Landing the Job With a Thank You Letter

So you have gone through weeks of the recruitment process and you landed the final interview with the decision maker. The interview goes well and you are one of the final candidates. Most think, at this point, you just wait for the final decision. There is nothing more you can do to influence the outcome in a positive way. Most would be wrong. There is one underutilized step that you can capitalize on and get an edge on the competition: the thank you letter.

A thank you letter is common courtesy after an interview and, at times, even expected by employers. In fact, rarely will you ever see any acknowledgement of your pleasantries. Let's change that. These are three steps to craft a thank you letter that is hard to ignore and may give you that final bump to an offer letter.

1. Thank them for their time

As part of the thank you letter, clearly, you have to thank them. Thank the specific individual for taking time out of their busy day to talk to you about the position they are offering and providing their insight into the day-to-day of the company. Unless you are interviewing for an HR position, most hiring managers have other operational responsibilities they set aside to interview candidates. This recognition of that effort by the candidate is often times very much appreciated.

Be genuine and specific in your thank you, so it is not perceived as a generic platitude.

2. Solve a problem

During an interview, managers will explain what they are looking for in a candidate, whether it be explicitly or through the questions they ask. They are usually bringing someone on to help hit a goal/target or solve a problem. Make note of that problem or that target.

After thanking them, take a crack at solving their problem. This is where you will shine. Do your research on the industry, the specific geography you would be serving, and trends related to the problem/target. Citing the research and trends, put together a basic plan on how you would help solve this problem or help hit those targets. Provide any source documents you may have used to put together your plan.

Whether they agree with your potential solution or not, they will acknowledge the effort and thought behind your letter.

3. Restate why you are an overall good fit

Summarize your thank you letter by restating why you are a good fit for the position. Restate specific experiences, skills, and qualities that make you the ideal person for the job. Remind them why you are the top candidate.

Don't forget to end by thanking them for time and consideration.

Combine all three steps, in that order, and you will absolutely be remembered by that hiring manager. The effort you put into the thank you letter shows the "extra mile" you would go if you were to get the job. You will have closed the interview process with a bang.

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