1. Stephanie Novakowski | Stephanie@HTPSolutions.com
The Power of
a Thank You
By Stephanie Novakowski, 2015
We recently sent two candidates for
an interview and the company had one
more candidate to consider. When we
asked for feedback, we were told that our
first candidate was not being considered
because the client didn’t see the
enthusiasm wanted. The second candidate
was in the running and they would be
making a decision shortly.
This led me to reach out to our candidate
and ask if he had sent a “thank you”
following the interview, which he had not. I
asked the candidate to draft a “thank you,”
so we could forward it to the hiring
manager.
As of this writing, a decision has not yet
been made but it led me to write this article
about why you should send a “thank you”
email following an interview. The “thank
you” email (always an email) is my favorite
tool when it comes to distinguishing
yourself and provides an excellent
opportunity to correct any “wrongs” you
may have committed during an interview.
When I discuss the “thank you” email, most
people immediately shake their head like
“yes, I know this” and yet the vast majority
do not send an email.
Addressing your “thank you”
When addressing your “thank you,” you
need to consider with whom you
interviewed. If you interviewed with a
single person, then obviously that “thank
you” should be addressed to that person.
But in cases where a panel interview took
place or additional team members
attended, you may have not gotten
everyone’s’ name, and that is ok. With that
said, be sure to address the “thank you” to
“John Smith & Team” or “John Smith &
Panel.” If you had multiple interviews with
different people, make a point to get
everyone’s name and acknowledge
accordingly.
Personal Anecdote: A few years ago,
our team was hiring another HR Generalist,
a replacement for my colleague who had
accepted a promotion. Candidates
interviewed with the VP, Director and
myself and my colleague (who was being
replaced) separately. The one candidate
who had all the experience desired wrote a
single “thank you” to the VP. The single
“thank you” to the VP alarmed me as it
suggested the candidate failed to
understand the importance of the team and
would likely only pander to the VP. We
ultimately went with another candidate
who recognized the team. While she didn’t
have all the experience we wanted, she was
definitely a team player who I greatly
enjoyed working with and also learned a lot
from because of her other experience.
When I discuss the “thank you”
email, most people immediately
shake their head like “yes, I know
this” and yet the vast majority do
not send an email.

2. Stephanie Novakowski | Stephanie@HTPSolutions.com
If you were contacted by a recruiter and the
interview was set up by the recruiter, draft
the email, and address it appropriately but
ask the recruiter to forward it on your
behalf (you can ask for a contact email but
don’t be surprised if they don’t provide it as
sometimes companies want the recruiter to
be the only contact person). Also, don’t
forget to thank the recruiter for contacting
you and organizing the interview – a happy
recruiter who feels appreciated is going to
do more to help persuade decision-makers
on your behalf.
Content of your “thank you”
In general, I do not encourage people to
have a canned “thank you” as I firmly
believe the “thank you” should be uniquely
written to the specific interview. To start
any “thank you,” however, I think a simple
statement thanking the interviewer(s) for
their time and the opportunity to meet is
always a good way to open.
From there, I would recommend
highlighting the aspects of the job and
company that excite you to show your
enthusiasm. Briefly, identify what
experience you have that will nicely
compliment the position.
Acknowledge any deficiencies in experience
you have and explain how you would
overcome them to be the best possible
candidate for the position.
Finally, my favorite part of the “thank you”
is to give you an opportunity to correct or
modify answers from your interview that
you felt could have been answered better.
You would think that, as a recruiter, I should
be a pro when it comes to interviewing but,
like everybody, I get nervous and certain
questions always stump me. If you fumble
a question, address it head on by
explaining, “In the interview, you asked me
about XYZ, which I feel I did not answer
adequately and would like to elaborate….”
Close your “thank you” by again expressing
your desire to join the team and offering to
be available to answer any other questions.
Didn’t get the job but really wanted it?
Finally, if after the interview and your
“thank you,” you still didn’t get the job but
really wanted it, consider writing a follow
up letter similar to this sample:
Personal Anecdote: For my first
professional job out of university I had
interviewed for a recruiting job but was not
initially selected because I didn’t have any
“industry experience.” I was truly heart-
broken as I had desperately wanted the job
and was sure it would be what I needed to
help position me for future success. After
the decision was made, I wrote an email to
the hiring manager, similar to the one
above. About two months later, I was
contacted when the initial hire was not
working out and ultimately got the job. I
had also put on my calendar to follow up six
months later to again say hello and express
my interest, but I was actually already there
working the job.
Dear Hiring Manager and Team,
I wanted to thank you again for the opportunity
to interview for XYZ job. I understand you have
made a decision to go with another candidate. I
remain very interested in the position and your
company and wanted to let you know that if
your needs change, I would love the opportunity
to be considered again.