7 Ways to Improve Your “Thank You” for the Interview Email

Many people will be looking for new careers this year due to corporate changes and mergers.  Some candidates will want to pursue a new career challenge.  This means many interviews will be happening, and that means many people will be writing the classic “Thank You” interview email.

Most candidates overlook this “Thank You” as a way to differentiate themselves from their competition. The average candidate usually puts minimal effort into this fundamental follow-up step.  The majority of emails I received are what I consider the classic thank you email.  They usually look like this.

Tim,

Thanks for the interview today.  I look forward to the next step.  I will wait to hear from you.

Thanks,

The Candidate

WOW! This is a missed opportunity to separate yourself from your competition.

Here are 7 ideas to maximize a “Thank You” email.

1. Focus on Strengths: During the interview, you and the interviewer discussed the position and expectations. This is a great opportunity to showcase how your strengths can help your potential employer meet the job expectations or enhance the position.
2. Address Concerns: Often time a candidate will ask me what concerns I have in which I will share them. This follow-up email would be a great opportunity to place another coat of paint on their concerns.
3. Display Past Success: Take a moment to showcase past successes that are relative to the position or conversation. Include any pictures or visual components that can enhance your points. Remember, seeing is believing.
4. Share Your Insights: Use this moment to show that you were engaged in the interview. You can highlight a few things you are excited about and how you would add value to the company. If you learned something in the interview share what you learned with the interviewer. People love to know that they made a connection.
5. Create a Video Thank You: You can incorporate many of the items above in your video. The times I received a video “Thank you” it definitely stood out. To me, this shows your seriousness, creativity and that you are someone that goes beyond the call of duty.
6. Handwritten Note: Write a handwritten note where applicable. It shows more class and leaves a lasting impression.
7. Speed and Accuracy: Make sure your response is a speedy one but not at the cost of writing accuracy. If writing or grammar is not your strong suite, have someone proofread You don’t want to come across as uneducated.