Follow up letter after a job interview

Sending a follow-up letter after a job interview is vital and could mean the difference between getting hired or not.

By Paige Tintle

“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,” says Barbara Safani, owner of Career Solvers, in Career Advice article 5 Reasons to Send Thank-You Letters.

So what does an effective follow-up letter look like and what are the rules?

Certified career coach Jeanne Knight suggests a few key sections to include in your thank you/ follow-up letter.

Reinforce points from the interview. Address specific challenges and problems that may have come up during the interview and communicate new information.

Ladders put together a post interview follow-up letter template that addresses all of the experts’ suggestions:

Dear Sir or Madam

Thank you for meeting with me this afternoon. To follow-up on my application for (position), I would like to reiterate my interest in and enthusiasm for joining your team. As such, I would like to take a moment of your time to address several key points and explain why I will be of significant value to your organization.

• I have extensive experience in financial reporting, from preparation through reconfiguration. Most recently, while providing full CFO services for COMPANY, I strategically retooled the financial reporting process to align with organizational changes and arranged financial report summaries to factor revenues, expenditures, and assets into economic and financial status.
• My financial analysis and restructuring expertise was a critical element in COMPANY’s annual cost savings. By reorganizing a corporate accounting team in order for them to more closely support the organization’s overall business plans, the company saved more than $35 million per year.
• As a Supervising CPA for COMPANY, I handled all aspects client audits, including planning, testing, confirming, and preparing financial statements.
• With more than 10 years of experience in corporate financial services, I know the industry and how to develop efficient financial controls, policies, and procedures resulting in profit gains, operational enhancements, and asset protection. This will provide your organization with a tremendous advantage.

I hope that the above information demonstrates the utility I bring to (company name) — today and in the future. You will also find that my abilities to lead and motivate are strong and have always been part of the foundation for my personal success.

In closing, I want to thank you for your time and consideration. I hope that we have the opportunity to discuss the ways I can contribute to your organization. I guarantee that I can not only meet your expectations, but clearly exceed them.

Sincerely,

Signature

While no two thank you letters will be exactly alike this is a good example of what type of information and tone works.

More from Ladders

• 5 ways to power up your work breakfast • Don’t let ghosts of work mistakes haunt your career success • How to barely hang on as an introvert in the corporate world
• Follow Up Letter After a Job Interview was originally published on Ladders, a publication dedicated to breaking news, opinion, analysis, and career advice at the cutting edge of our changing workplace. Sign up for our daily newsletter.

Originally published at www.theladders.com.