A well written thank you letter is another opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from other candidates and demonstrate your professionalism to a potential employer.

Although it is recommended that a thank you letter be sent to all individuals who interviewed a candidate, few candidates take the time to send thank you letters. Therefore, when a hiring decision is a close call, a thank you letter can mean the difference between receiving and not receiving an offer.

Thank you letters should be sent no later than 24 hours after the interview. Sending a thank you letter is more important than the method chosen to communicate your appreciation for the interview.

Timing, Format, and Content

Depending on when the hiring decision will be made, thank you letters can be mailed or emailed. If the hiring decision will be made quickly, an email thank you letter may be the quickest, most appropriate method.

A hand-written thank you letter may be acceptable, provided your handwriting is legible and neat. Whether you send a typed or handwritten letter depends on the workplace environment you will be entering and the preferences of the recipient.

Regardless of the format used, carefully proof your letter for typographical, grammatical and punctuation errors.

If you mail your thank you letter, it is recommended you follow a standard business letter format. You will want to include contact information for you and the individual to whom you are sending the letter.  For a consistent image, we recommend that your contact information be presented in the same format as it is presented in the heading on your résumé and cover letter. Remember, all these documents may be side by side in a folder with your name on it.

You should also include the date on which the letter is being sent. Finally, be sure that you sign the letter if you are sending a hard copy. Many employers these days will request your documents electronically, but if you mailed the letter, remember to sign it.

    Construct a Thank You Letter

    In Paragraph #1

    In this paragraph, you want to thank the individual(s) for taking the time to interview you. If the interview occurred at a location other than at the organization, state that as well. Indicate your interest in the position has increased as a result of the information gleaned from the interview. If several individuals interviewed you, a separate thank you letter should be sent to each individual.

    In Paragraphs #2 and #3

    In the body of the letter you want to reiterate the reasons you are interested in this opportunity and restate how your skills make you an ideal candidate for this position. If you have additional information to enhance your candidacy that was not covered during the interview, include that in this section as well.

    In Paragraphs #4

    In the closing paragraph you want to thank the employer again for the interview. Include your email and phone contact information, and check both your voicemail and email accounts regularly.

Review a Sample Thank You Letter

Our sample Thank You letter was created using portable document format.

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