Crafting and sending quickly the perfect thank-you email after a job interview is critical because a) you have a short, rapidly closing window (about 24 hours) during which you still have the floor (i.e., you’re still fresh on the mind of the interviewer); and b) few other rival applicants will take the time to develop a truly meaningful thank-you / follow-up letter…so your application will come off looking that much more commendable!
Here are its key components:
- Address and (most importantly) shed new light on a specific topic that you discussed with the interviewer during the interview. You might write something like, “On the trip home today I gave more thought to our conversation about X and I’d like to share one more thought on the matter.” Then go on to share your deeper opinion on subject X, clearly demonstrating that you’ve digested your initial conversation, you heard and understood the interviewer’s perspective and you’re passionate about the matter.
- Admit to an imperfection. Something like this: “I wasn’t completely satisfied with my answer to your question concerning my management style, and I’d like to take this opportunity to briefly readdress it.” This can be an effective way to “redo” an interview question that you mucked up during the actual interview.
- Take a chance. If, during the interview, you gathered certain particulars about the position on offer (i.e., you asked some insightful questions and listened well), now’s the time to take a risk: use your new-found insights to offer up a preliminary solution to a problem that the interviewer fessed up to. In other words, tell them what you would do to address the problem if you were hired for the position.
Of course, thank the interviewer for his/her time. But the fact is, if your thank-you attends to the bulleted items above, the interviewer will already know that you’re grateful for the opportunity.