Importance of past-interview thank you notes
Posted on May 30, 2024 by Martin Hahn, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
This article discusses the importance of thank you notes in this age of internet, emails, and artificial intelligence.
Many people seem to think thank you notes are a thing of the past, old- fashioned. Suprisingly thank you notes are a still big deal in this technological age with computers and emails. Perhaps a typed note/letter would look more “professional,” but the time for the professional look is in your resume and cover letter. Hopefully, by the time you reach the post-interview stage, you have established your professionalism, and the touch of a handwritten note adds a personal touch that can make all the difference in the world and set you apart from other candidates who may or may not be in the mix.
Today, you might be tempted to think things are different. You might assume the pace of the hiring process has been markedly accelerated by technology, and a handwritten note sent via “snail mail” would arrive too late to make a difference. If you assume this, you would be wrong.
Except for in a very few instances, the length of time to hire is actually increasing. So, if your fear of sending a handwritten, personal note of thanks to the person or people who interviewed you is based on the idea that you will be “too late,” lay your fears to rest and pick up a pen. Handwritten notes indicate that you took the time to sit down, get a card and pen, write it, and prep it for delivery. This can impress an interviewer. If you are concerned that snail mail will be too slow to reach your potential employer before a decision is made, you can hand deliver it to their office and leave it with a receptionist or administrative assistant.
Don’t plan on the process taking a long time, especially if you are interviewing for an immediate need or for a temporary/contract position. In this case, Take advantage of what the Internet has given us and send a personal email of thanks, as well as the handwritten personal note sent via the good old USPS.
In an interview, if business card(s) have not been given to you, ask for one before the interview concludes. If for some reason your interviewer does not have his/her card on himself/herself, ask the receptionist as you leave for the email address of the person you met, and let the receptionist know your purpose for asking is to write a note thanking him or her for the opportunity to interview. If you are working with a recruiter, he or she will have email addresses as well. And speaking of recruiters, check with your recruiter to see if there is a preference to having you send the email directly, or to routing it through the recruiter to the hiring manager.
If you send your email thank you from a mobile device, make sure it doesn’t say at the bottom, “Delivered from Ben’s Samsung 10.” Emailing a thank you from a mobile device, even in the 21st century, can look a little lazy if you’re not careful. It’s also a prime opportunity for auto-correct to sabotage you.
Sadly, many prospective employees (especially among the younger generations) do not know how to go about writing a thank you note. If this is you, here are some basics you should cover in your brief note of thanks: Thank them for their time and interest in you. Reiterate your interest in the position and their company.
Remind them of your key skills/traits that make you interesting. Close with, “I look forward to hearing from you regarding next steps in the process. Please let me know if you have any further questions or need anything more from me at this point.”
Don’t underestimate the impact this note can make on your chances to land your dream job. A simple thank you can also tip the scales if you are running a tight race with another interviewee.
