By Caroline M. Cole

Although 85–90% of companies say that a post-interview thank you note could enhance an applicant’s standing, fewer than 50% of candidates actually send such documents after talking with company representatives, for various reasons. Some applicants argue that, as more and more companies make their decisions within hours of interviewing candidates, there simply isn’t time to follow up. Some ask why it would matter if the interview didn’t go well to begin with; shouldn’t applicants just cut their losses and spend time pursuing companies where they still have a chance? Others argue that thank you letters are quaint niceties that are incongruous in today’s high-tech, fast moving society, while some have never been taught that a thank you note would be appropriate in this context. Even candidates who recognize that a thank you letter can be advantageous may struggle to know what to say and, in the end, remain silent. But it’s not just applicants who may account for the decrease in post-interview thank you notes. Recruiters and hiring managers have also bemoaned these materials.

The most common criticism is the mechanical and overly generic nature of these documents, as if applicants are sending a thank you simply to check one more task off their “to do” list for getting a job. Others think these letters can make a candidate seem desperate, while some say that poorly written or illegible thank you notes can be more damaging than doing nothing after the interview. Some companies add that letters and notes of appreciation may be a nice touch but, ultimately, they don’t carry much weight in their final decision; strong candidates that don’t send thank you notes will still get offers, and weak candidates will not—regardless of any post-interview thank you they submit.

Despite personal preferences on either side of the interview table, thank you letters can be invaluable both for recruiters wanting to gauge a candidate’s soft skills and for candidates looking for a position that matches their talents and abilities, if they know what to do. The following discussion explains how applicants might offer a meaningful, authentic follow-up to an interview.

Although many advise candidates to send companies a post-interview thank you simply to stand out from other applicants, such advice shifts a moment that calls for genuine appreciation into a job search gimmick. Applicants should resist sending hiring managers and recruiters a note just because it’s what a job applicant should do; rather, they should start from the position that this document is—and should remain—a means to express gratitude for someone taking time to discuss the organization in general and the position in particular.

Consider, for example, that the extent to which a candidate remains enthusiastic about a position or an organization is often tied to what happens during the interview, and company representatives play a significant role in that exchange. Granted, the people conducting an interviewing might be obligated to provide particular information regardless of the candidate they’re talking with; beyond those requirements, however, they often have a choice in what topics to entertain, what information to pass along, and how much detail to provide. As such, interviewers are instrumental for shaping what candidates learn about and, in the end, how they come to view the position and its context. It is this exchange—a discussion that helped clarify job responsibilities, elaborate on expectations, address candidate concerns, or simply increase the applicant’s interest in the position—that a post-interview thank you note aims to recognize.

By expressing appreciation for the opportunity to learn what may have otherwise been impossible, you demonstrate an awareness of the role others play in your understanding of company needs and concerns. In addition, by highlighting topics or details from the interview that you, too, value, you give companies more information on where and how you might be a fit for the position. A thank you letter that picks up on a particular project the recruiter mentioned, for example, would suggest different interests than one that calls out company values, particular job responsibilities, short- and long-term opportunities within the organization, company culture, and so on.

Sincerity and thoughtfulness are fundamental components of gratitude; therefore, thank you letters also can provide a forum for reinforcing an applicant’s interest in the position. For instance, if the information you obtained during the interview has increased your interest in the position, you could explain (or reaffirm) the way your experience could create value for the team, division, or larger organization by drawing upon information from the discussion. If, on the other hand, the interview brought to light reasons the position is no longer a good fit for you, you could use this opportunity to withdraw your application from further consideration, demonstrating both your self-awareness and your respect for the organization’s time.

Regardless of the particular content, post interview follow-ups should be one page or less. In other words, you should be sincere, and brief. The goal is to acknowledge what you have gained through this exchange and the individual(s) who helped in that endeavor, supplementing the image you’ve presented in your other application materials rather than introducing a completely different persona.

