8 Tips to Write the Perfect Thank-You Email After an Interview (Plus Examples)

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Zety.com.

If you’ve made it to the interview, you’re up against four or five other candidates. It’s safe to assume their qualifications are similar to yours. You’ll need extra gear to outperform them.

A well-written interview thank-you email could be that very gear. Most candidates don’t send thank-you emails after interviews. Or they send out thank-you notes that just don’t cut it.

Thanks to this guide, you’ll learn how to write the best thank-you email after an interview and keep the conversation running.

Read on for tips on how to write a thank-you email after an interview to dazzle the interviewer.

Why You Should Send a Thank-You Email After an Interview

Here’s some data on how critical the post-interview thank-you email is to your job search:

• According to a study, 1 in 5 recruiters and hiring managers will automatically dismiss a candidate if they haven’t sent an interview thank-you email.
• What’s more, a survey revealed that 80% of HR managers consider thank-you emails helpful for reaching the final hiring decision. And yet — according to the same study — only 24% of candidates send them.

Sending any thank-you letter after a job interview puts you ahead of over half of the competition. A great, personalized interview thank-you email? That’s what will make you the frontrunner.

Can You Say Thank You for an Interview by Email?

Is a thank-you email always okay, or do you need a handwritten note? Actually, an interview thank-you email will be your safest choice.

Why? Because it’s quicker than a snail-mail interview thank-you letter. Plus, this study has shown that 94% of hiring managers find post-interview thank-you emails appropriate.

The only exceptions where it’s a good idea to send your thank-you letter via snail mail are:

• Jobs in extremely traditional industries such as wedding planning or stiff suit-and-tie law firms.
• C-level positions.

How to Write a Thank-You Email After an Interview

Remember: When writing a “thank you for the interview” email, always be genuine. Thank them for the opportunity, reiterate your interest, and remember to refer to what you discussed during the interview itself.

Here’s how to write a perfect interview thank-you email in easy-to-follow steps.

1. Write a Clear Subject Line

No puns, no jokes, go straight to the point. It’s the only way to make sure your thank-you email gets opened.

Sample subject lines for a thank-you email:

• Thank you, [Interviewer’s Name]!
• Thank you for your time and advice
• Thanks for the interview yesterday
• I enjoyed learning more about [Company Name]
• Thank you!

Simple as that.

2. Open With a Personal Greeting

• Address the hiring manager directly, by name.
• If you’ve interviewed with more than one person, send personalized thank-you notes to each.

3. Express Your Appreciation

• Open with a “thank you!”
• Be sincere and authentic when expressing gratitude or appreciation.
• Show that you care about the time the interviewers spent with you.

4. Restate That You’re Interested in the Job

• Mention that you’re eager to join the company in the role you interviewed for.
• If the interview made you realize the job is not right for you, clearly state that in your thank-you email. The hiring manager will appreciate your honesty, plus you’ll help them save time.

5. Refer to Something Specific You Discussed and Make an Offer

• Identify what’s particularly interesting to you about the position and explain why. This way, you’ll make your email after an interview feel personalized.
• Refer to your key skills and relevant experience and show how you will use them to help your future employer get what they want.

6. Remind Them About the Established Response Deadline

• Be brief and polite.
• Say that you’re ready to provide any information they might need.
• Remind them about the designated response deadline.

A succinct paragraph such as the one below will do:

“Should you need any additional information from me that could assist with the decision-making process, feel free to contact me. I look forward to our call next week, as discussed.”

7. Close With a Professional Sign-Off

• Thank them again.
• Sign off with a “sincerely” synonym followed by your full name.
• Below, put your basic contact details: telephone number and email address.
• Optionally, add extra links (e.g., your optimized LinkedIn profile, Twitter, or a personal website).

8. Send Your Thank-You Email

Don’t forget to proofread your email before you hit “send”. You can use apps like Grammarly or Language Tool to help you avoid nasty typos or bad syntax.

Remember that you should send a thank-you letter after the interview while you’re still fresh in the interviewer’s mind — within 24 hours of the interview (the same day as the interview or the next).

