by Kevin Hartford

Created on: February 09, 2010   Last Updated: February 10, 2010

Everyone wants to be remembered, especially the job seeker.  It is important to send a thank you letter after a job interview because a job seeker needs to be remembered by the hiring manager.  Although almost every job hunting resource mentions the thank you letter, very few job seekers actually take the time to send a thank you note.  This is a good way to be differentiated from the pack.

Being able to break from the pack and be memorable is important in today's job market.  A job market where there are more job hunters than jobs to be filled.  Besides, sending a thank you note is considered a common courtesy; after all the executive used his or her important time to talk to the job seeker.  Even if the potential employee did not get the job, he or she still gained valuable information and experience for the next interview.

The thank you note does not have to be long, but it should be well thought out and free of errors.  A job seeker does not want to survive a grueling interview only to be discounted because of a misspelled word or formatting issue.  Here are a few suggestions as to what should included:

1.  A reminder about the time and place of the interview, because there may have been one or more interviewees for the position.

2.  A follow-up to any discussions about the industry, company, position.

3.  A recap of the job seekers qualifications and fit for the job.

4.  Any information that was not discussed during the interview that may be relevant.

It is also important to send thank you notes to anyone who may have helped the job seeker get the interview.  This could include any referrals and administrative staff that assisted the job seeker.  These people will not expect it, but can also keep the good word about the job candidate fresh in everyones mind.

The thank you letter is an important, often neglected, tool for the job seeker.  It as a marketing tool and a simple reminder to the hiring manager that the job seeker in a true professional.  It is also a matter of common courtesy.  Because the letter is not commonly used, it is more powerful.  The thank you letter does not need to be complicated, but in its simplicity it is important.

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