How do you write a thank you email after an interview?
Are you looking for a way to differentiate yourself from other candidates after your job interview? Why not send a thank you letter to the recruiter by email! Indeed, although it is automatic among the Anglo-Saxons, the thank you email is not common in Belgium. So take this opportunity to stand out among the competition ! But how do you thank a recruiter by email? When is the best time to send a thank you email after an interview? What are the mistakes to avoid ? We give you all our advice and an example of an email in this article !
Why write a thank you email after a job interview?
First of all, because thanking the recruiter is a delicate gesture and a mark of politeness towards the person who interviewed you.
As the thank you email is not widely used in Belgium, it is also a good opportunity to stand out from other candidates. Thus, a message to thank a recruiter for granting you an interview can bring you 3 advantages :
Leave a good impression
First of all, sending a thank you message shows your sincerity and the appreciation you have for the company in question. Thus, by sending these positive signals, the recruiter will more easily tend to evaluate your application with benevolence. Indeed, as explained earlier, few people bother to thank the recruiter after an interview. This will make them notice your sympathy, which is sure to earn you a few points!
Making an impression
With the amount of application emails sent for a position, your thank you email will make your application stand out from the crowd. Indeed, you will probably be the only one who has thanked the recruiter for granting you an interview. This way, the latter, not necessarily being used to receiving this kind of message, will remember you more easily. This will increase your chances of getting the job !
Confirm your interest in the position
An additional message that was not requested proves your desire to work within the company. In addition, if you refer to topics of conversation that you may have had with the recruiter during the interview, you will show them how attentive and interested you are in this position.
When should I send a thank you email?
To make your thank you email fruitful, try to send it in a time that is neither too long nor too short ! In other words, you will be advised to send it within 24 to 48 hours after the interview.
Indeed, if you send it too early, i.e. barely an hour or two after the interview, it will lead you to think that you had prepared it in advance and therefore that this message is not sincere. You'll also lose the opportunity to get into the recruiter's mind in the long run. Don't worry, he won't have forgotten you in a few hours!
Similarly, if you send it too late, for example 4 or 5 days after the interview, it will be thought that you are clumsily trying to correct your oversight. The recruiter may not remember your interview or, even worse, they will have already made up their mind about which candidate to hire !
Thus, waiting a day or two after the interview seems to be the right amount of time to make a good impression on the recruiter. This will demonstrate that you are still thinking about your conversation and prove the honesty of your message.
How do you write a thank you email?
The purpose of writing a thank you email is to express your gratitude for having been received during your interview. To do this, keep it brief. Avoid the excessively long thank you letter that would require time and energy from the recruiter. Since the human resources department is already very busy during the recruitment period, it would not be a question of wasting their time unnecessarily. It might even cause you to lose points ! Thus, your thank you note should be no longer than two paragraphs.
As far as the tone of the letter is concerned, the whole point is that it is both sober and polite while appearing sincere and sympathetic. Indeed, sobriety is required because if you do too much, your interlocutor could feel uncomfortable and reject your application.
Don't hesitate to talk about a moment of exchange that piqued your interest during the job interview. Of course, make sure that the topic is relevant to the position you are applying for !
On the other hand, avoid innuendo about the recruiter's decision about you. As a reminder, the purpose of this email is not to convince people to hire you! On the contrary, be rather confident about how the recruitment process will go and don't expect anything in return.
Therefore, there is no need to restate your strengths or your professional background. Indeed, this message is not intended to prolong the interview you had but only to express your gratitude.
Also, the thank you letter is an additional element in your application, so try not to leave any spelling mistakes. If this happens, it will only serve you. Thus, with all these tips, the recruiter will be able to appreciate your politeness and friendliness. Two qualities that are so rare these days !
But how do you send a thank you letter by email ? You have two options. Either you choose to reply to the interview invitation email you received, or you send a new email with the subject " Thank you for the interview of the [date] ".
Example of a thank you email
Dear Madam/Mr. [Name],
Following our meeting for an interview for the position of [job title] the [date], I would like to thank you warmly.
I really appreciated your welcome, the quality of our exchanges as well as the clear vision you have of the future projects for the company. Thus, this interview allowed me to confirm my great motivation and my desire to join your team.
I am waiting for your response, but I remain at your disposal.
Kind regards
[Your first and last name]
And that's it, your thank you letter is ready to be sent to your recruiter ! Let's hope it brings you luck to get the job ! ☘️
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