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After The Interview, Send The Perfect Thank You Note

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Dear Liz,

I had a really good job interview yesterday. The manager "Pete" and I had a great conversation.

He liked my stories. He said "You're a good story-teller, and in my experience good story-tellers make good salespeople."

This is an entry-level Sales job. I want to write a great thank you note to Pete. What should I say?

Thanks,

Alessandra

Dear Alessandra,

Congratulations on the terrific interview!

Your first goal in a post-interview thank you note is to remind Pete who you are. Sometimes hiring managers interview a lot of applicants in a short period of time.

They can easily forget you, even when you had a great conversation with them just a day or two before.

To bring yourself back to mind for Pete, start your thank you note by mentioning something you and Pete spoke about that Pete is not likely to have discussed with every applicant for the job.

That might be a little story he told you, or another conversation topic that went off the interview script.

Once you've reminded Pete who you are, your next task is to remind him how perfect you are for the role.

Here's an example of a post-interview thank you note from you to Pete (details invented, of course):

Dear Pete,

Thanks for chatting with me on Tuesday about the Sales Coordinator job in your department. I enjoyed our conversation greatly, especially your story about the customer who hated the frosted donuts you brought him!

I'm excited to learn more about your Sales Coordinator opportunity, which dovetails so well with my background in sports promotion and fund-raising for my sorority at State U. I'm looking forward to continuing the conversation. Thanks again and have an outstanding week!

Yours,

Alessandra

A thank you note is short. You're not going to be able to smash a lot of new information into it, but that's okay. Its job is not to teach Pete anything new, but rather to reinforce the good feeling he already has about you as a candidate.

Most candidates will not send Pete a thank you note. For positions that require a human touch including Sales positions your polite thank you note could be the reason you get the job offer when Pete sits down to make his hiring decision.

Maybe two or three of the candidates Pete interviewed seemed like people who could perform the job capably but only one of them took the time to write a thank you note, as well.  That's more than enough reason for Pete to conclude "Alessandra is the obvious choice!"

You can pick up a package of plain or printed fold-over note cards with matching envelopes at any office supply store or general merchandise store. Choose a simple design that appeals to you. Write your note on the bottom half of the inside of the note card (under the fold).

Address the envelope with Pete's name, title, company name and the company's street address in the lower middle of the front of the envelope, and add your own name and street address in the upper left hand corner of the envelope's front or the middle top of its back.

Put a stamp on the envelope (in the upper right hand corner) and drop it into the nearest mailbox!

If you like, you can also send a slightly longer thank you note via email to Pete.

Send a thank you note to everyone you interviewed with, and vary up the contents of the notes so they're personalized for each recipient.

All the best to you Alessandra!

Yours,

Liz

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