The Right Thank-You Note Could Get You A Job Offer

I recently received an email from one of my clients a few days after they interviewed one of our candidates. My client told me that the interview went well, but he’s a little disappointed that the candidate had not yet reached out to them to say thank you and express his interest in their position.

As the hiring process proceeded, this otherwise well-qualified candidate did not make the cut. I feel strongly that it wasn’t because his qualifications or interview skills were lacking but rather because he failed to properly follow up after the interview.

About the same time this incident occurred, one of my recruiters called me and excitedly proclaimed, “My candidate is definitely going to get this job!” When I asked why she was so confident she said, “You need to read the follow-up email he sent them. It’s perfect. I already know he did well in the interview, but this has to seal the deal”.

It turns out she was right; her candidate received a very good offer and accepted the position!

Since interview thank-you’s often stump job seekers, we asked the candidate if we could share his follow-up email on our blog. He agreed. I’ve included a redacted copy below.

[Company] Interview Team,

Thank you for considering me for the Sr. Automation Engineer position in the [Company Location]. I appreciate that each of you allowed ample time to thoroughly discuss technical and interpersonal aspects of the job.

I am excited by the prospect of working with you. I admire the respect, cooperation, and consideration that you described when you told me about your interactions during execution of your normal duties, and which you demonstrated in the interview process. I also appreciate the deliberate efforts to assure that no single person is severely overworked.

I definitely have the skills to offer you the engineering services that you need to support the [Company Location] production activities, maintenance, and small improvements. I think that I will be a good fit within your work teams. Our attitudes about service to one another, our drive to get jobs done, and even our humor seem to match very well.

I expect to work hard, stay very busy, and work through some long and sometimes intense situations. We are not perfect and we are constantly juggling the ever-changing priorities of tasks to best serve the varying individual and group interests that compete for our attention, time, and effort.

What impresses me most about [Your Company] is that everyone I met acknowledged the stressful nature of their roles supporting the singular goal of producing and delivering the highest quality [Products] to customers at competitive prices while keeping the company profitable. Everyone talked to me about the successful management of the job stresses. Everyone talked about coordinating with, compromising with, and helping their coworkers within their own groups, in their directly associated groups, and also with personnel in the other [Location]. Whoever is selected will be working with a great group of people.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please contact me if you want any further information or any reference contacts.

Have a Great Day!
[Candidate]

What I like most about this communication is that it does not sound the least bit self-serving. He states more about what he learned and liked about the company than he did about himself. His closing comment: “Whoever is selected will be working with a great group of people.” is an excellent way to end the email and emphasizes this individual’s character and thoughtfulness.

For another thank you note sample and additional advice on how to follow-up read, How to Seal the Deal After a Job Interview by Melanie Denny.

A well-crafted thank-you note that is genuinely appreciative and shows how you can both do the job and be a good colleague can really put you a step ahead. Use the opportunity to follow up as a chance to make a great final impression.

I hope you find this information useful and if you have experienced similar success by implementing this kind of interview follow-up communication, I would love to hear from you!