How to Write a Thank You Email After An Interview?

Ever wondered about how to break the ice after you have interviewed with an employer? Well, if you did, this blog is just for you. This blog will tell you about the steps to be taken after appearing in an interview. You might have heard – “small actions go a long way”, right? Well, this proverb does as it says. Following up with a thank you email after appearing in an interview is the right way to break the ice between you and the interviewer. This also gives you an opportunity to open up and ask about the status of your application after a certain amount of time. This blog also tells you about what to and what not to write in a thank you email, when to send it, whom to send it and what details should you mention in it. 

Also Read: How to Answer Common Interview Questions

How to Compose Your Thank You Email After An Interview?

First of all, follow the basic email rule – keep your content short and precise! Seriously, no one in an organisation has the time to go through the very very long exhausting email that you send to them, if there are no reports, facts or even figures attached to it; especially, when the interviewer happens to have received almost 200-300 emails in his inbox from the interviews he did in the last few days.

So, how should you proceed? The trick is very simple – write only precise and relevant details in an email that can be easily read by the receiver in less amount of time. Following are some tips to help you write an effective email after an interview. 

Don’t Miss the Deadline

Yes, you heard it right, there is a deadline for you even for sending a thank you email. Send your well-curated thank you email within 24 hours of appearing in the interview. This will ensure that the interviewer has not forgotten about you. This will also build your value in front of the interviewer and leave a positive impression indicating your work ethic and re-establish your interest in the job. 

The Receiver

You should ideally write your email to the person who interviewed you, and be sure that you write their name correctly. However, if you were interviewed by a group of people, then, you may send them short thank-you emails separately. 

The Thank-You’s

Thank your interviewer for taking out the time to interview you. In this email, express your gratitude to them for considering you suitable for this job and interview regardless of whether you get this job or not. 

Draw Strings From Your Interview

In the thank you email, you must not miss out on defining your drive towards the company that you have interviewed for. It would be much more helpful if you happen to draw some strings from your interview to help the interviewer remember you. Make your email interesting to read and share instances of what you talked about to grasp the attention of the interviewer through your email. 

The Loyalty   

Express your continued interest in joining their organisation, no matter how you performed in the interview. Also, offer to answer any questions that may be required for any future instances to help the interviewer build a strong opinion about you.  

You may take short notes during your interview itself for your thank you email. This will ensure that you do not forget the points discussed during the interview and will also allow you to build a connection with the interviewer by sharing a few harmless details from the interview. 

Also Read: How to Write a Cover Letter?

3+ Mistakes to Avoid in a Thank You Email After An Interview

Although writing a thank you email is a good gesture and may create a positive impression in the interviewer’s mind. On the other hand, a thank you email, if not well-written, may also create a negative impression. Do take care of the following 3 points to not make any mistakes in your email and create an everlasting impression. 

Adding Too Many Details

Your email should only be about expressing your thankfulness for the interview and how great you feel about the company. Your thank you email should not be taken as an opportunity to take on your interview where you left off. Do not take this email as an opportunity to complete all the gaps and answer the questions that you could not while during the interview. At any point, the interviewer must not feel that you are requesting them to turn the tables for you and make the decisions in your favour.

Do Not Make Requests 

Simply put – any request that you make creates a burden as a “new task” on your interviewer. So, it would be great if you end your thank you email without asking or requesting for something as this may not sound great to your interviewer. Leave an impression that you are easy to work with and have a good friendly personality.

Avoid Typos 

What kind of an impression will an email leave if it is filled with typos, grammatical mistakes or unfinished sentences? Exactly, – now you got it! Always, on repeat – “Always!” Review your email properly before sending it. Look for typos, grammatical errors, and any incorrect sentence structure.  

No Referrals

It’s pretty normal for anyone to sometimes feel that they were not good enough in an interview. However, if they do so, this shouldn’t be taken as an opportunity to refer a friend for filling the position on your behalf. An organization receives thousands of applications when they roll out an advertisement for a vacancy at their place. The companies call out only a small number of candidates for their interview only after consideration of the candidates’ profiles. So, referring to a profile in a thank you email is really not a good idea. 

Also Read: How to Answer, ‘Why Should We Hire You?’

3 Samples of Thank You Email After an Interview

We know that merely providing instructions does not work that efficiently. So, here we have come up with some email samples, you can refer to these before composing your own thank you email after an interview. 

Sample 1

Subject: Grateful for the Consideration! Hi Abdul, It’s been an absolute honor to have the opportunity of getting interviewed by you. The project sounds absolutely rewarding to me and I also see many opportunities for growth upon joining this company. I am really excited about the possibility of working with you and the team. Please do reach out anytime if you have any questions or want to establish a conversation regarding the subject. Thanks & Regards,  Priya

Also Read: Strength and Weakness in Job Interviews 2023

Sample 2

Subject: Thank You Hi Steven, It was an amazing experience visiting your office today for the interview. The team is excellent and I loved the energy inside the office. Everyone is work-driven and loves doing what they do. Far till now, I have understood that you need an active professional who can match the energy of your system and is result-driven and fun to work around. I believe I am that person. If you have any questions or want to continue a conversation with me, you can reach out to me any time. Hoping to hear from you soon.   Regards, Thomas

Also Read: Interview Questions and Answers

Sample 3

Subject: Thankful for the Opportunity! Dear Stephany,  By the medium of this email, I want to thank you for interviewing me for the role of “Manager – Sales and Operations” at your esteemed organization. I appreciate how you took me through your expectations of me for this role. From our conversation, I found out that you are looking for an individual who not only meets the qualifications of this job but someone who also builds a positive work environment, as is described in your company’s work ethics. As I mentioned during the interview, I have worked with some very humble personalities in my past experiences. Therefore, I believe I can be the exact match for this opportunity. If you have any questions or if you wish to continue this conversation with me, then, you can reach me any time.  Thanks & Regards  Reynold

Also Read: How to Answer, ‘What Type of Work Environment Do You Prefer?’

Why is it Important to Send a Thank You Email After an Interview?

By this time, you might be thinking – that what’s the benefit of sending a thank you email after an interview if we are not directly asking the recruiter to hire us; OR, if that’s not the case – if we cannot answer the question on which we stumbled upon during the interview. 

Well, below we have listed some good points that define how you get benefitted from sending a thank you email after an interview. 

Helps to Create An Impact

The interviewers go through a rigorous cycle of planning and conducting the interviews out of their busy schedules. In that case, your polite thank you email would help build your positive image and leave a long-lasting impression on the interviewer. 

Helps to Create a Unique Identity

Do you know – not many people are aware of this simple yet effective technique of building a positive image in the corporate industries out there? According to a survey, only 1 out of 20 people were reported to have sent thank you emails after their interviews. The thank you emails also help the HR recruiters while reviewing the different candidate profiles after they conduct all the interviews. 

Marks Your Professionalism and Social Skills

Expressing your work ethic by the use of words is a different thing, while, showing them is a whole different thing. A thank you email sent right after the interview shows your strong work ethic. It demonstrates your interest in joining the company, and how you noted even the slightest of details in the interview would express that you have good people skills. This in all will qualify you for being a highly enthusiastic professional who has also gotten the ability to appreciate others for their time and efforts. 

Also Read: How to Answer, ‘Why are you Leaving Your Current Job?

Sending a thank you email after an interview may either seal your deal for getting the job or not. Considering that the thank you email is not the sole criterion for selection during the hiring process, you may expect to hear from your interviewer either within a few minutes of sending the email or you may never hear from them at all. In either case, sending this email will surely create an impression and make you different from the crowd. 

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