After an interview, whether it is for a job, an internship, a college admissions interview or a meeting to ask a professor or other professional for a letter of recommendation, a thank-you note is always good form. A good thank-you note should be sent within two days of the interview. But there are still many people who ask, “In this era of text messaging and tweets, is a thank-you note outdated and old fashioned?” And “Is it really that important?”. The answer is that, yes, it is really important. A well written thank-you note serves several purposes:
- It allows you to remind the interviewer who you are
- To thank them for taking the time to consider you
- It gives you the chance to briefly re-state your interest and your qualifications.
- You can mention anything you forgot to say during the interview.
- It shows the employer or interviewer that you have good manners and are a professional.
- It allows you to include any follow up information that may have been requested.
Thank-you letters should be either handwritten or typed and mailed. The letter should be sent through the mail, rather than sent electronically. The only time you should send your letter via email is when you know that the person will be traveling and won't be at their office for some time or when the only contact information you have for the interviewer is their email address. Even still, you should be able to find out their mailing address with a little bit of research.
If your interview was informal, feel free to opt for the handwritten letter. Handwritten thank-you notes tend to be more personal and less formal, so they lend themselves well to this sort of situation. However, if your interview was very formal and professional, then it is better to go with the typed out letter printed on nice paper. Think of it as a chance to practice your professional letter writing skills and don't miss out on the chance to show them that you are a professional and well versed in the proper etiquette of the workplace.
Do you always send out a thank-you note after interviews? If not, why? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Are you ready for your first professional position? Be sure to visit CollegeJobBank.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!