important step in job search. Job seekers can refer to the following 5 key points for an effective interview follow up email:

Reply Within 24 Hours After the Interview.

When there are many candidates coming to interviews each day, it is impossible for hiring managers to remember all of them. If you only respond three to five days after the interview, HR might be confused when receiving the email.

However, you might wonder how soon you should send a thank you email after an interview. Experts advise not to respond immediately after getting out of the interview room. Rather than a generic after-interview thank you letter, it’s always preferable to send an email with organized content and thoughtful reflections, which conveys sincerity to the reader.

Pay Attention to the Tone of the Email - Sincerity Comes First.

Be careful not to be over ingratiating when you write the thank you letter after job interview. The key point of the email is to “express your gratitude and stress why you fit the position”, rather than trying to flatter or “beg” for the job. Too low a gesture would make the interviewer feel too uncomfortable to read the email.

Mention Gratitude First in the Thank You Note.

In the first paragraph of the thank you letter for interview, express your gratefulness for being invited to the interview, how pleasant the experience was, how you have gained a more specific understanding of the company’s culture, mission and the position. Also, thank the interviewer for the detailed introduction.

Make Up for What You Missed in the Interview.

If there were questions or a test during the interview, and later you find yourself having a better answer after some more reflection, the follow up mail after interview is your chance to briefly answer again the part you feel you could have improved on.

However, if it was a group interview, then it is best not to employ this tactic, otherwise it might seem like a student writing to professors requesting additional credits after turning in his paper.

If there are no specific things to add to your interview responses, you can talk about the things you learned in the interview to help strengthen your impression on the interviewer.

Emphasize on Your Connection with the Position.

During the interview, you will certainly learn more about the position and the kind of people the company is looking for. Reiterating this in the thank you email will make the interviewer feel that you absorbed the main points brought up by the interviewer.

Be Earnest and Highlight Your Strengths.

How long should a thank you email after interview be? The entire email should not span more than one page. Only list the key points. Once again, the message needs to be earnest and highlight your strengths, rather than just being flattering. Add your contact information at the end so that HR personnel can easily reach out to you.

If your letter addresses the company’s needs well, it is likely you will receive a positive reply soon.