Why are thank you letters important?

1. To reaffirm your interest in the employer

2. To mention something that you may have omitted during the interview

3. To illustrate that you are courteous and professional

When are thank you letters appropriate?

1. After every job interview (in-person interviews and phone interviews)

2. After every informational interview or networking meeting

3. After someone has helped you with your job search process (i.e., referred your resume to someone else, offered you contact information, etc).

​What is the purpose of the letter, and what should it include?

1. Be short, concise, and to the point, no more than three paragraphs; only thank the person once

2. Express gratitude for the opportunity to interview or for job search assistance

3. Mention aspects of the interview that were of particular interest to you

4. Grant you the opportunity to add something that you may have not mentioned during the interview that is relevant to your job search or to your application

TIP #1: If you have writer’s block, do not worry! This is not a time to be extremely creative; a nice, appreciative thank you communication is fine. How should a thank you letter be sent?

Thank you letters should:

1. Be sent immediately, especially if you are expecting the job decision quickly

2. Be sent formally and professionally, regardless of whether it is by email or handwritten

3. Be sent to everyone that you interviewed with; each letter should be modified and unique

​So the trend in question is about timeliness. While there was period when I was recommending handwritten notes, I no longer do so because of the time factor involved with mailing. Hiring managers now have an expectation that a truly interested job hunter will have sent a thank follow up within one business day and no longer. That is hard on a job hunter who is currently employed and had to take time away from his/her work to take the interview, but I strongly urge you to send an email even the same evening of the day you interviewed. Doing so says a great deal about your level of interest.

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I always try to give candidates notice and never expect them to be in an on-the-spot interview mode. Hopefully when you a request for a phone interview you too will have sufficient notice. The normal time allocated for a first round phone interview by an HR person is 15-20 minutes. If conducted by a faculty member then the interviews could be as long as an hour since they are apt to dig very deeply.

I use phone interviews to determine the following:

Are the person’s salary expectations in line with the salary allocated for the job in question?
What is their motivation for applying for this particular job, i.e. are they actively conducting a search or is there a special appeal of this position?
What is their comfort level with a large decentralized organization in a large urban city?
What is the correlation between what they have done in past roles up against the needs of the open job?
What is their phone “presence”? Do they listen to the question and pause a minute before responding or jump in too quickly and talk-over before the full question is asked.

It is a fine line between wanting to show enthusiasm and wanting appear thoughtful. In this regard, phone screens are more difficult since you cannot see your interviewer and pick up on cues. Overall, however, the preparation should be the same as if you had been invited in for an in person interview—you just have less time to show how good you are.

But do your advance research on the institution and on your interviewer and you will feel more confident. Because the time is so short, you may not have the opportunity to ask questions, but it is perfectly fine at the final conclusion of the interview to ask what the next steps are in the process and when you might expect to hear.

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