Your mind is blank about out what to say in your job interview thank you note, and you’re feeling the pressure of 24-hour deadline, to boot. Don’t panic or procrastinate- instead, grab this framework & get those job interview thank you notes on their way ASAP.
After the post about job interview thank you notes and how they could inadvertently annoy your potential employer, we got a bunch of follow up questions, mostly along these lines: “I really hate writing interview thank you notes. Do people really care about them, and if so, do you have a template you can share?”
Yes, and Yes.
Yes, hiring teams still want your thank you notes (if they’re done well). A recent survey by Robert Half showed that the majority of HR people still cared about job interview thank you notes.
According to Marci Shaffer, a Boston-area career coach and recruiter, “Although I know many people don’t like writing thank-you notes, they really do matter. A thank you note, when written well, is such an important way to reinforce your soft skills in the mind of the hiring team. It tells them that that you valued the interviewer’s time, that you listened carefully to what they had to say about current projects, problems and future goals, and finally, that you have a strong level of motivation and interest in doing a good job.”
The Anatomy of a Perfect Job Interview Thank You Note
To make your life easier, we’ve given you specific phrases to use as you’re crafting your job interview thank you note.
- The Thanks (choose one starter phrase)
–Thanks so much for taking the time to connect about the … position.
–I really appreciate your time today and the insight you shared with me about the (x) role.
-I’m so glad we had a chance to talk today about … (X role)
- The Expression of Engagement in the Discussion (choose one starter phrase)
-I was intrigued by… (some aspect of the role or a project they’ve got)
-I really liked hearing about…
-Thanks also for your insight on…
- The Need (choose one starter phrase)
-I heard the need for someone who can… (think about their top 3 needs for the person in this role)
-I understand that you’re hoping to … (talk about a key initiative or project)
-I could tell that X is an important initiative and you need… (a certain skillset to move it forward)
- The Confidence Booster (choose one starter phrase)
-I feel like this role is right up my alley given my … (specific skills you think they’ll value)
-I’d love to be able to take on… (specific project or the challenge of the role)
-As we spoke, I felt like my background in X and Y would be valuable (because…)
- The Additional Info/ Clarification (Optional) (choose one starter phrase)
-I had mentioned (x) to you and promised I’d share the link…
-One thing that I wanted to add is that I also have experience in…
-As I reflected on our conversation, I wanted to add one additional data point about my background…
-(if you totally, completely blanked and you had experience you forgot about:) When you asked about (requirement), I realize now that I didn’t share (experience), so I wanted to share it now.
- The Close (choose one starter phrase)
(to the Hiring Manager/ Recruiter)
-I’d love to continue conversations about the role and would look forward to meeting the rest of the team
-I know you mentioned your timeline for interviews is (x); I’ll make a note to check back in (around then) to see how the process is unfolding
-If you need any additional information from me, please let me know; otherwise, I’ll reconnect with you around (x date).
(to a Peer or Other Interviewer Who’s Not a Manager)
-I’d love the chance to work with you, and I really do appreciate your generosity of time.
-This seems like a really great opportunity, and I’d look forward to working with you.
-If you’re open to it, I’d be happy to connect with you on LinkedIn; I’ll send an invitation in a moment, and I’d love to have you as part of my network going forward.
Putting it Together: A Script for Your Job Interview Thank You Notes
Dear John,
I really appreciate your time today and the insight you shared with me about the Project Manager role.
I really liked hearing about the major rebrand you’re getting ready to take on. I heard the need for someone who can manage the various stakeholders, work with vendors to keep them on/under budget and schedule, and roll up the reporting on all of the project phases so that you and the rest of the team know what’s happening at all times. I feel like this role is right up my alley given my prior experience managing similar projects for my current company. Our biggest project (which I led as project manager) was 5% under budget and got really great feedback from customers. Here’s the link, if you’d like to see more detail: www.link.com.
I’d love to continue conversations about the role and would look forward to meeting the rest of the team.
Thanks,
Kathy
(always include your phone number in every email to hiring managers/recruiters)
Key Takeaway:
As you can see, job interview notes DO need to be customized for each person you meet, each company, and each role you interview for. Hopefully the next time you sit down to follow up post-interview, our script will help you get them done, and, more importantly, look good in the eyes of the hiring team.