Sending a thank-you note post-interview or a networking event is an important gesture that sets you apart. Showing your appreciation for someone’s time and knowledge will leave a good impression on your relationship.
Different situations deserve different thank you notes, for example, you don’t have to send a handwritten letter to someone you met for a couple minutes at a career fair. Below, we have two examples of appropriate thank you letters to send for two distinct situations.
Need to Know Facts
A good rule of thumb is to send a
If you met with more than one person, remember to send individual thank-you notes to show your appreciation. Do not expect a response to a thank-you note.
Post interview
Following an interview, it’s best to send a thank-you note as soon as possible. Sending an email is ideal in these situations because the turnaround to decide if you will receive a job offer might be too quick to receive a handwritten letter. If you participated in an informational interview, however, a handwritten note is acceptable.
In your thank you note, start with how appreciative you are about your interviewer taking the time to meet with you. Make sure you reference something you talked about or bonded over, so the interviewer knows you took the time to reflect on the experience.
Here is a sample post interview thank-you note:
Dear <Interviewer’s Name>,
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to interview for the position of <job title> at <company>. Learning about your passion for resume building and accessibility of resources for all was very inspiring.
After hearing about your experiences, I am even more interested in the position. I am especially excited about the culture of collaboration since I love working with others. I was able to really develop my teamwork skills when I was the marketing co-chair for Upkey University’s newspaper.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
<Your name>
Depending on the length of the interview and your relationship with the interviewer, your letter might look a little different than this template. As long as your thank-you note involves a couple aspects, including thanking your interviewer, bringing up something you talked about, explaining your qualifications once more, and ending with your continued interest in the position, you’ll be all set.
Post networking
There are many different forms of networking, and each one deserves a slightly different thank-you note. In this situation, you can send a handwritten letter if you want to, or if it would complement the industry.
Since there is no time-sensitive job offer on the line, you don’t have to worry about how quickly the person you met with receives the letter. Any thank you note you send, email or handwritten, should be sent within 24-48 hours after networking.
Have a look at this sample post networking thank you note:
Dear <Name of person you networked with>,
Thank you for your time spent meeting with me and for the information you shared. I enjoyed taking the time to get to know you and <company or industry name> even further.
Specifically, I really value your advice about getting a job in your industry and what your journey entailed. I liked hearing about <insert specific conversation bit>. I have taken your advice to heart and will use it to help my job search.
I hope to meet with you again sometime and get to know you more. Thank you again for your advice, I really appreciate it.
All the best,
<Your name>
This template can be a jumping off point if you don’t know where to start writing your thank-you note. If you feel like you did not spend enough time networking with someone to write a lengthy thank you note, you can keep it to 1-3 sentences.
Make sure you customize your thank-you note after networking and always thank them for their time. Building a relationship is the main goal of networking, so asking to meet with someone again or asking for additional contacts in their industry is also a great idea.
If you no longer want to pursue a career in their industry, it’s good practice to send a thank-you note anyway. You never know how a connection might help your future career goals. Writing thank-you notes can really help you find success if your career search.
For more advice on how to further your career, go to Upkey.com!
