The Importance of Sending a Thank You Note After a Job Interview

Most people probably never even think to send a handwritten thank you note after a job interview. But it is extremely important to do so and will set you above the pack of other interviewees.

Why is it so important to send a thank you note to a potential employer? It means you are willing to go the extra mile for a job. And in an employer's mind, if you are willing to put in that much effort before you get the job, you have the potential to put in the extra effort at your job once they hire you.

Sending a thank you note after a job interview also gives you the chance to mention something that you may have forgotten to mention during the actual interview. Everyone gets nervous during an interview, so if there's something of importance you forgot to state, you can always add it to the thank you note.

The thank you note after a job interview should always be written within 24 hours after the interview. If you feel your handwriting is not good enough, you can certainly send a typed thank you letter instead.

Here are the best two reasons why it's important to get it to them quickly:

1) Because you want the interview to still be fresh on the employer's mind and

2) You want to make sure that the employer has your thank you note before making any hiring decisions. Waiting a few days or a week may mean that you have missed your chance to impress the boss during the hiring stages. Waiting may mean that they have already decided to hire someone else before they even received your thank you note.

It is important to make sure you get the thank you note to the right person and send it to the right address. During the interview, ask for the interviewer's business card so you will have the correct spelling of his or her name and the company address. Spelling a potential employer's name wrong could send a very negative message to them so you want to make sure you get all of the details correct.

If you are more comfortable with sending an email to thank the interviewer, that is alright as well. The person's mailing address, as well as email address, should be printed on their business card.

Regarding what the thank you note or letter should include, you want to address the following:

1) Thank the interviewer for their time and consideration of you for the position. State the position you interviewed for in case they have seen so many people they can't remember what position you were applying for.

2) Add something positive you know or learned about the company, which gives you the incentive to want to work there.

3) Mention something that you spoke about in the interview, such as new products or programs that the company has started or is interested in starting and how you can be of service to them in that area.

4) Mention again how interested you are in the position, and that you look forward to hearing from them.

And if there is anything you forgot to mention regarding your qualifications or interests, make sure to incorporate that into the letter.

Saying thank you is plain old good manners, and will most definitely leave a good impression with a future employer.

Inexpensive thank you notes can be purchased at The Dollar Tree stores and Dollar General Stores. Both stores carry a nice variety of thank you notes in packages of six or eight for $1.00.

Good luck on your job hunt and don't forget to say thank you!