How to Write the Best Thank You Email After Interview (Plus 8 Samples)

So you applied for a job, got an interview invitation, and attended the interview.

Now, you’re done—almost.

All that’s left for you to do is to write that thank you email to your interviewer.

If you’re not sure how to write one, read on these 10 experts who shared their tips and templates on how to write the best thank you email after the interview.

Interview thank you e-mails are great ways to reiterate your interest in the position, highlight your key qualifications, expand on things that may have come up during the conversation, or provide additional information in response to questions you could have done better at answering live.

Go beyond the standard

Make sure to go beyond the standard, “thanks for your time today” by including additional details. This shows you have reflected on the conversation and demonstrates your excitement in the role.

Here is a template anyone can use:

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me (Insert Day). It was great to learn more about the work that (Company Name) is doing and how the role of (job title) fits into your overall plan.

As you know, I have an established track record of (list two or three of the most important skills they are looking for).

After thinking about our discussion further, (use this paragraph to restate key details from the meeting and/or offer explanations or new insights to overcome concerns that may have arisen during the interview).

I am looking forward to hearing from you (when they said the next steps would happen) and am excited to (what they said the next step would be, like “meet the rest of the team”).

Additional tips for you:

Send a different letter to everyone in the interview

Send a letter to everyone in the interview but avoid sending everyone the same letter and show that you put some thought into your follow-up

Send a separate letter to everyone

Be sure to send a separate thank you to everyone who had a part in your interview process. This includes any administrative staff that arranged your meeting and/or travel or recruiter who submitted your resume for consideration.

Here is an approximate plan for writing a thank you email:

1. Subject (for email)
   Let it be simple and specific.

    

   Thank you, (Name) Thank you for the opportunity, (Name) It was nice to know more about (Company Name) I appreciate that you spent your time discussing a vacancy (job title) with me

2. Introduction
   Thank them for their time and for the information about the company and the position they shared.
3. Key points of the interview
   Emphasize why you are best suited for the job based on the specific part of the interview.
4. Achievements and skills that were not affected by the interview
5. Conclusion
   Once again, thank the HR manager for the opportunity. Write that you look forward to hearing and that you hope that they will choose the best candidate for the position.

Here is an example of a thank you email after the interview:

Dear (Name),

Thank you for the excellent discussion of the vacancy (job title) on the past (day of the week). I understand that interviews are stressful, especially if they need to be conducted several in a day, therefore I am very grateful for how kind you were with me.

As we discussed, I have (the skills, achievements, or other qualifications that the HR manager focused on the interview) that perfectly complement the skill set of your current team. Your detailed and clear answers to my questions about everyday duties in this position also strengthened me in the thought that this work will bring me pleasure. On it, I can grow professionally, benefiting yours (name of department).

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I was pleased to meet you and the team at the interview.

Thanks again for your time and attention.

Respectfully, (Your name)

Be formal

To send a fantastic thank you email after a job interview, you should be formal and firstly thank the interviewer for their time. It is important to mention how you enjoyed meeting and learning about the job opportunity further.

Related: The Best Time to Schedule a Job Interview

Explain how you believe you could succeed in this role and reiterate anything the interviewer seemed particularly interested in, such as a point of view about the importance of the job sector.

Remember to follow up on any extra documents or information requested from the interviewer, including more portfolio examples that may aid you in nailing the job.

For example:

Hi Mrs. Smith,

I appreciate your time meeting with me this morning, and it was fantastic to understand more about your company from an internal perspective, as well as gain further information about the job position.

I am excited about the opportunity to become part of your dedicated marketing team. I am also glad we both agree on the importance of an integrated marketing campaign to achieve the best results for any client, as you saw with my previous integrated works.

As discussed, I have attached a copy of another campaign I previously worked on that integrated radio, AdWords, and social media campaigning in the past. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there are any further details you need for me to move forward in the hiring process.

The value of Thank You emails is quite underrated.

Let’s say you have two equally impressive candidates to pick from. One sends you a heartfelt Thank You email, and the other doesn’t. Which one do you choose?

Indicate appreciation and reiterate your interest

We advise to always send a Thank You email. It doesn’t need to be super intricate, it just needs to indicate appreciation for your interviewer’s time, and it needs to reiterate your interest in the position.

