Career Advice By Randy

The Power of The Thank You Note

Sure, we’ve all seen the advice to send a note of thanks after the interview.  But who knew just how important that note could be?

Employers state that a nice thank you note has raised their opinion of a job applicant, and even helped them decide between two worthy applicants.

A simple note of thanks is received with much more of a response these days, when not everyone sends them.  It’s a great way to stand out from the crowd as a socially responsible type.

Even after a bad interview, the thank you note could strike a note of grace that fades the memory of an earlier faux pas, as long as it isn’t too big of an error, at any rate.  For example, if you left out something during the interview, it could be added to the thank you letter, as a quick note.

Also, if you have a quick correction to make to something you said, that would be acceptable.  Of course, this isn’t the place to redo the whole interview or to make excuses.  However, neither is it necessary to eliminate any mention of the interview in the letter.

It is also best not to apologize for any errors again, as you will simply be committing them to the interviewer’s memory more securely.  Also, get that thank you note in the mail by the next day.  Remember, there’s a ticking clock.  Tomorrow, that job may be gone.

One of the great features of the thank you note, even if it’s not sent out as promptly as it, of course, should be, is that it’s a way of indicating a high level of interest in the job.  This is the first thing that interviewers look for.  If you’re not expressing enough interest in the job, they may think that you’re wasting their time.