You've dedicated much of your time to getting ready for the job audition. You've made all efforts to give great answers. You've passed the audition. And at last, you can say, "Oh yeah, the things are finally over!". But they are not over, actually. Yes, you've come through the most challenging part, but the interview is not over. The final step is to send a follow-up email. If you do not do it, the recruiters can quickly forget about your candidacy or think they do not need this job at all.
In this article, we'll discuss how to make the follow-up interview letter and give you some examples. So, let's go.
Before we know how to write an after-the-interview letter, let's understand why it plays such a significant role in the hiring process. This part has the same level of importance as the other parts of the hiring process. By sending this letter, you demonstrate to your potential employer how you value the possibility to communicate with him and how professionally excellent you know the job manners.
Generally, many applicants compete for the vacancy; that's why the recruiters can hardly remember all of them. So, if you do not want to be forgotten, you need to write a follow-up letter, and it's highly advised to do it during the day after the audition.
In the follow-up email, you need not only to demonstrate your gratitude for the time and attention the recruiter or employer has dedicated to you; you also need to show how enthusiastic you feel about the job and give the reasons why you're the perfect for this position.
Several recommendations on how to compose an audition follow-up letter
Many people underestimate it, but the letter sent after the audition can serve as a robust instrument in the getting-the-job process. This email can remind your possible employer about you and your desire to get this job.
There are many variants of how this post-interview email should look like. And it does not matter what type it is.
We'll give you several recommendations on how to write it and what it should include:
- Demonstrate your interest in getting the job: At first sight, it seems easy to show interest in a letter, but if you write many such letters, it can be a little bit hard. You'll probably be more disappointed than encouraged by the time the HR manager needs to return to your candidacy. Nevertheless, you need to stay positive and express your interest to work on this post.
- Demonstrate your appreciation: When writing the follow-up email, don't forget to thank the HR manager for the time he's devoted to you. Generally, appreciation is the letter’s central element. This way, you demonstrate politeness and make soft the harshness of the status upgrade request.
- Give additional info: Maybe, it's not always appropriate, but you can also add some extra info in the after-the-interview email. This information can be different – some abilities or job experience, anything you've forgotten to tell during the interview. Besides, if you felt that mentioning these facts was irrelevant on the job audition, it's the best possibility to share this information in the after-the-interview email.
- Re-read the text again, correct mistakes, if any, and ask someone for a second opinion: Yes, you can feel eager and assertive, but you should not demonstrate such emotions in the letter. After writing, we advise you to re-read the email again, correct mistakes if you find any, and ask someone to look it through. He can help you see whether you use the right tone and express positive emotions – curiosity and readiness to help any time.
- Ask to tell about the following steps to make after the job audition: Asking when you'll have the answer serves as the best way to escape the unknown of when to write the follow-up emails (we do not mean the thanks letters here). This info is helpful to define the time when to send the following letter.
Now, we'll give you some illustrations of making post-interview emails.
Appreciation letter
Generally, this letter is sent 24 hours after the job audition. Here, you need to underline all your strong features that can perfectly suit the post. Besides, it’d be best to show how excited and interested you are in getting this job.
Dear Mr. or Mrs. Fines,
I want to show my appreciation for the time you've devoted to discussing the post of (post's title). It was fantastic to meet with you and learn about the job.
I feel very enthusiastic about this chance to work in your organization (its title). I believe my experience and skills can help the organization succeed and reach new heights.
After the interview, I've ensured that my abilities and strong points will help me do the job professionally and support your organization's goals.
You can text or call me anytime. If you need me, I can share extra info about my experience and qualifications. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Your name and contact information.
Giving extra information
Dear Mr. Wilson,
For one more time, I'd want to say "thank you" for today's meeting and discussing the job of (position's title). It was a true joy for me to meet with your team. And I feel very enthusiastic about working with such staff (and I hope I will have such an opportunity).
Additionally to my strong points, abilities, and experience that I can share with you, I am a skilled gambler ready to do any team task. I'm sure that as a professional I can surpass all your expectations.
Since we've had limited time for talking, I'd like to share more info about my duties as (post's name) in the (organization's title). I've also added the file that describes all my knowledge and skills in the area (area's name). If you want to know something more, I'll answer any of your questions with great pleasure.
Best wishes,
Your name and contact information.
Choosing the Right Email Template
As soon as you know when and where to send the email, you face another task. The task is to choose an appropriate template. There are many samples of follow-up emails available on the Internet, but very few of them are good enough for your interview. You have come up with a great idea that can help people get hired much easier. It would be wise to share this information with others, but it may not be right in this case because nobody will hire you if you reuse any one of these templates word by word or change their text slightly. For example, do not write something like this: "Dear Sir/Madam! I'd like to thank you for inviting me in person". If you take this sentence straight out of some template, the hiring managers will not pay attention to your email. They know that any candidate can send it and they all do it! Be creative and write something like, "Hi again! I wanted to thank you for arranging the interview yesterday". It demonstrates that you've remembered their names. You show them that you do care about this job.
Creating Your Own Template
You may also create your own template without even realizing it. All you need is to choose the appropriate order of sentences. That's perfectly fine because nobody knows what exactly should be written in a particular section of a follow-up email after an interview except the sender herself/himself. You are free to put down anything into each section as long as it looks natural.
For example, your template can look like this:
- Paragraph 1 – Introduction
In the first sentence of the first paragraph, tell them how happy you are that they consider you a strong candidate and then briefly introduce yourself again if necessary, for instance, if you've been communicating with each other on LinkedIn. Do not write something like "Dear Sir/Madam" again because it makes no sense to do this after your first message. You can also put down some small detail here that has caught their attention during the interview (for example, you remember that they mentioned their weekend trip to Hawaii; don't bother using this line though unless there was any conversation about trips at all).
- Paragraph 2 – Follow-up
In this paragraph, make a list of topics you shared during the interview. Focus on details they remember too because this will help them piece together what you said in their mind. For instance, if they told you about something interesting happening at work, write down one detail from their story and tell them how glad you are to hear it (do not misspell "you're" here).
- Paragraph 3 – Action plan.
Tell them whether you are interested in the job position or not. If yes, ask for some next steps that can help move your candidacy forward (for example, ask for another meeting/interview). If not, express your gratitude once more and apologize for not being a good fit for this position.
Good Luck with Your Job Application!
The most important thing is to send a follow-up email after an interview. You do not have to publish your own template or write a dissertation on this topic – just share some ideas that can boost your candidacy and make the hiring managers remember you better.
