Write a PERFECT Interview Thank You Email!

TL;DR

To write a strong interview thank-you email, send it within 24 hours and personalize it with a specific detail the interviewer cared about. Re-emphasize your interest, connect your strengths to the team, and briefly address any concern raised during the interview. If needed, follow up in the same email thread while respecting the recruiter’s timeline. Read on for subject-line examples, ways to find the interviewer’s email, and follow-up guidance.

Transcript

if writing a thank you email is the first thing on your mind after a job interview you're actually already behind because the top candidates were thinking about that during the interview itself those sneaky overachievers know that the trick is to just remember one thing the interviewers seems to care about and really milk it in the post interview e... Read More

Key Insights

• 💌 Sending a thank you email after a job interview is highly recommended and can significantly improve your chances of getting hired.
• 💌 Remembering specific details from the interview and mentioning them in the email shows attentiveness and genuine interest.
• 💌 Finding the interviewer's email address can be done by directly asking them, involving the recruiter, or using email finder tools.
• 🦃 Pleasant persistence is key when following up after the initial thank you email, but be careful not to become annoying.
• 💌 Addressing any concerns or weaknesses discussed during the interview in the follow-up email can help alleviate doubts.
• 💌 It is important to maintain a personalized and professional tone throughout the email.
• 🙃 Using the same email thread for follow-ups and mentioning different details each time showcases your attentiveness.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do you write a perfect interview thank-you email?

Thank the interviewer for their time, mention a specific personal or work-related detail from the conversation, and re-emphasize your interest in the position. Connect one of your strengths to something the interviewer said the team values, and add one or two sentences addressing any reservation they raised.

Q: When should you send a thank-you email after an interview?

The rule of thumb is to send it within 24 hours of the interview. If you do not receive an immediate response, follow the timeline given by the recruiter before contacting them again.

Q: Why should an interview thank-you email include a specific detail?

A specific detail shows that you listened carefully and makes the message more personal. The transcript contrasts a generic reference to a presentation with a message that identifies its topic and the PAR formula, showing how specificity makes a follow-up more memorable.

Q: What can you ask during the interview to personalize your thank-you email?

During small talk, ask how the interviewer’s weekend went on Monday or Tuesday, or what they have planned for the weekend on Wednesday through Friday. At the end, you can ask what characteristics a recent hire they enjoy working with had, which encourages a concrete answer you can reference later.

Q: What should the subject line of an interview thank-you email say?

A safe option is your name followed by “Thank you!” You can also add personality by referencing a memorable interview moment, as Jeff did with “the candidate with the frozen screen” after his webcam broke.

Q: How can you find an interviewer’s email address?

Ask for the interviewer’s email address before leaving or ending the video call. If that does not work, ask the recruiter to forward your note or search with the interviewer’s full name using a free mail finder such as Mailscoop or Hunter.io.

Q: How many follow-up emails should you send after the thank-you note?

Respect the recruiter’s stated timeline first; if they said one week, wait one week before following up. Jeff says that, in his experience, three follow-ups spaced one week apart after the initial thank-you note is the limit before they may become annoying.

Q: Should follow-up emails use the same email thread?

Yes, the transcript recommends keeping follow-ups in the same email thread. Mention a different interview detail each time to demonstrate how closely you were paying attention.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Sending a thank you email after a job interview is essential, as 80% of interviewers find it helpful in making hiring decisions.

• Remembering something specific from the interview, such as personal small talk or a certain question, and mentioning it in the email can leave a lasting impression.

• It is important to be specific and show genuine interest in the position in the email, while also injecting some personality and using a catchy subject line.