If the interview takes place on Friday, send a thank-you email on Friday afternoon or Monday morning. Don’t send formal emails over the weekend.

How to Send a Thank-You Email to Multiple Interviewers

If you interviewed with several people, send a personalized thank-you note to each of them. Each of those thank-you notes has to be at least slightly different and personalized because they will likely share them.

The exception is a panel interview, especially if many of the participants joined via phone or Skype. In this situation, send one thank-you email after an interview addressed to everyone.

Don’t have everyone’s email addresses?

Send one email to the person whose address you have and either ask them to forward your thank-you email to other interviewers, or ask for the email addresses of the other recruiters and email them directly.

Short Thank-You Email Example

Subject Line: Thank You, [Interviewer’s Name]!

Hello, [Interviewer’s Name],

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me and talk about the position of the [position name] yesterday. It was a pleasure to learn more about your business approach.

Our conversation made me even more excited to join the [Company Name]. What interested me in particular was [something specific you discussed during the interview].

I was thinking about what you said on [the upcoming challenge your interviewers mentioned]. In my current/previous role as [your current position] I found that [a quick explanation of how you tackled a similar problem].

I’m sure my experience can translate into similar success as your new [the name of the position you’re applying for].

If you need any additional information from me at this point, please feel free to contact me. Looking forward to hearing back from you on [the specific date established during the interview].

Thanks again for your time!

Sincerely,

[Your sign-off]

• It will be a good thank you email after the first interview.
• It’s a good post-interview thank you email for entry- to mid-level candidates.
• Notice how the tone is balanced: it’s formal and polite but with a personal, relaxed touch.
• This one will also work great as a thank you email after a phone interview.

Formal Thank-You Email Example

Subject Line: Appreciate your time and advice, Mr./Ms. [Interviewer’s Last Name]

Dear Mr./Ms. [Interviewer’s Last Name],

I want to take a moment to thank you for taking the time to talk to me about the position of [the position you’re applying for] with [Company Name] yesterday. It was truly inspiring to have such a meaningful conversation with someone who shares my approach to [the type of business activities you discussed] and to learn about your industry insights.

The information you shared about your future projects convinced me that this job is a perfect fit for my professional and personal interests, and one where I could make a valuable contribution. I particularly enjoyed learning about [specific information about the job the interviewer shared with you] since [the reason you found it interesting].

I was also thinking about what you said on [the upcoming challenge your interviewers mentioned]. In my current/previous role as [your current position] I found that [a quick explanation of how you tackled a similar problem].

Finally, please find attached the details of some of the projects we discussed and the exact documentation of their business impact.

Should you need any additional information from me that could assist with the decision-making process, feel free to contact me. I look forward to our call next week as discussed.

Thank you once again.

Best regards,

[Your sign-off]

• The above interview thank you note example is recommended for corporate positions.
• Notice that it’s more detailed than the first sample. Use it only after in-depth interviews that took more than 45 minutes.
• A good pick for senior or C-level candidates.

Second Interview Thank-You Email Example

Subject line: Thank you for the opportunity!

Dear [Interviewer’s Name],

It was a pleasure to come and chat for the second time, thank you for this opportunity! Now I’m even more certain that I will be able to help deliver great results working as [the name of the position] with [Company Name]. What’s most exciting for me is [a detail you discussed that makes you most eager to join the company].

As regards the project we discussed, I started to think about what is necessary for us to make it successful. Please have a look at the attached presentation, where I outlined my preliminary ideas. If you have any questions, please let me know. I’ll be happy to elaborate on the details.

Thank you again for your time. I look forward to hearing from you on [the established date] as discussed.

Best,

[Your sign-off]

• Just like after the first interview, you have to send an interview thank you email after the second one, too.
• Notice how this sample thank you email after a second interview refers to specific projects.

Informal Thank You Email After Interview Example

• A good thank you email template for positions at small companies with a relaxed culture.
• The above sample will also work great for jobs at startups, or creative and artistic roles.
• If you feel that the atmosphere of your interview was very informal, make sure the tone of your thank you note matches it.