by Katriina L.

Created on: August 09, 2008   Last Updated: May 31, 2009

Competition for top jobs is fierce in today's economy. To get the gig of your dreams, you need to be prepared to go the extra mile. This includes writing a thank you letter after your first interview. It seems like such a simple act, yet the vast majority of job applicants skip this step. Perhaps they feel it doesn't matter, or that their performance in an interview should stand on its own.

What a thank you letter does is demonstrate to a potential employer that you are truly interested in a position. Once you are beyond the initial resume-screening stage and you've been granted a first interview, most recruiters and hiring managers are looking primarily for "fit" within a company. The best and most obvious determinant of fit is whether or not the candidate really wants to work there. A thoughtfully-written thank you letter can give you an edge over the (potentially hundreds of) other applicants vying for the same position.

Your post-interview thank you letter can also be used as a way to communicate any additional information that you didn't get a chance to relate during your in-person interview. Some of the best thank you letters I have ever received have included supplemental information in support of an answer given in the interview itself. For example, if you are applying for a supervisory position, and you were asked how you have previously dealt with a difficult direct report, you may wish to add that you have thought further about your answer, and that you now see how you could have handled the situation differently, and you are excited about the opportunity to put your new-found insight to work in a new role.

Your thank you letter can be transmitted either via email or snail mail. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. If you send your letter as an email, your letter may end up lost in a overly congested inbox. However, email dissemination is near-instant, and if the hiring manager is looking to make a quick decision as to who to call back for second interviews, then you are best to use this method. If you are under the impression that the decision process will allow you some additional time to send a letter via traditional post, this can be an excellent opportunity to stand out of the crowd; particularly if you take the time to choose high quality stationary, and take care in the overall presentation of your thank you package.

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