Like so many elements of the job search process, crafting the perfect follow up thank you email after a job interview is easier said than done. It can be a challenge to strike the right tone. You want your interviewer to get the right impression, but trying too hard can be a real turnoff.
If you’re doubting about writing one, just remember that thank you letter is just another opportunity to show that you are:
- Detail-oriented: You remembered specific details about your interviewers.
- Direct and confident: You’re not intimidated to reach out directly to someone who could become your teammate.
- People-focused: You recognize that connecting on a personal level is valuable on so many levels.
- Love feedback: You know that you can always improve.
- A team-player: You spent some time imagining what it would be like to work alongside this group of people.
- Someone who values other people: You understand that every work team is made up of people who each have something unique to offer.
- A big-picture thinker: You’re looking beyond the small details of everyday work and considering the environment as a whole.
- Serious about the job. You’re thoughtfully considering details about the position and the work the company does.
- Ready to be an engaged member of the team. You’re spending time thinking about the kind of problems you would be solving in this position.
- Excited. You seem motivated about the position and value the conversation you had during your interview.
- Personally connected. They are reminded that you may have gone to the same college or university, are from the same hometown, or share an interest in a unique hobby. You could fit right in!
- Confident. You’re not afraid of appearing out of your element to find out information about something.
- A serious candidate. You are looking ahead to the questions you might have if you were to be hired by the company.
Here are some interview thank you email examples that will show your hiring manager that you are friendly, thoughtful, and excited about joining the team. If you are having trouble landing on the right template, take some time to think through your phone interview. Jot down a few notes about what you talked about, and you’re sure to come across an ideal angle for your interview thank you note.
Best thank you emails after an interview: 18 samples (2023 update)
A simple, direct, thank you email
Subject: Thanks for your time today
Thank you for spending part of your day with me today talking about the ____ position. I came away feeling excited about joining the team and confident that I could hit the ground running.
Please let me know if I can provide any additional information that might help as you move ahead with your review process.
Thanks again,
Offer to provide references
Subject: Thanks so much for your warm welcome today
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me today about the ____ position. It was honestly a fun day!
Happy to send along references or any other info that you might need.
Thanks again, and looking forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Subject: Thank you!
Wanted to drop a quick note to thank you for your time earlier today. It was great to meet you via ___ and to learn more about ___.
If you would like references, please let me know and I’d be happy to provide.
Best wishes with ___.
Cheers,
It was great meeting the team!
Subject: Meeting the team today
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today!
It was great to meet the team and connect with people who clearly love what they do 🙂 I left the interview feeling super excited about whatever my future will look like in this field.
If you need any additional information, please let me know.
Take care,
Make An Impression & Continue the Conversation
Subject: Thank you and a quick question
Thanks so much for taking the time to meet with me today. It was great learning more about ___.
What you said about ______ made me think you may find this [LINK] interesting. Curious to hear your thoughts.
Talk soon,
Offer Something In Return
Subject: Post-interview thought
I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me today during my interview. I loved getting a chance to talk to people who are as geeky as I am about ____ 🙂
The way you described ____ is brilliant. I think you’ll enjoy reading this article on by ___. It was a huge inspiration for me when I started in ____.
Thanks again, and please reach out if you need references, portfolio, etc.
Best,
Reference The Conversation
Subject: {website or tool name}
It was very nice talking with you today 🙂
This is the website / tool I was talking about earlier:
Thank you!
Excited about the mission
Subject: Thank you for your time yesterday!
Thank you for your time yesterday afternoon. I really appreciate you sharing your vision for ___ and taking the time to get to know me and my background.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any additional questions. I’m looking forward to hearing back on the next steps in the process.
Cheers,
Excited to build together
Subject: Appreciate your time
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me yesterday about all things ___! Would love to build ___ together. It’s something I’ve been passionate about for the last few years, and I think you’re onto something very compelling.
Please let me know if there’s anything you need from me in order to move forward. Stay safe and have a great day!
Cheers to your success,
Poor internet connection or call dropped off
Subject: Appreciate your time
So sorry our call today dropped off a few times today! I really enjoyed meeting you.
If you have any availability later this week, I’d love to finish our conversation. Let me know what times work best for you, and I’ll put a quick follow-up on our calendars.2
Cheers,
18 more interview thank you email samples
#1
Hi ____, Thank you for spending part of your day with me today about the ____ position. Interviews can be a LOT, but you and your whole team helped to put me at ease right away. I came away feeling as though I have a good understanding of how the ____ department operates. I’m confident I could join the team and hit the ground running. Please let me know if I can provide any additional information that might help as you move ahead with your review process. I’d love to become a part of the _____ (xyz company or department) team.
