It is a mistaken belief that the interview ends as soon as you wish the panel good-bye and get out of the room. For an interview to be truly successful, some measure of follow up is necessary. And what better way to follow up than a well written thank you letter!

True, it is the age of the internet and the mobile phone. Yet, an e-mail is impersonal and official in nature, and a phone call is too run-off-the-mill. A personally written thank you letter will provide the much needed personal touch. Hiring managers across the board tell that a thank you letter is very much noticed and remembered, just because it is so very rarely received! It is the perfect method to influence your interviewer after you have left the interview.

Besides this, a thank you letter gives you the following advantages

1) A thank you letter is used to express appreciation and reiterate your interest in the position.
2) Besides demonstrating your courtesy and professionalism, it reminds the employer that you are genuinely interested in the position. This is very important, since it is logical for the employers to believe that a person will perform better if he is really interested in the position.
3) If the employer is considering more than one person for the position, a good thank you letter can help influence them in your direction. If they have already decided in your favor, it will endorse that they have made the right choice.

But before you sit down to draft a thank you letter and dash it off, take care about a few things
1) A thank you letter should be sent immediately after the interview, preferably within 24 hours.
2) It should be addressed to a specific person. Don't address it to "Dear HR Manager". Take care to collect the interviewers' business card and other contact information at the time of the interview only.
3) An informal hand-written written letter will create a much better impact than a faxed letter or an e-mail.
4) Follow impeccable professional standards. Use good quality stationery. Avoid use of emoticons and shorthand.
5) KISS. Yes. Keep It Short and Simple. Avoid verbosity, use simple words.

These days, even a single good vacancy will attract hundreds of applications, and many candidates are interviewed for the position. A well written thank you letter will create the much needed personal connection with the interviewer, and will pitch for you long after you have left the interview. So, the next time you complete an interview, come back home, and send a thank you letter to the panel. See the difference for yourself. Wish you all the best!

Learn more about this author, Siddharth Singh.
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