The Value of a Thank You

By: Accountemps
Feb. 26, 2001 (SmartPros)

When you are applying for a job, don't forget to thank the hiring manager for taking the time to meet with you. According to an Accountemps survey, 76 percent of executives feel it is helpful for a promising job candidate to send a thank-you note following an interview.

Preparing a formal thank you letter or email gives you the opportunity to once again highlight your strengths, as well as and ease any concerns that the interviewer may have had. It shows the hiring manager that you take initiative and are truly interested in the job.

Thank you notes are also a way to maintain communication between the interviewer and yourself, and they may ultimately help you land the job.

Following are some guidelines:

• Be prompt. Thank you notes should be written within a day or two of the interview and sent to everyone with whom you interviewed.
• Send a handwritten letter by mail. Email may be appropriate, but only when it has been the primary method of communication between you and the hiring manager.
• Be brief. You should highlight your strengths and discuss the areas that you will improve, but you will also want to be succinct. Include your thanks and just a couple of other points.
• Be sincere. If you appear insincere, the interviewer will be turned off.