*W*hat would you usually do after attending a job interview?

*S*it back and wait for the job offer?

Or would you analyze how well you performed?

*O*r would you think about your mistakes and try to learn from them for your next interview?

Or would you go to tell your family and friends how it went?

Well, whatever you decide to do, it would be useful to send your interviewer a 'Thank you Letter" soon afterwards. Why? Well, this *helps you stand out from other candidates who most probably haven't thought about doing the same*. Consider this step still as a part of your job search; it could give you the edge over other job applicants. Furthermore, it brings your name to the forefront of the interviewer's mind and shows that you are seriously interested in the job on offer. Sending such kind of letter also demonstrates your initiative, commitment and ambition.

Employers and employees have been asked some very interesting questions in a recent survey on Job Interview Etiquette, conducted by Vault, regarding Thank you Letters.
From the "EMPLOYERS" perspective:
"How important is it for a job candidate to send a thank you note after the interview?" The result was as follows: 29% said it's extremely important, 41% said it's somewhat important and 20% said it is not important at all.

"How often do you receive Thank you notes?
23% said most of the time, 33% about half of the time, 32% rarely, 3% hardly ever, 9% almost all of the time.

"Would you reject a candidate for not sending a thank you note?"
5% said yes, 95% no.

"Is it acceptable to send a thank you note via email?"
98% said 'yes', email is the norm these days and 2% said 'no', a note through a regular "snail" mail is the only way to go.

From the "EMPLOYEES" perspective:

"How often do you send thank you notes after interviews?"

55% said almost all of the time, 17% most of the time, 9% about half of the time, 8% rarely and 11% hardly ever.

"Do you send thank you notes via email?"

76% said 'yes', that's the norm these days and 24% said 'no', I always send a letter through regular "snail" mail.

So, let me give you the Top 10 Tips how you should approach a thank you letter after attending a job interview.

Top 10 Tips:

Send the thank you letter 24 hours or at latest 2 days within the interview.

• Show them that you are a professional.
• Make sure you have the correct titles and names of all people who interviewed you. If you have their business cards, have a look at them. Double check your spelling and grammar. Proofread. Eventually, ask someone else to have a look at your letter, too. Just to make sure that there are really no mistakes.
• Sending your letter via email is acceptable, but you can also send a handwritten thank you note. In that case, make sure your handwriting is legible.
• If you think that during the interview you have been asked some questions which you haven't fully answered, then use this as your last opportunity to convince them that you are the right candidate for them.
• Let your interviewer know one more time that you are passionate about the job. Tell him/her why you are so interested and why you think you are a good fit for his/her company.
• If you had more than one interviewer, send all of them thank you letters but try to write them a bit differently.
• Keep it short and simple.
• If you really want to differentiate yourself then try to emphasize your expertise one more time by telling them that you can solve a particular problem that the company is facing. That might secure you a second interview or the job itself!
• Don't stop looking for other jobs, until you don't get a job offer.

The GOOD example:

31 Old Kent Road

London

Date …..

Mr Paul Lilley

Human Resource Manager

Goldsmith & Co.

82 Hamilton Road

Newcastle under Lyme

NL4 7TH

Dear Mr Lilley,

• Re: Position of Marketing Assistant*

Thank you for interviewing me on Wednesday the 8th September. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to meet your team and the tour of your premises. I was really impressed by the commitment and professionalism of your staff, and I would like to confirm my interest in this Marketing position and in joining Goldsmith & Co. I am confident that I would be able to contribute to maintaining your high standards.

Thanks again for your time and for considering my application.

Yours sincerely

Grace Thompson

The POOR example:

Charles Simpson
31 Old Kent Road

London

SE14 5RP

Date …..

Mrs Grace Peters

Human Resource Manager

Goldsmith & Co.

82 Hamilton Road

Newcastle under Lyme

It was great meeting you last week. Can you tell me what my chances are of getting this job preferably by today? I got plenty of other interviews lined up this week and would like to know if I would get this job asap. I would appreciate it if you let me know what competition I have.

By the way, what are you doing this Friday? Me and my friends are going out to see the new Tom Cruise movie. Let me know if you want to join us.

Later,

Charles

- The job applicant has chosen an informal greeting.

- The name of the interviewer has been spelled incorrectly.

- He shows himself to be disrespectful towards the interviewer.

- The job applicant is too pushy and demanding.

- He has acted inappropriately by asking the interviewer to go out for the movie.

- Abbreviations, such as "asap" for as soon as possible should be avoided.

- He asked for further favours and was disingenuous.

- He has not used proper salutation.
NL4 7TH