Want to stand out from the competition when interviewing for jobs? Send a thank you note.
But don’t just send any old thank note copied from a template because a boring thank you note will do more harm than good. “I just throw them in the wastebasket. That kind of thank you note makes me question the candidate on a number of levels,” a senior director told me, rather emphatically.
There is some strategic thinking to be done when it comes to thank you notes. Once you know what you are doing, they become a powerful extra kicker supporting your candidacy.
According to a survey conducted by Accountemps, about 75% of job candidates don’t send thank you notes. This means that those who send smart, memorable thank yous, have a great opportunity to enhance their brand with hiring leaders, team members and HR.
Nick Corcodilos, author of the excellent book Ask the Headhunter, laid out a very simple paradigm for interviewing: Do the job in the interview. If you’re a welder that might not be easy, but in interviews for cybersecurity, IT audit, GRC, etc., one of the critical things the hiring leaders are looking for is communication skills: listening, writing, summarizing and tailoring the message to the audience. Hiring managers are also looking for creativity, the ability to build rapport (a signal of high emotional intelligence) and business knowledge. Great thank you notes allow you to demonstrate more of your competencies in all these areas.
So, how do you create these memorable thank yous?
First, when you finish an interview, write down every detail of the conversation with each interviewer. What did you learn about the role, the company, the challenges, critical goals and the interviewer?
You are going to write a personalized note to each interviewer. That’s where the information from your debrief will help you. Personalized notes are critical because they help you build a bit more rapport with the interviewers. And they allow you to demonstrate creativity, writing skills, and your ability to tailor the message and tone to your audience.
Remember, it is very likely that the interviewers will compare thank you notes. When a candidate sends the same note to everyone, the negative takeaways range from the perception that the candidate lacks creativity to the impression that the candidate may not have much interest in the job since he or she isn’t trying hard to impress.
You are writing just three paragraphs:
The first one is the opening “great to meet you, thank you for your time” paragraph. Write a simple, friendly opening with a tone appropriate for the level of the interviewer (very important!). If you are writing multiple thank yous, customize these paragraphs for each note.
Your second paragraph is the heart of the note. This will require the most thought and care. You want to recap an important point from your conversation with the interviewer, such as a key initiative you discussed, how they use a particular tool set, or a challenge that you know you can help with. This demonstrates you were really paying attention in the interview and were engaged with the information being conveyed. Your goal is to continue to show how you can be of help to the team in accomplishing their goals and to show your interest in the company’s success (rather than focusing on a topic that is of benefit to you – such as training, their work-from-home policy or career path support).
Your third paragraph is the close where you reaffirm your interest in the role, state that you would like to work with the team, and note that you look forward to hearing from them. Again, the end result is just so much better when you customize this. A personalized note leaves the reader with a positive impression of you as a poised and gracious professional. And it is a key opportunity to demonstrate your writing and business skills, even if it is “just” a thank you note.
The truth is, thank you notes are so much more than a pro forma exercise in courtesy. They are a strategic marketing tool for job seekers at all career stages. And the higher you go in your career, the more critical effective thank you notes become. Beyond that, the practice of sincerely thanking others is a good way to be in the world. It speaks volumes about your character and who you are.