Do you have friends, business partners, or coworkers who send you little notes of thanks and appreciation after they’ve met with you? It feels really good doesn’t it? It also strengthens the relationship.

Typically, you will want to send a thank-you note or email within 24 hours of your interview: the sooner the better. Which format you use is a personal preference; however, employers still enjoy receiving a hand-written note. Hand-written notes are uncommon these days, and thus, a hand-written note will likely stand out from all of the follow-ups the employer receives. And, what is your job as a candidate? That’s right, to stand out from your competition. Ding!

Many people know they need to send a thank you card within 24 hours of their interview, but most people stare at their blank note card confused by what to say. Here are some ideas:

After thanking the employer for taking the time to meet with you to discuss how you may fit within the company, perhaps you can touch upon what you learned during the interview that impressed you about the company. If you learned something about how much of a family-like atmosphere the company exudes, and you value workplace harmony and cohesion, this could be a great opportunity to discuss aligned valued.

If you and the employer found a commonality during the interview, such as a love for reading, this could be an opportunity to strengthen that commonality by recommending an incredible book or stating how excited you would be to share good-reads with one another should you be the successful candidate.

And finally, if you noticed that you had shortcomings during the interview, you can briefly address them in your thank-you card. For example, if the company is seeking someone with exemplary Excel skills and yours are only decent, state in your thank you card that you are registering for an advanced Excel class and that you would be very excited to have the opportunity to apply your cutting-edge skills to this role should you be the successful candidate.

Hope that helps! Thank you for reading!