8 Crucial Do’s & Don’ts of a Thank You Note After Job Interview

By Elizabeth Benu,
With the high unemployment rate a job seeker would wish to have an advantage in an interview and get the job. In this case many measures are taken by a candidate and some of them involve sending a thank you note to the interviewer to keeping contact with them.

When you decide to use a Thank You note after an interview what exactly should it entail? Considering you still want to keep it professional what are the do’s and don’ts of writing such?

Benson Ng’ang’a, a Human Resource Officer at Foot Plus clears the air on post-interview thank you notes. He lists the do’s and don’ts as:

The Do’s
1. It should be official. Remember you are referring to a prospective employer.

2. Address the thank you note to the people who interviewed you. If it was a panel, address it to the interviewing panel.

3. Use the title of the interviewer and not their name. Most organizations have politics and addressing the interviewer by name will appear as if you are canvassing which instantly disqualifies you.

4. Send in the evening or the next day. Remember that once you are out of the interview you are forgotten. Ideally the rule of thumb is that it should be sent in less than two days.

5. Let it be as short as possible.

6. When signing off,  use yours faithfully instead of yours truly or any other signatures

The Don’ts.
1. Do not attach a gift hamper with it. Mr. Ng’ang’a confirms that this will be seen as bribing the interviewer.

“No matter how tempted you might be do not do it. In HR no candidate should do anything that could affect your judgment. So when you do this it appears as if you are trying to influence the judgment of the HR,” he says.

2. Do not write professionally immature things in it. For example, “I would really really love it if I was considered for this great position I interviewed for because this is the only good thing that will happen in my life.”

What would be the advantage of sending this note? I ask
“It shows that you are a candidate interested in the position. It will add value to you as a candidate but it does not necessarily mean that you will be picked for the position. Writing a thank-you note to the people who interview you is smart business etiquette,” says Mr. Ng’ang’a

He however adds that, “It may make you look desperate. Some companies might misuse you in the sense that the interview panel will give you a lower salary or fewer benefits. Most employers are not looking for someone to pay more but less. Be careful how you write it,” he advices.

What would your ideal thank you note be like? I probe further
“Thank you for giving me the chance to explain why I am a suitable candidate for this job opening.” he says.

His parting shot, “The best option for thanking the interviewer is doing it before you leave the interview room,” he concludes.

For more questions regarding interviews contact Elizabeth at elizabeth@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke

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