Your job search campaign is in high gear. You have been on a number of job interviews where you feel you have performed well and are a serious candidate. According to Michael Neece, CEO of Interview Mastery, during periods of high unemployment it takes 17 job interviews to get an offer. A tip for job interview success and a way to increase your job offers is to follow up the interview with an old fashioned thank you note. A thank you note is a personal hand written message, it is not sent electronically, but sent through the US Postal Service. When the hiring manager receives your personalized note you will have accomplished a number of things:

1. You will have demonstrated that you are a gracious person, respectful of others time and attention.

2. Your name will now be foremost in that persons mind.

3. You will have reinforced your interest in the job.

4. This little kindness is so rare now, it really makes an impression. You will set yourself apart from other candidates.

I know that sending thank you notes works, as I regularly use them in my personal and business matters. They work because so few people send them out. This kind gesture will put you ahead of other candidates. Thank you notes open the doors for you when you make future contact.

How to write a thank you note

Your thank you note should be between 3 – 5 lines, anything longer starts to become a letter. A good format is to thank the person for the interview, reference a positive discussion point, and mention a future interaction. Here is an example:

Dear Mary,

Thank you for taking the time to discuss the open position on your team this morning. I especially enjoyed learning about the creative goal setting techniques you employ. I will contact you in the next few days to discuss next steps. Thanks again for sharing your time with me.

Regards,

Mark

The thank you note does not replace other follow up strategies like sending a follow up letter, email or placing a phone call. It is done in addition to these activities, and it sets you apart from the competition.

Try this tip for job interview success and I guarantee you will increase your interview follow up success rate.

Mark Gregory, a results oriented executive with 34 years of experience in privately held and Fortune 1000 companies, is the author of the newly created The How to Prepare for an Interview blog. His experience includes creating a regional hiring plan which resulted in the hiring of 100 sales and sales support individuals in a 6 month time-frame. As part of the plan he developed the hiring profiles for the positions to be filled, helped create the candidate screening process and trained the hiring managers in proper interview technique. He will share his experience in what hiring managers look for in a candidate, pitfalls to avoid, and how to position yourself as a desirable employee.

Visit the How to Prepare for an Interview Blog

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