Thanks again,
#2
Hi ____, To be honest, I wasn’t expecting today to be as enjoyable as it was. The interview process can feel pretty daunting, so it means a lot that you and your team were so welcoming. Today was also an excellent chance for me to see how the ____ department works together to reach your goals. If you think of any information I could send your way that might help you in the decision-making process, please let me know. I’d love to become a part of the ____ (company or department) family. Thanks again!
#3
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me today about the ____ position. It was honestly a fun day. I was able to get a real feel for how your team works together and came away excited about the contributions I could make at ____ (company). I’m so glad we were able to cover so much ground during our conversation, but I’m happy to send along any other info if it would be helpful as you make your decision. Thanks again,
#4
Hi ____, Thanks for bringing me in today to discuss the ____ position. I’m glad we’ve had a chance to learn more about one another. Your team is very impressive! I loved watching you interact. Please let me know if I can provide anything else that might help as you work through your decision. I’d love to join the ____ (department) team! Thanks again,
#5
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today! I really enjoyed hanging out with the team. Regardless of who you decide to hire, I wanted to mention how great it was to meet your team. It’s nice to meet other people who can’t help but geek out over all things tech. If I can send over any additional information that might help you as you’re working toward a decision, just let me know. Thanks so much.
#6
Hi ____, I’m not going to lie. I had so. much. fun. today discussing the ____ position with the ____ team. It was great to connect with people who clearly love what they do. I left the interview feeling excited about whatever my future will look like in this field. I hope that future includes me as your next ____! Please let me know if I can send any additional information your way that might help you as you work through your decision. Thank you so much for a fantastic experience today. I appreciate your time and consideration. Take care.
#7
Hi again, Thanks for taking time out for our interview today. I enjoyed learning more about the ____ department and meeting the team. I realized afterward that I didn’t have a chance to mention my experience with ______. There are several aspects of that experience that I think would help me get up to speed quickly as your next ____. Please reach out if you think of additional information I could send your way as you make your decision. Thanks again!
#8
Hi ____, Don’t you hate when you finish up a meeting and realize too late that you had more to say? Email to the rescue, I suppose! If we’d had more time, I would have liked to dive into a more in-depth discussion about ____ (topic you talked about). I realized too late that this is closely related to an experience I had ____. I hope we’ll have a chance to finish this conversation soon! I greatly enjoyed meeting the ____ team today. Getting a firsthand look at how your department runs and meeting so many people who clearly love what they do was a fantastic experience. If I can provide more information that would be helpful to you, please let me know. Thanks so much.
#9
Hi ____, Thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule for my interview for the ____ position today. Meeting the team was a fantastic experience. I did think of an additional topic we didn’t have time to cover today: _______. What you said about ______ makes me think you may find this interesting. I hope we’ll have another opportunity to catch up soon. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please let me know if you think of anything I could provide that might help you as you enter the decision-making process. Thanks again.
#10
Hi ____, Thanks for talking with me today about the ____ position. I appreciate you taking the time to get to know me and to share more about ____ (company name) and the ____ department. I wanted to mention that I am very intrigued about the ____ program at ____ (company name). I haven’t heard of a similar program at other companies. It sounds beneficial for people beginning to construct their careers. I’d love to learn more, just in case we have the chance to talk again. Thanks again!
#11
Thank you for spending time with me today discussing the ____ position. I learned so much more about ____ (company). Being able to meet your team was seriously cool. I did think of a quick question after we’d wrapped up that I’m hoping you could answer. You mentioned that ____ (company) offers a ____ program that new employees often find helpful. I’m wondering if the program focuses on specifics or if it’s more of a personal enrichment experience. Either way, it sounds like a valuable experience. I’m just curious about the ____ (company) approach here. If you could share a few thoughts or direct me to someone who could, I’d appreciate it! Please let me know if you think of anything else I can provide as you work through the decision process. I’d love to join the ____ (department) team. Thanks again.
#12
Hi ____, Thanks for taking some time to meet with me today. I really enjoyed the interview experience and learning more about the ____ department. When we talked, you mentioned your team has been developing ____ (a new process or product, for example). I was thinking about this later and wanted to suggest you look into ____ (SaaS app or helpful platform, for example). I’ve read that this approach can be useful as part of a similar process. Thanks again, and please reach out if you think of something additional I could provide that might help in your decision. Take care.
#13
Hi ____, I enjoyed meeting with you today. I feel like I know so much more about ____ (company) and the ____ department. I was thinking about that ____ (study or coding technique, for example) we discussed, and wanted to add a quick additional thought. I mentioned when we talked that ____, which is true, but it’s also important to know that ____. I’d love to finish this conversation at some point soon! Thanks again for your time today. If I can provide any additional information that would be helpful, just let me know. Take care.
