Writing Thank You Email After Interview

The Post-Interview Thank You Note Template You Need Today

"Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to interview for this job." Are you writing a thank you note or a thank you email after your interview? Use our free template to make that thank you easier than ever.

When the job interview is over, it isn't really over until you send a thank you note.

Sending a thank you note after the interview can really set you apart from other job seekers and it can even influence hiring decisions. That's because only 24% of candidates actually send a post-interview thank you note according to Robert Half.

By drafting and sending a thoughtful thank you note, you are signaling your continued interest and solidifies a (positive) lasting impression with the interviewer and/or recruiter.

The Benefits of Sending a Post-Interview Thank You Note

And you know what else? It's just plain good manners to say thank you.

We've actually had hiring managers tell us to wait to schedule a second interview until we receive a post-interview follow-up email, and we've skipped hiring someone at Career Contessa because we didn't receive a thank you (it's also one of our 11 reasons why you don't get a job offer).

Yup, saying thank you is that important.

What to Say in a Stellar Post-Interview Thank You Note
When to Send A Post-Interview Thank You Note
Who Should I Send the Post-Interview Thank You Note To?
How Long Should My Thank You Note Be?
A Sample Post-Interview Thank You Email Template
Another Bonus: A Thank You Note Template to Use After a Second Interview

What to Say in a Stellar Post-Interview Thank You Note

Avoid only going through the motions, because employers will see right through a generic note like this:

Hi there,

Thank you for taking the time to interview me! I really enjoyed meeting you and I hope to hear from you soon.

Best,
[NAME]

Instead, tailor your message to the specific interviewer and company using a flexible format like so:

The 5-Part Thank You Template

A greeting with how much you appreciated the meeting (the "thank you" part!)
Mention something specific about the interview or items discussed
Why you see this as an exciting opportunity
A brief explanation of why you'd be a good fit for the job/your qualifications
Next steps and your contact information

Here's an email example using this template:

Subject Line: Thank You From Zoe Brown! | Product Coordinator Interview Candidate

Dear Leslie Joans,

It was wonderful to meet you in-person today at my interview for the product coordinator role. It was especially interesting to learn more about your role as a Senior Product Manager, your team and the recent product launch you're rolling out.

You mentioned needing a coordinator who's able to learn on the go and that's a skill I'm eager to continue. Most recently, I built my own personal website for this job search and enjoyed the process of figuring it out.

I'd love the opportunity to continue learning with an innovative team and feel confident I'd be a great addition.

I've attached my resume and cover letter so you have digital copies. Please let me know if you need anything else from me. I look forward to hearing about the next steps in the interview process.

Sincerely,
Zoe Brown

[EMAIL]
[LINKEDIN PROFILE]
[PHONE NUMBER]

When to Send a Post-Interview Thank You Note

Send it immediately, ASAP!

Make sure to send the note (via email) within one business day—and be sure to send one to everyone you interviewed with, not just the hiring manager.

You can skip the handwritten note sent via snail mail approach. Email is appropriate and is formal enough to make a good impression.

Even if you interview on a Friday afternoon—especially if youinterview on a Friday afternoon, make sure to send that thank-you email before starting your weekend activities.

This really shows the hiring manager that you appreciate the time she took, her thoughtfully-prepared interview questions, and the job at hand.

Who Should I Send the Post-Interview Thank You Note to?

Send that note of gratitude to each person who interviewed you—even if you only sat down to speak with them for three minutes—and personalize it by using their first name and last name.

For example, if you're being hired for an entry-level role and a potential coworker who would be your peer sat down with you, say thank you!

That person has more pull than you might think. Multi-person interviews exist so that hiring decisions are more shared.

If you don't have their contact information, you can ask your recruiter to share it with you.

Another idea is to ask each person you interview with for a business card. The nice this about having their business card is that you'll get their name, job title, email, etc.

A pro tip is after you interview with a person, write notes on the back of their business card about your interview. Maybe you two bonded over a specific product or project? Write it down and it will come in handy later on when you're writing your thank you note.

How Long Should My Thank You Note Be?

The short answer here is just that—keep it short.

After a day full of interviews, when your interviewer opens their email and sees a page-long block of text, they're probably not going to read it.

Upwork suggests keeping your post-interview thank you note to 80-150 words.

But don't fret. You can do a lot in 80-150 words, which brings us to our template!

The Things to Avoid In Your Post-Interview Thank You Note

Be sure to read through your email before you hit send. You don't want it to be full of typos or misspell the person's name. You'll also want to avoid sounding too casual, accidentally attaching something inappropriate, or following up so much it becomes annoying.

Also, just to be safe, you might consider moving their email to a special folder. Someone on our team accidentally replied to their interviewer during a job interview when she most definitely meant to forward the reply. Luckily, she was expressing her enthusiasm and not anything negative.

A Sample Post-Interview Thank You Email Template

Still not sure what to write?

Here's an email template of a short and sweet post-interview thank you note (the keyword here beingshort—when it comes to an interview follow-up emails, less is usually more):

Subject Line: Thank You From [NAME]! | [JOB TITLE] Interview Candidate

Dear [NAME],

Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me about the [JOB TITLE]position and for giving me additional insight into the responsibilities and day-to-day duties involved.

Our conversation today only increased my interest in the role. I would be thrilled to use my [SKILLS YOU DISCUSSED DURING INTERVIEW] to benefit [COMPANY NAME] and your goals, including the work you're doing on[SPECIFIC PROJECT OR WORK DISCUSSED IN INTERVIEW].

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions for me! I look forward to having another conversation with you soon.

Best regards,

[NAME]
[CONTACT INFO]

Another Bonus: A Thank You Note Template to Use After a Second Interview

Remember what we said earlier? Send a Thank You note after every type of interview. When you're asked in for a second interview, youshouldsend another thank you note via email (again, within 24 hours).

Send it to everyone who is involved. Really, the process doesn't vary too much from the first interview thank you note, except that you'll want to make it shorter.

One trick I love is to expand on a topic you covered with your interviewer in your second meeting.

Here's a template:

Subject Line: Interview Round Two Thank You | [NAME]

Hi [NAME],

It was a pleasure speaking with you again today about the[POSITION]. I loved hearing more about[PROJECT OR GOAL DISCUSSED IN THE INTERVIEW]—and can't wait to potentially help your team on it! As always, please let me know if you have any questions or if I can send any additional information your way.

Regards,

[NAME]
[CONTACT INFO]

Simple enough, right?

If you don't hear back right away, that's okay—wait five to seven days before following up (you can reply to your original thank you note) and express interest one more time.

If they don't reply to several emails or by the date they promised, you might also consider this to be a bit of a red flag of a dysfunctional workplace.

Communication and respect are important from the start. Don't forget that.