Choosing the Appropriate Thank You Note Format

By Susan P. Joyce

Preferences vary depending on industry, location, and corporate culture. However, everyone agrees that sending the thank you within 24-hours of the interview is a requirement.

The biggest issue to consider is the timing of the delivery of your thank you. Fastest delivery is best, of course, which is email, but not all employers consider email to be appropriate for business correspondence.

Email Is Acceptable for MANY Employers

Exceptions exist, of course, but many studies, like the Accountemps employer survey, have shown emailed thank you notes are usually fine with nearly 90% of employers. Of course, individual and organizational preferences may differ. The safest thing to do is to ask which method of sending thank you notes or "staying in touch" is preferred.

Hopefully, you collected a business card from each interviewer at the end of the interview. Business cards should contain all of the necessary contact information for business communications. If the card does not contain a street address, the person is probably indicating a preference for emailed correspondence.

Email Choice Considerations

You can have some indicators that an emailed thank you is acceptable and/or necessary:

• Speed -- If the decision-makers are within a few days of making the hiring decision, you want them to receive your note immediately. Email is usually the best choice when an immediate response is required.
• Standard use -- If all of your communications with members of the employers staff (excluding an external recruiter), have been via email, an email thank you should be acceptable.

Email Thank You Note Protocol

Of course, you must proof read very carefully, regardless of the method you use!

• Send a separate message to each person who interviewed you, not a single message with everyone in distribution regardless of whether you put them in the "To," "Cc," or "Bcc" fields.
• Send a unique message to each person because the messages will probably be shared, making you look a bit tacky if everyone receives the same text. They don't need to be dramatically different, but customize each message for the recipient.

If you are concerned that email may not be considered appropriate or acceptable, follow-up immediately with a hand-written or typed thank you note sent via the post office/snail-mail.

See the Sample Interview Thank You Email for tips on writing the most effective email thank you notes.

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IMPORTANT CAUTION:

If you are employed, do NOT send this email message (or any other job search activity) from work, and definitely don't use a computer or smartphone owned by your employer to send the message. That technology may be monitored by your employer who will not be happy to learn about your job search. If your job search is discovered, you could lose your job.

Use a non-work email address, like Gmail, for your job search activities, and use your own hardware and network, not your employer's.

Hand-Written Thank You Notes Are Preferred by Some

Some organizations are keeping technology at a distance for as long as possible, and they prefer that approach in their employees. If technology is more tolerated than appreciated, responding in a formal way may be the best approach.

If all of your interactions with the employer have been very formal, then a formal hand-written (but legible) thank you is probably appropriate. The major problem with hand-written notes is that they may be difficult to read. Focus on writing very clearly if a hand-written note is appropriate. Consider dropping off your thank you note to expedite delivery.

Be particularly careful in addressing the envelope when hand-writing it. Focus on legibility, proper spelling and grammar.

As appropriate for the organization and location, the address should include:

• Name and title of the recipient
• Company name
• Building name (if appropriate)
• Floor and office/suite number, and/or mail stop
• Street address
• City, state, and Zip Code

Hand-written notes are not common, so writing one might be a very good way to differentiate yourself from other job candidates.

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Typed Thank You Note Is Also Acceptable by Most

Using the postal service is not the fastest way to send a thank you note in comparison with email. In addition, mail may first be delivered to a "mail room" before being distributed to the offices in larger organizations on several floors of a building, creating greater delay in the delivery of your message.

Having the correct snail-mail address is required for quick delivery of your note. To ensure the speediest delivery, specify the address very clearly and carefully, and always include a return address so that you will know when a message was not delivered.

Note that having any of the information above address elements listed above missing or wrong will delay, and perhaps stop, delivery of your thank you note.

As usual, be sure that your printed thank you is perfect. A formal organization that requires such a response will probably not be very accepting of errors in your thank you.

You may gain points and speed by hand-delivering your printed thank you note to the receptionist. Don't linger or try to talk with anyone. Just drop off the note and leave.

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Stand Out by Sending a Thank You After EVERY Interview

Whether it is your first interview and it was over the phone or Skype, or the 3rd round of in-person interviews on-site, your thank you will put you ahead of the majority of job candidates who don't make the effort. Your thank you will also give you an opportunity to remind each interviewer how unique and excellent you are.

More about writing effective thank you notes: Sending Your Thank You After the Job Interview and 7 Costly Job Interview Thank You Note Mistakes for more information.

Bottom Line

To make the best impression (and provide the speediest response), carefully send professional thank you notes by email within 24 hours of the interview. Then, follow up with either a hand-written or a typed thank you note that you mail, also within 24 hours after the interview.

More About What to Do After a Job Interview:

• Job Interview Follow-Up - the next step in the process
• After the Job Interview, What Is Taking So Long?
• Turning Rejection into Opportunity - IF you don't get the job, but you did like the employer
• Guide to Email for Job Search