#14
Hi ____, Thanks for spending some time with me today during my interview for the ____ position. I loved meeting the team and learning more about ____ (company). When we talked, we got on the subject of ____ (alma mater). It was great to meet a fellow alum! I remembered afterward that ____ (the name of a professor, for example) was the person who ____. I hope we can finish our talk soon. Thanks again, and feel free to reach out if there is additional information I could provide that would be helpful. Take care, and go ____ (college mascot or nickname)!
#15
Hi ____, Thank you for making time for my interview today. I enjoyed meeting you and left feeling very impressed with your team. You are doing some amazing things there! I was thinking about our talk earlier, and it occurred to me that you may find this ____ (researcher or web resource, for example) interesting. I know I do! Here’s to hoping we’ll have a chance to discuss this more soon. Thanks again. Please let me know if you think of anything else I could provide that would be helpful as you make your decision. Take care.
#16
I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me today during my interview. I loved getting a chance to talk to people who are as geeky as I am about ____ (your area of focus). I’m hoping you can give me a little more information about _____, or point me toward someone who can. The way you described your ____ process makes a lot of sense to me. I’d love to learn more about how this position fits into that particular process. Thanks again, and please reach out if you think of anything I could provide that might make your decision process easier. Take care.
#17
Hi ____, Thank you for spending part of your day talking with me today. I was so excited that you reached out for an interview, and it’s great to know that my instinct was on point. ____ (company) would be a fantastic place to work. I was thinking more about the ____ process we discussed. Your team is handling that in a unique way—the way you handle the project management, especially, is very smart. It put me in mind of a similar method I’ve read about. If you get a chance, check out this article (hyperlink “this article” to a relevant article). I think you’ll find it interesting! Thanks again, and please reach out if there is additional information that could help you as you work through the decision making process. Take care.
#18
Thanks for your time today! I enjoyed our conversation during my interview and appreciated getting the chance to see your team in action. At one point, we were talking about ____ (certification or a specific skill, for example). I’d like to look into this more and was hoping you’d have an idea about where I should start. It seems like an excellent way to start growing that part of my knowledge base. Thanks again. If you think of anything I could provide that would be useful to you as you go through the decision-making process, please say the word. Take care.
Who to send a thank you note to
There are two philosophies about who to send the post-interview appreciation emails to if you had a panel interview with a prospective employer. You could either send one email to both interviewers at once or you could send two separate emails.
If you are going for a more personalized approach and want to highlight something that you have in common with a specific interviewer, definitely go for separate emails. It will make each person feel special and give you room to set the tone for future conversations with each interviewer individually. If you want to come across friendly and someone who values transparency, following up with both interviewers in one email.
Never send a thank you note to one of the interviewers but not another. It alienates the interviewer that was left out and can come across as plain rude.
When to send a job interview thank you email
There are two philosophies about who to send the post-interview appreciation emails to if you had a panel interview with a prospective employer.
Most job seekers send a note either immediately after an interview, at the end of the day, or next day. What do all of these cadencies have in common? You follow up, you’re organized, and you value other people’s time. There are nuances, however.
- By following up immediately after an interview, you show that you love playbooks, and sending a thank you email after the interview is one. You also come across as someone who has a high sense of urgency.
- By following up at the end of the day, you give an interviewer a chance to process the information they gathered from an interview. Because it takes more effort to remember to do something when there is a time lag, this send time shows that you follow up and follow through.
- Following up the next day shows that you love balance. You remember things that matter but you have other opportunities and everything will happen at the right time.
What email address to send a thank-you note from
Every detail matters, and if you’re super detail-oriented and organized, then you probably have an email address specifically dedicated to job search. Don’t have one? Maybe it’s time to create it. You can create up to 5 Gmail inboxes. Sending an email from an email address like [email protected] or [email protected] shows that you’re on top of your inbox, take job search seriously, and value your time.
Common interview thank you email pitfalls
There are also some things that can go terribly wrong for job candidates in a follow-up email after an interview:
- You misspell the interviewer name
- You reference the wrong job title or position name
- You show too much enthusiasm by including keywords like “job offer”
- You don’t include sample work when you were explicitly asked to provide it
- You use an inappropriate signature (too formal, or too informal)
- You don’t use a clear subject line
Don’t Miss the Opportunity to Make a Good Impression
Here’s the thing. No, you don’t have to send a follow-up email to recruiters or hiring managers after your interview. It’s not a rule, and the company won’t think less of you or not invite you to the second interview because of it.
However, when you take the time to send a sincere thank you note, you stand out from the crowd just a bit more. Follow it with an invite to connect on LinkedIn, and it shows that you take every interview as an opportunity to network and build a great relationship, even if it doesn’t work out this time. You always have a chance to improve the impression you made in person or over a video call. It also feels nice to express your gratitude for the opportunity to interview as time is our most precious asset. Good interview followed by a timely thank you note shows you’re a great candidacy for the open role.
