One of the easiest and most forgotten methods to show a hiring manager that you are truly interested in a position after an interview is writing a thank you letter. Although the business world has become less formal over the years, CareerBuilder did a survey proving the importance of this simple step in the interviewing process. According to this survey, managers are 22% less likely to hire a candidate if they do not send a thank you letter after the interview, 56% of supervisors feel like they are less serious about the position, and 86% of employers feel like it shows a lack of follow-through. So, as you can tell by the data we need to make this a priority after interviewing to show interest and convey the right work ethic.
WHEN SHOULD YOU SEND THE EMAIL:
It is highly recommended to send the email within 24 hours of the interview. This is because the interview is still fresh in the hiring manager’s mind and it will allow you a chance to prove that you are a great fit for the role and the company.
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN THE THANK YOU LETTER:
First and foremost, thank the interviewer(s) for their time and express interest in the role and possibility of joining the team/company. If there was something that you agreed on with the hiring manager during the interview that seems important to them, make sure to include this because it will reiterate the fact that you are a good fit for the role and will be a great culture fit. Next, express why you think that you would be a great fit for the position. For example, include information about your technical and soft skills that are important to the role according to what you heard during the interview and what skill sets they are looking for according to the job description.
On the other hand, we know that all interviews do not go smoothly and sometimes we get tripped up on questions and contemplate about how we wish we would have answered a question another way. This is the perfect opportunity to reference the question you didn’t answer to the best of your ability and show the hiring manager that you are a good fit for the role.
HOW TO USE YOUR RECRUITER:
There are a couple of ways you can use your recruiter in this process. One way that may come to mind is having them send the thank you letter on your behalf to the hiring manager. This is a great way to keep your recruiter in the loop of all the communication that is occurring between you and the hiring manager throughout the interview process. Likewise, if the hiring manager gave you their contact information during the interview and you want to reach out directly it is strongly recommended to copy the recruiter on the email so everyone is on the same page.
Another way to use your recruiter is to have them check your thank you letter for spelling and grammatical errors. If there is a mistake in the thank you letter it could depreciate the overall impression the hiring manager may have of you. Take advantage of having a recruiter and let them help you throughout the entire interview and hiring process!