Collectively these guidelines can help applicants know whether they should send one letter to the primary recruiter or separate letters to each company representative with whom they have had a meaningful exchange. If sending separate letters, you could use similar opening and closing paragraphs, but the internal paragraph(s) should be recipient specific. Even in cases where you may have been interviewed by several people simultaneously (e.g., a panel interview), you should tailor each letter to address particular questions and concerns the individual panel member had during the larger group discussion. After all, people on search committees talk, and even employees brought into the process momentarily may share their observations about and communications with a candidate—including follow-up interactions. Thus, by writing letters that have been personalized to each individual, you move beyond the mechanical, generic thank you and sincerely acknowledge all parties for their unique contribution to your candidacy.

Other considerations for thank you notes include:

Timing. In general, a thank you should be sent within 24-hours of the interview. This timeframe does not suggest you need to overnight a letter to the company or, worse, hand a pre-written letter to the hiring manager or administrative staff member on your way out the door; the former can seem pretentious or desperate, while the latter can suggest automatic and impersonal. Even so, you want to make sure that your note seems to be a well-intended, thoughtful response to the discussion. As important, if you are wanting to reinforce your interest in the position, you want to ensure your letter arrives before the organization wraps up its search.

Email or Snail Mail Distribution. If the company is looking to close its search in the coming days, email may be most efficient, demonstrating an awareness that business in general and hiring decisions in particular are made quickly; it also shows your comfort and proficiency with one of the most ubiquitous workplace technologies. Similarly, email may be most appropriate if most of the company’s correspondence is electronic.

There are, however, potential downsides to sending thank you notes through e-mail. First, as people increasingly use email for professional and personal correspondence, it takes a concerted effort to adopt and sustain a professional register so the message does not seem cursory or flippant: “Hey, by the way, I was just sitting here checking my e-mail and thought I would drop you a note to say thanks.” Similarly, spam filters inadvertently may redirect the message into a mailbox the reader never opens. And even if the reader does receive and open the message, it may get minimal notice among hundreds of other messages also demanding attention.

Hard copy thank you letters and notes can be strategic. First, people associate letters with formality and, by extension, professionalism, so they can have more weight for some audiences—if only for the fact that writing a letter often requires a more conscientious effort than email. Furthermore, in a culture that sees fewer and fewer letters in a mailbox, those that do arrive tend to stand out. Letters also show a candidate’s ability to write conventional documents, which can be of value if employees need to craft letters, proposals, and other traditional materials on behalf of the larger organization. Finally, letters need to be filed so, unlike an electronic thank you that can sit in the recipient’s inbox indefinitely, hard copy documents usually make it into a candidate’s file, where it can be read by others reviewing applicant materials.

Still, like their email equivalent, hard copy notes of appreciation have limitations, the greatest of which is delivery lag time. There’s also the question of whether hard copy messages must be typed or if they could be handwritten. In general, typed letters are more formal and, for some, more professional; handwritten notes, on the other hand, may seem more personal, but they might reflect an organization’s image and values more accurately. Whichever you choose, you can enhance your message’s reception by following format conventions when sending typed letters and making sure your message is legible if sending handwritten notes.

Regardless of whether you send the note electronically or by mail, you should make sure to use conventional spelling, punctuation and grammar for greatest impact.

Many dismiss the power of a well-crafted thank you note, but applicants who have sent a post-interview thank you report favorable responses, and some of those applicants say they’ve been told that their follow up made the difference in their application’s standing. Companies that have taken a post-interview thank you into account explain why: Sometimes, they say, a thank you note reinforces their decision about a competitive applicant. Sometimes it demonstrates the candidate’s sustained interest and ability to follow through. Sometimes it sets two equally qualified candidates apart, and sometimes it reveals a professional and social polish the candidate could bring to other aspects of the job. Sometimes, however, it simply reinforces the candidate’s ability to recognize the contributions of others—and that in itself can be the sincerest display of gratitude.

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