So, should you send a thank you note after you have your interview? Absolutely, because everyone does it, right? Wrong! Not everyone does it, in fact most people DO NOT send thank you notes. Let's look at the reasons for sending a thank you note, what to write, and who should receive your note.

Why should you send one? Because it is:

1. The considerate thing to do.

2. It helps reiterate your interest in the company and the position.
 

3. Promotes name recognition for you and shows the company that you are considerate (#1) and interested (#2).

What should the thank you note say? According to Spherion, the North American staffing company, they suggest that you follow these simple guidelines to write thank you letters that will make you hard to forget.

* Make a statement of appreciation
Be sure to thank your interviewer for his/her time.

* Recall the interview
Make reference to at least one topic of discussion during your visit to demonstrate your interest in the conversation and the company.
 

* Connect yourself to the job
Remind the interviewer of how your qualifications meet the needs of the company and emphasize your interest in the job.
 

* Indicate next contact
Let the interviewer know that you look forward to speaking with her/him soon about the job opportunity.
 

* Proofread your note
Be sure your letter is flawless. Do not tarnish a great interview with poor spelling or grammar in the follow-up thank you letter.

All excellent points, I might add!


When you craft your note, do it in writing. Yes, email is pervasive but it can get lost, deleted, or dumped into a junk mail folder. With the rise of spam, many people -- especially Human Resources professionals who have heavy people contact -- get bombarded by messages. Do you think they have the time to read everything in their inbox? I doubt it. Therefore, simply PRINT a brief note on thank you note paper or on writing paper [remember when that was vogue?] and send it via regular mail. Your contact, or the person's assistant will see the note.

Send a note to the primary interviewer, but if you are interviewed by other people send them a note as well. Please, before leaving the company pick up everyone's business card who interviewed you and make sure that you have their name and title correct in addition to all the other address information. How embarrassing to send a note and goof up a name or a title. You'll be quickly forgotten in the process.