Something simple like this will do:

Dear <INTERVIEWER NAME>,

I wanted to thank you again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to interview me for the position of <JOB TITLE>. I truly appreciate it. I feel like my skills would be a great fit for <COMPANY>, and I’m very excited at the opportunity to work with you and the team. From what I saw of <COMPANY>, it seems to harbor an amazing culture, and I feel I’d fit right in! Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you again,

<YOUR NAME>

Short, sweet, and to the point.

Be concise

Don’t waste your time or their time by rambling. Everyone knows why you’re sending the email, and unless you need to add something important like the answer to a question, the recipient asked first, keep it short.

Be sincere

No one likes a fake thank you. Again, it’s a waste of everyone’s time. If you’re saying thank you, mean it, or don’t bother.

Be original

Not that you have to think of something completely different every time you write a thank you note, but it’s important to take a moment and write something specific to the recipient.

Dear So-and-So,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I appreciated our conversation and hope that we can connect again soon.

Sincerely,
Your Name.

It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.

The best advice for a thank you letter is to keep it simple. Don’t overpromote yourself, that time has passed. Give a genuine thank you for the interviewer’s time.

That’s it.

Dear {Interviewer},

Thank you so much for your time today. I enjoyed getting to know more about both the position and the organization.
I look forward to hearing about the next steps.

{Your Signature}

Write something unique that connected you to the interviewer or the organization during the interview process

Maybe it was something related to academics, taking the same courses or the same professors in college. It might be a project you’ve both had experience with or travel related to work. Anything that was relatable and stood out during the interview process that sets you apart from the many folks interviewing.

Dear Interviewer,

I want to thank you for the opportunity to discuss the position with you today; I truly enjoyed our conversation and the reflection on the labor and employment law classes at the University of Illinois. I still remember writing IRAC summaries during graduate school, as I am sure you do as well.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Short and sweet.

Be courteous, positive, and strategic

A thank you email is imperative after an interview, but it’s also important to be courteous, positive, and strategic in what you write.

Here’s an example:

Dear Ms. Smith –

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy day to meet with me and discuss the position available at your company. (Fill in the details about the name of position and name of company). It was a real pleasure to meet you.

Given my background in (specify), I believe I could make a meaningful contribution to (specify the company, division, etc.) by (give an example of what you might do).

I was positively impressed by (give an example of one or two things you heard about or saw).
(Then correct any negative impression or omission you might have made in the interview positively -i.e. “Though I shared a preference for working individually on projects, that’s only when it calls for a small task on my own area of expertise. On large projects, I really enjoy being part of a team, as illustrated by the excellent work I did on -specify project”).

Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Jane Doe

Thank you notes are an important part of the interview process, and sometimes, they can make or break your chances of getting that job you’ve been dreaming of.

Related: How to Answer the Interview Question “What Is Your Dream Job”

Below are some tips to make your thank you note count:

Add value

Include a new piece of information about yourself or the role that’s helpful. For example, if during the interview you discussed the company needing to improve their sales training, then follow up with an article on modern sales training techniques or data on what’s been helpful to improve sales.

If you’ve created a sales training that you feel comfortable sharing, then attach that file or link. It shows that you go above and beyond, that you truly see yourself in the role, and that you will add value to their team.

Length is important

If you write, “Thanks for the interview! Super psyched!” that’s much too short. But you also don’t want to send several paragraphs and come off as too verbose. Aim for 2-3 brief paragraphs. This will provide enough detail without taking up too much of the interviewer’s time.

Make sure it’s genuine and customized

Don’t send a generic thank you template to multiple interviewers. Include something unique to your interview – a funny anecdote that was mentioned, a mutual friend, or a shared interest. This will remind the interviewer of your conversation and let them know you took the time to craft a note specifically for them.

Keep your thank you email after a job interview short and to the point. Open by thanking the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you about the job. Be specific as to which job you interviewed for, as they likely have several candidates interviewing for various positions at roughly the same time.

Briefly share that it was great getting to meet them and one key point that you learned about the company or the position during the interview. Wrap up the interview by saying you are looking forward to the next steps to come. Finally, include your contact information before you finish sending the email.

Even if they have it on file in another email, it never hurts to add it in one more time, so they know how to reach you.