Five Reasons to Send Thank You Letters to Employers After the Interview

Five Reasons to Send Thank You Letters to Employers After the Interview
Thank you letters are an excellent self-marketing tool and
a critical component of your job search strategy. The time
spent crafting a targeted thank you letter after an
interview will be well spent and can contribute to a more
credible and efficient search. Below are five reasons to
incorporate thank you letters into your search strategy.

A thank you letter creates an opportunity to reconnect with
employers.

Chances are you are one of many candidates being
interviewed for an open position. Writing a follow up
letter allows you to build a relationship with the
interviewer and develop rapport. By expressing your
gratitude for the interview and recapping the highlights of
the meeting, you revisit the reasons you believe there is
an appropriate fit between you and the organization.

Following up keeps your candidacy top of mind.

Often candidates make the mistake of putting too much
control in the interviewer's hands. They believe that if
they are the best candidate, the interviewer will remember
them and keep them in the loop regarding the selection
process. But this is often not the case. It's critical that
candidates remind prospective employers of their interest
in a position and the thank you letter is the perfect
vehicle for communicating this.

Written correspondence allows you to sell your strengths
again.

While part of the reason for the thank you letter is to
express gratitude for the meeting, the document serves a
much more strategic purpose. It provides an opportunity for
the candidate to repackage their skills and accomplishments
into another format and market their value added to the
employer.

The document enables you to address points you neglected to
discuss during the interview.

Many candidates report that after they leave the interview
they think of all the other things they could have said
during the meeting. Rather than labeling this a liability,
turn it into an asset by discussing these points in the
thank you letter and remind the reader of your ability to
produce similar results for their organization.

A letter helps develop rapport and increases employer's
comfort level with your candidacy.

A good strategy is to recap a part of the conversation
where you and the interviewer shared similar views on a
job-related topic. The thank you letter can also be a forum
for demonstrating your consultative problem solving skills.
By addressing current issues the employer is facing and
proposing solutions, you are contributing to the company's
success even before you are on board.

Thank you letters continue to be an important component of
a successful job search campaign. But the focus has shifted
from a simple courtesy and show of appreciation to a
targeted self-marketing tool. By creating letters that
validate your candidacy, build rapport, and remind the
reader of your value added, you can significantly influence
potential employers and increase your chances for
subsequent interviews.

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Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers
(http://www.careersolvers.com ) has over twelve years of
experience in career management, recruiting, executive
coaching, and organizational development. Ms. Safani
partners with both Fortune 100 companies and individuals to
deliver targeted programs focusing on resume development,
job search strategies, networking, interviewing, and salary
negotiation skills.