Everything You Need to Know About Sending a Thank You Email After an Interview

You’ve done the interview and now it’s time to say thanks. We’ve got tips and templates to help you send the perfect thank you email after an interview. 

The hard part is over. You’ve aced your interview and now you’re waiting to hear whether you got the job or whether you made it to the next stage. But, other than breathing a sigh of relief, is there anything else you should do once the interview’s over? 

Research shows sending a thank you email after an interview can make all the difference. A survey by TopResume found almost 70% of recruiters said thank you emails impact their decision-making process. 

Thank you emails are a small part of the hiring process, but they can cause a lot of anxiety if you’re worried about getting them right. Here’s everything you need to know about sending thank you emails. 

Do You Need to Send a Thank You Email After an Interview? 

Of course, you don’t need to send a thank you email after an interview. And it really depends on the job you’re applying for. But it’s one of those things that can’t hurt, and it may even improve your chances. 

Your interviewer is probably a busy person and may be interviewing tens of people in a single week alone. Sending a thank you email makes you look professional, polite, and gives you one final chance to stand out from the sea of other candidates. 

Plus, it shows you’re really interested in the job and the company. 

Do You Need to Send a Thank You Email After a Virtual Interview?

Even though you did the interview from home, you should still consider sending a thank you email after a virtual interview. After all, you still want to appear polite and professional, and thank the interviewer for their time, even if you were both on Zoom. 

The same goes for phone interviews. 

What to Say in a Thank You Email After an Interview?

Keep your thank you email to two to three short paragraphs maximum. 

Sincerely thank the interviewer for their time and let them know they can reach out if they need any more information from you. 

While you can keep it professional and simple, don’t be afraid to add a little personality to your email. 

You can also mention something that came up in the interview — such as the exciting plans for team expansion next year or well wishes to the interviewer’s sick dog who interrupted the Zoom call. This is the best way to show it’s not just a copy-and-paste template you’ve sent out a hundred times. 

Now is also the perfect time to provide the interviewer with any further information they asked for. For example, if they asked to see your portfolio but you didn’t have it to hand, send it over. 

It’s optional, but you may also want to reiterate why you’re right for the job by highlighting a certain skill set or piece of experience, especially if this failed to come up in the interview.

You can also go the extra mile and provide an idea or two to a problem they discussed in the interview. But again, keep things short and sweet. 

How Long Should a Thank You Email After an Interview Be?

Keep your thank you email short and sweet — think three paragraphs maximum. It should only take a minute or two for the interviewer to read. This is especially true if you’re early on in the interview process. 

The aim is to thank the interview for their time, not to go over the entire interview and everything on your resume. 

Thank You Email After Interview Examples 

1. Simple and Straightforward 

Hi [interviewer’s name], 

Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me this morning. It was lovely to meet you and learn more about [the company] and what you’re looking for in [the job role].

I’m looking forward to hearing about the next steps. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any further questions for me at all. 

All the best, 

[Your name]

2. Giving Extra Info 

Hi [interviewer’s name], 

Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me this morning. It was lovely to meet you and learn more about [the company] and what you’re looking for in [the job role].

You mentioned a landing page redesign and I wanted to mock up some quick design ideas for you. You can find these attached.

I’m looking forward to hearing about the next steps. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any further questions for me at all. 

All the best, 

[Your name]

3. Mentioning Something in the Interview 

Hi [interviewer’s name], 

Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me this morning. It was lovely to meet you and learn more about [the company] and what you’re looking for in [the job role] — especially the news the team plans on expanding even further next year!

I’m looking forward to hearing about the next steps. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any further questions for me at all. 

All the best, 

[Your name]

P.s. I hope your dog feels better soon! I’m glad I’m not the only one whose pet loves hopping on Zoom calls with me. 

4. Providing Extra Details 

Hi [interviewer’s name], 

Thanks so much for taking the time to interview me this morning. It was lovely to meet you and learn more about [the company] and what you’re looking for in [the job role]. 

I was especially happy to hear you’re looking to expand the travel section of the magazine as that’s where I started my journalism career. If you’re interested, here’s the link to the article about Iceland I mentioned. 

I’m looking forward to hearing about the next steps. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any further questions for me at all. 

All the best, 

[Your name]

Thank you Email After Interview Subject Line

Don’t overthink this one. Keep it short, simple, and to the point. You can simply say thanks or add in when the interview was or what role it was for. 

Example subject lines include: 

• Thank you for Friday’s interview
• Thanks for your time 
• Thanks for meeting with me this morning 
• Following up on today’s interview — senior account manager  

Thank You Email Signatures 

Your email signature should be short and professional, and include any contact information you think the interviewer might need. 

For example, include your website if you have one and any relevant social media handles. 

How Soon Should I Send a Thank You Email After an Interview?  

Send a thank you email within 24 hours of an interview. You don’t need to send it the moment you step out the door, but you also don’t want to wait too long after the interview, either. 

If your interview is in the morning, you can send a thank you email later that afternoon. 

If your interview is in the afternoon, you can send a thank you email the next morning. 

Should I Send Thank You Emails to All Interviewers? 

If you were interviewed by a panel, send a thank you email to all interviewers separately. You can customize each email and make tweaks, so it doesn’t look like you’ve copied and pasted it. 

Sending separate emails may be a pain, but it shows you value the time each person has taken to interview you. 

Just be sure to double-check names so John doesn’t get an email addressed to Jane, and vice versa. 

Should I Send a Hand-Written Thank You Note After an Interview?

Whilst everyone loves getting snail mail, in most cases, there’s no need to send a hand-written note after an interview. It could get lost in the mail, it’ll take longer to arrive, and it’s simply an out-dated practice. 

Emails are quicker, simpler, and you can send them the same day as your interview.

However, you should consider it if you’re interviewing for an extremely high-level position or interviewing in a more traditional industry.

If you do decide to send a hand-written note, send it the same day so it doesn’t arrive too many days after your interview. For even speedier delivery, you can write it in the lobby and leave it at the front desk to be hand delivered. 

Top Tips for Sending Thank You Emails After Interviews 

Here are our top tips on getting your thank you email just right. 

1. Keep it Short 

You don’t need to go over all your qualifications and job history again. Just thank the interviewer for their time and add a few extra lines where appropriate. 

2. Personalize it 

If possible, add a line personalizing the thank you email. Mention something that came up about the role, company, or something the interview mentioned about themselves or their day. 

3. Proofread it 

A bad thank you email is worse than no thank you email at all. 

Make sure you’ve spelled the interviewer’s name correctly, said the right company name (important if you’re interviewing for several jobs at once), and removed any [fill in here] if you’re copying a template over into your email. 

4. Get the Right Email Address

Ask for the interviewer’s business card after the interview so you have their direct email address. If you don’t have your interviewer’s email address, get in touch with the HR or the recruitment department and see if you can get it. Just say you want to send a follow-up thank you email. 

Sending a thank you to [email protected] will unlikely make it to your interviewer, especially in a large company. 

5. Don’t Over Explain Yourself

It can be tempting to see the follow-up email as a second chance to answer an interview question. After all, who hasn’t thought of a better answer on the way home from an interview before? 

But, unless you made a big mistake you need to rectify, it’s better to keep your email short and focus on saying thank you, rather than trying to explain yourself or change your answers. 

If in doubt, get a close friend to read the email to see if you’re writing from a place of nerves. 

Landing a new job isn’t an easy process and even the simplest tasks like sending a thank you email can feel like a minefield. Follow the tips above to make your email short, simple, polite, and professional.