The tough part is over, the interview. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait, right? WRONG! Now comes the follow up. I hope you paid attention in your interview. Do you know the name of whom you interviewed with? Make it a habit to either write it down or get their card. With-in two days after your interview, or earlier if they are making the hiring decision sooner, they should receive a brief thank you note from you. This will give you that one extra time to “toot your own horn”!

A thank you letter after your interview will make the employer go back to your resume and/or application and take another look at you and your qualifications. It will help you stay in contact with the employer and give a lasting positive impression.

Your letter should thank the interviewer for their time and let him or her know you enjoyed meeting with them, re-emphasize your interest in the position being offered and reiterate you experience and qualifications for the job. Your letter should also identify a few things of interest to you that came up in the interview and state anything you feel would be of interest to the employer that you forgot to mention. In closing your letter, thank the interviewer again for their time and let him or her know you look forward to hearing from them within the time frame the hiring decision will be made.

Your thank you or follow up letter should be brief, about half a page. Make sure to check for grammar and spelling before dropping it in the mail. If you are sending a formal typed thank you letter, you will want to remember the proper etiquette of letter writing. Be courteous in the language you use. No one will hire someone that appears rude! Be sure to sign your letter with Sincerely and use the same name you used on your resume or application.

One last thing for you to remember, most people do not send thank you letters. This will be one more way to get the employer to notice soft skills that you have such as dependability, follow through and enthusiasm!