Thank You Letter After Interview: Email Examples, Template, & How to Write

Sending a thank you letter after your interview is a great way to express your enthusiasm for a position and make yourself stand out to a hiring manager.

Find out why it’s important to show your gratitude with a thank you email from our career expert Eva below:

In this guide, we explain how to write a thank you letter after an interview, provide a thank you letter template, and offer a variety of free thank you letter examples for a variety of situations.

Table of Contents:

1. What’s the best follow-up method after an interview?
2. Thank you after interview email example
3. How to write a thank you note after an interview
4. Thank you note template
5. More thank you note after interview examples

What’s the best follow-up thank you method after an interview?

In our opinion, sending a follow-up email after an interview is the best thank you method.

A thank you email after an interview:

• is efficient and quick
• doesn’t require any money
• concisely explains your thoughts about the interview
• shows your professionalism

While a physical thank you letter is also an effective way to convey your gratitude after an interview, you should use it in more formal industries (such as finance and law, not tech and service).

Mailing or bringing your thank you letter over to the company also costs more time and money than simply sending a typed email.

So think about the interviewers, the company’s culture, and how much time you have available before picking the best option for you.

Thank you email after interview example

Wondering what a post-interview thank you email looks like? Have a look at our thank you email example below for inspiration:

How to write a thank you note after an interview

The purpose of a thank you letter is to thank your interviewer for their time, recap your strengths as an applicant, and express your interest in the job.

And although there are several ways to contact your interviewer, emailing is the simplest and most common follow-up method.

Use these five guidelines to ensure your thank you note is on the right track:

• send your thank you email within 24 hours after your interview to show an interviewer that you’ve prioritized their company
• be specific and reference the conversation you had with the hiring manager during the interview so they’re more likely to remember their interactions with you
• keep your thank you note on one page by only including the major highlights of your skills and achievements (in addition to expressing your thanks)
• format your note professionally by using a standard font such as Times New Roman or Verdana, and keep your font size between 10–12 points so the interviewer can easily read your thank you note
• edit out any spelling and grammar errors before sending your thank you note to prove you’re detail-oriented

Thank you note template

Use our interview thank you letter template (separated into individual paragraphs) to help you structure yours properly:

Thank you note after interview examples

An effective thank you note ensures you’ll make yourself memorable to an interviewer.

Luckily, we provide six free thank you letter examples below so you can make a positive lasting impression after your interview.

All you have to do is:

• download the thank you letter that matches the tone and style of your interview
• customize it with your personal information
• send it via email or post to the hiring manager

1. Thank you letter after phone interview

A phone interview is often the first step in the interview process. Unfortunately, not having face-to-face communication can make it difficult to leave your interviewer with a strong first impression.

So we suggest sending a personalized thank you letter to help the hiring manager remember specific details from your phone interview and increase your chances of moving forward in the job process.

Here are some reasons why sending a phone interview thank you letter is important:

Below is a downloadable thank you letter example after a phone interview:

Phone interview thank you letter example

Download This Free Thank You Letter

2. Thank you letter after second interview

If you’re invited to attend a second interview, congratulations on making it further in the hiring process!

Thanking the interviewer for their time with a personalized thank you note demonstrates that you’re a thoughtful applicant — and they made the right decision in moving you to the next round.

Here’s why sending a thank you letter after your second interview is critical to your success:

Second interview thank you letter example

Impress a company by providing an effective thank you letter after a second interview, like this one below:

Download This Free Thank You Letter

3. Thank you letter after group interview

Forming personal connections in a short time during a group interview can be challenging.

However, sending a thank you email or letter after your interview is an appropriate way to establish rapport with your interviewers.

Writing a thank you letter after a group interview is beneficial in these scenarios:

Check out our thank you letter example for a group of interviewers:

Group interview thank you note example

Download This Free Thank You Letter

4. Professional thank you letter after interview

If you attended a professional interview, your thank you letter should also follow a formal structure and tone.

Here are times when sending a professional thank you letter after an interview is appropriate:

Professional interview thank you letter example

This professional thank you letter example is ideal for formal situations:

Download This Free Thank You Letter

5. Sincere thank you letter after interview

If you developed a personal relationship with your interviewer, sending them a generic or formal follow-up after your interview may seem awkward.

Instead, opt for a sincere letter that allows you to express your appreciation for the interview opportunity.

Here are the best situations to send sincere follow-up email after your interview:

Show an employer you’re genuinely thankful by using this sincere appreciation letter example:

Sincere thank you note after interview example

Download This Free Thank You Letter

6. Formal thank you letter after interview

A thank you note conveys your professionalism and knowledge of business-related formalities in a traditional industry or company.

So if you’re interviewing for a role as a business professional, sending a thank you letter to the hiring manager is essential.

Here are the scenarios when sending a formal thank you letter after your interview is ideal:

Here’s an example of a professionally formatted thank you letter to send after your formal interview:

Formal interview thank you letter example

Download This Free Thank You Letter