copyright 2012 by arthur fricke thank-you letter advice and assignment tips a step-by-step guide for...

Copyright 2012 by Arthur Fricke

Thank-You Letteradvice and assignment tips

A step-by-step guide for writing GREAT professional thank-you letters after an interview

This slideshow will help you if:

You could use a step-by-step guide for creating thank-you letters that will really make you stand out as an effective professional (REALLY potentially helpful!)


Thank-You Letters what they do

SHOW audience that you are a professional punctual, detailed, competent, helpful

REMIND audience of who you are typical on-campus interviewer talks to 10-20 people / day you need to be in their mind when they get back to the

office to go through a big stack of ~100 interviewee notes


Thank-You Letters they are formal business letters

Know how to format a formal letter

Look at examples in the textbook There are minor variations in layout, but all business letters have

the same standardized basic parts in the same order

The grading checklist assumes a formal letter format

Some job fields have different conventions For example, high level banking and finance folks often use less formal personalized cards instead of formal business letters

IF your thank-you letter is in a different format, then explain to me why in a handwritten note to me right on the letter hardcopy and tell me how to use the grading checklist to evaluate it

http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/BusinessLetter.html


Thank-You Letters understand the goals

#1 – Remind the interviewer who you are Mention something SPECIFIC about what you discussed

Connect this SPECIFIC detail to why you want a job with them

#2 – Show that you are a professional Send it QUICKLY (write and send in 24-72 hrs of the interview)

Reiterate some kind of action item (usually a deadline)

DO NOT make grammar, spelling, or formatting mistakes !

This is a simple list, so the letter is just TWO paragraphs


Thank-You Letters ¶ ONE

Reader must know THREE things:

Who were you? (Quickly refresh their memory)

What did we talk about? (Remind them of something positive, SPECIFIC, and CONCRETE)

Why are you reminding me of it? (Connect yourself again to something they think is important)



Weak:

Dear Ms. Pandora,

Thanks for the interview. It was really great talking with you about Zortron Industries. I am very eager to work with your company.

You MUST say something SPECIFIC !



Better:

Dear Ms. Pandora,

Thank you for taking the time to interview me at the Texas Tech campus on Monday, January 29th, for the open “entry level designer” position. I especially enjoyed our discussion about proper ductwork dimensions. It is this kind of attention to detail that makes Zortron Industries a leader in the field of evil genius headquarters construction. This is just one of the reasons I am eager to work with your design firm.


Thank-You Letters LAST ¶

End with a “CALL TO ACTION”:

What EXACTLY is going to happen next?

Who is going to take this next action?

When will this next action happen?



Weak:

Thank you again for considering me for the position.

Sincerely,

JPTHeiSman (handwritten signature)Joe Theisman



MUCH Better:

Thank you again for considering me for the position. I hope to hear from you by the beginning of March.

Sincerely,

JPTHeiSmanJoe Theisman

Thank-you letters typically do not have complicated or detailed “calls to action” but DO mention a deadline. In general, just REMIND them of

when you’d like to have a decision (this HELPS the interviewer).


Thank-You Letters the goal

SHOW audience that you are a professional punctual, detailed, competent, helpful

REMIND audience of who you are typical on-campus interviewer talks to 10-20 people / day

Only ~10% of interviewees will take the time & effort to follow up with a professional hardcopy thank-you, so get a business card from the person(s) you interview with and SEND THEM AN EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL HARDCOPY THANK-YOU!

copyright 2012 by arthur fricke thank-you letter advice and assignment tips a step-by-step guide for...

Documents