In the last decade or so, a lot has changed in the way companies hire employees and how job hunters look for opportunities and apply to jobs. Almost everything is electronic and digital now. A job applicant can look for interview tips online and simply send his or her application through email or via online job sites. Meanwhile, recruiters and employers can reach out to potential candidates online, too. Even the job interview can be done online for some positions.
What does this mean? Everything has become faster and switching to digital has made a lot of things easier and more convenient. Back in the day, before the advent of the Internet, an applicant will have to wait for a phone call to know if they got the job or if they’re moving on to the next step of the application process. Often, applicants only had one option to follow-up after an interview, and that is through a phone call as well.
Nowadays, sending a “thank you email” to interviewers and/or employers has somewhat become a part of the job hunting and hiring process. After all, an email only takes a few minutes to compose and a few seconds to send.
If you’re wondering whether you should also send a thank you email after a seemingly successful interview and what it should contain, read on.
Why Send a Thank You Email
A thank you email is, first and foremost, a way to genuinely thank your interviewer for their time. This will show your courtesy and say a lot about your values.
Thank you emails also give applicants a chance to thank the interviewer for new knowledge or information they gathered from the interview. This will exhibit that the applicant has paid attention throughout the interview and that he or she is keen on learning.
Furthermore, a thank you email also allows you to show your eagerness to get the job. It may even serve as a “tie-breaker” between you and another strong candidate.
4 Things Your Thank You Email Should Contain
If you decide to send a thank you email, make sure it contains these four crucial things.
1. A polite and professional yet straight-to-the-point subject line
You want your email to stand out among the hundreds of emails that your interviewer receives every day. You also want them to open your email and read it. A subject line paves the way for that. A simple “Thank You, (interviewer’s name)!” can potentially catch the attention of your interviewer as you used his or her first name.
2. A personalized greeting
Opening your letter with a “Hi (interviewer’s first name)” will make the email personalized, not templated. It also shows that you paid attention to the name of the person who interviewed you.
3. A message of appreciation
After the greeting, you can go straight to the “thank you” part. Thank the interviewer for their time and for sharing interesting knowledge or information about the job, company, or industry. You may also comment on a subject that particularly interested you.
4. An affirmation of your interest in the position
Finally, make sure that your thank you email sends the message across that you are excited about the job. It should also show that you’re looking forward to talking to the interviewer again soon, possibly for the next step of the application process or for a job offer.
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