The effectiveness of thank you letters following an interview cannot be understated and they are an excellent way of restating your credentials for a job as well as showing respect and courtesy to an employer after they have invited you for interview. Few interviewees take the time to write a thank you letter following interview but doing so can improve your chances of securing a job vacancy ahead of other applicants. To help you maximise the effectiveness of your thank you letter following an interview here are a few helpful hints and tips.

Timing

The timing of a thank you letter following an interview is important, because you may only have a narrow window of opportunity in which to influence a recruitment decision. Usually it is best to write a thank you letter as soon as possible after your interview and post it straight away. This should ensure that your thank you letter arrives within the critical time frame of 48 hours in which most hiring decisions are made. Ideally it is better to hand deliver your thank you letter, that way the employer can see your commitment and will respect your professionalism.

Follow A Logical Structure

Any thank you letter that you write following an interview will leave a prospective employer with a lasting impression of you, so think carefully before you write. Ensure that your thank you letter contains the employers address at the top left of the page and your address for correspondence in the opposite right hand corner. It is also essential that the date is clearly displayed on the letter so that your prospective employer know that it was written following the interview date. It is always a good idea to address the letter to the hiring manager who interviewed you, that way it will find the correct person. The hiring manager is the person with the power to make the final recruitment decision and addressing it to members or the Human Resources team is unlikely to have much impact. Unless you know the interviewer well you should always sign off any thank you letter, yours faithfully, as this is the appropriate address. Spend a few moments running a spell checker on your word processor and then read it through separately. Once you are happy with it ask a friend or family member to read through the finished article before you send it off to check that it makes sense and that you haven't made any obvious mistakes.

Word Process Your Letter

It is important to present a professional image when communicating with any organisation and it is equally essential that you create the right impression with a prospective employer. Hand written letters may be suitable for personal matters between friends but not when dealing with a professional organisation. Take time to type up your interview thank you letter and ensure that it is printed on high quality paper so that it looks highly presentable.

Be Concise

A thank you letter following an interview is not a opportunity to re state all of your numerous skills and abilities, the purpose is simple, to leave a lasting positive impression on a prospective employer. Keep the letter to one page of A4 and keep what you say succinct. Don't waffle.

Re-state Your Key Skills

Following the interview you will undoubtedly have a clearly idea of the main criteria and abilities they are looking for. A thank you letter following an interview is an ideal opportunity to pick up on one or two of these key skills and re emphasis who suited you are to the job vacancy. Talk in no more than one paragraph about what value you think you can add to the company based on your core abilities.

For example

Management Vacancy;

"I just wanted to take the opportunity to state how closely I feel that my project management, organisational and time management skills would compliment your core business operations."

Call Centre Support Role;

Or “I just wanted to take the opportunity to state how closely I feel that my people skills, customer service and problem solving skills would compliment your core business operations”

Thank Them For The Interview Opportunity

In reality only a tiny percentage of interviewees take time to write a thank you letter, but saying thank you is an very powerful way of leaving a positive lasting impression, just think about those people today who took the time to thank you for something you did and how it made you feel. Ensure that you dedicate a paragraph to thanking those who were involved in your interview and comment on how impressed you were by the company and the professional manner in which you were treated whilst there. Remember that a thank you letter will be the final impression a potential employer has of you, so take your time, think carefully about what you include in it and make it as presentable as possible.

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