When sending an email “Thank You” note after an interview, the send button is your ENEMY. We all send emails to our friends and colleagues for the most part with impunity. Spelling and grammar are unimportant. Abbreviations like “ur” instead of “you are” are commonplace and perfectly acceptable. When sending a thank you note after an interview, however, NONE of these conventions are acceptable. The email has to be perfect….that is, perfect in grammar, perfect in spelling, and perfect in tone and style.
The email thank you note is not the same as a “business letter” that we learned about in high school. For the most part we live in a “first name” society. Unless the individual you met with was particularly formal in style and attitude, or several levels above you on the organizational chart (i.e. interviewing with the CEO for a “marketing coordinator” role), it is perfectly correct to address that person by their first name.
This link to a good article from Business Insider reviews the key points to cover in the thank you note. Some attention should be paid to the subject line. Some suggestions: “Thank you,” “Follow up,” “Follow up on our meeting.” Keep it simple.
Last and certainly not least. After you have thoroughly reviewed your email, checked for spelling (not only with spellcheck but with your own eyes), read it out loud to yourself to see if the tone feels right, and you are about to hit the SEND button……..DON’T!
At this point, you should put your own name in the “To” line and send it to yourself. Now, walk away. Have a cup of coffee, walk the dog; call a friend; do anything for at least 10 minutes. Now come back to your computer. Look at the email you just received from yourself. I GUARANTEE that you will find something wrong. It could be a spelling error, a word repeated twice, too many spaces between two words, a tone that just does not feel right. You will find something and be glad you did not send it earlier. Now you can make the corrections and send it out.
Remember, the thank you note won’t get you the job, but it can definitely lose it for you. Good luck!