How to Thank Someone for Their Time (With Examples)

Table of contents

How to Thank Someone for Their Time
Examples
How to Thank Someone for Their Time in Advance
How to Thank Someone for Their Time After an Interview
How to Thank Someone for Their time in an Email
How to Send a Thank-You Note
 

We’re all busy people. With work demands, an overflowing inbox, and a to-do list that never stops growing, time is a precious thing.

So, if someone makes time for you — whether that’s for an interview, a mentorship call, or a meeting to help you complete something at work — it’s a big deal. And saying thank you can go a long way to showing gratitude.

But should you send flowers and a handwritten note or is a simple one-line email enough? Below, we dive into how to thank someone for their time.

How to Thank Someone for Their Time

Someone’s just taken time out of their day to help you, here’s how to say a heartfelt thanks.

1. Be Sincere

This is the most important part of thanking someone. You want to make sure your thank you comes across sincerely, and that it shows how grateful you are for the person’s help.

Don’t overdo it with overly enthusiastic thank yous, and don’t send a blunt two-word email, either.

Consider something like:

2. Keep it Short

Depending on what the person has done for you, you don’t need a lengthy thank you. That will only take up more of their time, which may lead to them regretting making time for you in the first place.

If you’re emailing a note of thanks, one or two lines should be enough.

For example:

• Thanks for taking the time to meet with me yesterday.
• Thanks for your time this morning.
• Thank you for your help today, I really appreciate it.
• Thanks so much for the call earlier.

3. Personalize It

Instead of just saying “thank you for your time,” it can be nice to include a short note about how a person’s help impacted you.

Perhaps a colleague let you practice your presentation on them a few times and this gave you the confidence you needed when delivering it in front of your boss.

Or maybe your mentor shared some advice on salary negotiation that ultimately helped you get a pay rise.

If there’s a good outcome to share, you can include this in your thank-you note — it’ll help show just how thankful you are and make the person feel good, too!

4. Say Thank You Through the Right Channel

Email? Call? Handwritten thank-you note? There are a few ways you can say thanks, and it all depends on who you’re thanking and how much help they gave you.

For example, if you’re thanking a recruiter for an interview or a mentor for a one-on-one call, an email thank you is all you need.

If you’re thanking your old boss who took the time to write you a glowing recommendation that got you the job? A handwritten thank-you note is a nice touch.

If it’s something much more casual, like thanking a friend who spent 10 minutes proofreading your article, a simple text message might be okay.

5. Offer Something Extra

Depending on how much time someone spent helping you, and how big of a deal this help was, you might want to do something more than just say thanks. We’ve got some suggestions, inspired in part by the Blinkist book Leading with Gratitude by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton.

Keep in mind, your gratitude gesture doesn’t have to be elaborate. You could:

• Buy them a Starbucks gift card.
• Send them a small gift, like flowers, cookies, or a bottle of wine.
• Offer them a favor in return.

Little extras don’t always have to be physical things. If someone in a different team at work took the time to help you out with a project, you could cc in their manager so they get visibility, for example.

If a friend took the time to help you prepare for a job interview, and their help helped you land your dream job, you might want to send them a little something to really show your gratitude.

Read it on Blinkist

Leading with Gratitude

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by Adrian Gostick, Chester Elton

Leading with Gratitude

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by Adrian Gostick, Chester Elton

1. 23 min reading time
2. audio version available

Read or listen to the main points of this title.

Read or listen to the main points of this title in just 15 minutes.

Get the key ideas on Blinkist

Or, if a colleague wrote you a great letter of recommendation for a job, you might offer to do the same if they should ever need it.

How to Thank Someone for Their Time Examples

Here are some ways you can thank someone for their time. Remember to personalize it if you can and customize your thank you to suit the situation and recipient.

• Thank you for your time.
• Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today.
• Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today.
• Thanks for our call today.
• Thanks for your advice, it really helped.
• Thanks for your help on the report today, we couldn’t have done it without you.
• Thanks so much for helping me out today, I really appreciate it.
• Thanks for taking the time to write me a recommendation.
• Thanks for your help preparing for the presentation. I felt so much more confident after practicing with you.
• Thanks for sharing your advice on how you negotiated your salary. I used your tips and my pay rise just got approved for the amount I asked for.
• Thanks for taking the time to proofread my article. I love the additions you suggested.
• Thanks for taking the time to write up your feedback on my sales pitch. I’ll be sure to incorporate all of this going forward.

How to Thank Someone for Their Time in Advance

Most of the time, you’ll be thanking someone for their time once they’ve actually helped you, but there are some situations when you may want to be appreciative beforehand.

This could be when a mentor offers to set up a call to give you some career advice or when your colleague agrees to write a recommendation for you.

Here’s what you can say to show your gratitude:

• Thanks in advance.
• Thanks in advance for your help.
• Thanks for your help with this.
• Thanks for taking the time to meet with me tomorrow.
• I appreciate any feedback you can share.
• I’m really looking forward to our call tomorrow, thanks again for making time to chat with me.
• I’d love to hear any advice you have to share on this.
• Thanks for your consideration.
• Thanks for offering to help.
• Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.

Top tip: be sure to not use “thanks in advance” if the person hasn’t agreed to help yet. It can come across as passive aggressive and like you’re expecting them to make time for you, when they may not be able to.

How to Thank Someone for Their Time After an Interview

Sending a thank-you email after an interview is the most common time you’ll need to thank someone for their time, and it’s often the most nerve-wracking time, too. A new job is on the line, after all!

Make sure to keep your thank-you note short and express your sincere thanks to the interviewer. Now’s also the perfect time to say you’re open to any further questions that may come up.

Here’s what to say:

How to Thank Someone for Their time in an Email

Most of the time, an email is the best way to thank someone for their time, especially in a professional setting. Remember to use the tips above: keep it short and sincere, personalize it if possible, and offer something more if appropriate.

Here are some example emails:

Thank you after a networking call:

Thank you after a colleague helps you out:

Thank you after someone listens to your sales pitch:

How to Send a Thank-You Note

Sometimes saying thank you over email just won’t do, and that’s where a handwritten thank-you note comes in. Everyone loves receiving snail mail and a handwritten note goes the extra mile to show someone just how much you appreciate their time.

One downside to thank-you notes, however, is that they can take longer to deliver, and in some situations timing is important.

After interviews, for example, it’s better for the interviewer to receive a thank-you email on the same day of the interview than a thank-you note four days later.

Plus, thank-you notes can come across as overly enthusiastic if the situation doesn’t call for that much effort.

So, only send thank-you notes when someone has really taken a lot of time to help you and when the timing isn’t as urgent.

Here’s what you could say:

Whether you’re saying thanks after an interview, to a colleague who helped you with a project, or to a friend who took time out of their day to lend a hand, a thank-you email or note shows how much you appreciate their time. Remember, keep it short, sincere, and personalize it where you can.