Anatomy of a Letter
Remember, you should send a note to each person you spoke with during your visit to the office. Be sure it is not the same letter verbatim. You need to make changes for each person you met.
Jane, who was hoping to get a marketing job at the firm where she was interviewing, met the company's vice president. Afterward, she sat down to write her letters and went through her notes about the meeting, which she'd written down immediately following the interview. She sent a personalized note to the vice president, as well as to her interviewer. A week later, she received a call to come in for a second interview.
If, like Jane, you are sending multiple letters, make sure that each one of them reads a little bit differently; you certainly don't want all these people to get together, compare notes, and question your creativity.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Be brief. Grab your interviewer's attention, and make every sentence count.
Emphasize your interest in the company and the position. Tell the interviewer why you are interested and how the interview contributed to your interest.
Personalize the letter. From you notes, you should be able to remember your interviewer's interests or an aspect of his job that he seemed especially passionate about. Do a little extra research and mention an article or book he might be interested in.
Sample Follow-up Letter
Your Street Address
Your City, State, and Zip Code
Today's Date
Interviewer's Name
Interviewer's Title
Company Name
Company Street Address
Company City, State, and Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Interviewer's Last Name:
The first paragraph doesn't need to be much longer than two to three sentences. Its purpose is to say thank you to the interviewer for her time, and to mention something about the interview that will jog this person's memory as to who you are and put a face to the name on the letter.
Use the second paragraph to restate your interest in the company and the position, and make mention (again) of your most relevant skills. If there is something you forgot to mention during the course of the interview, this is the place to say it.
The final paragraph will say a final thank-you and let the interviewer know how much you are looking forward to hearing from her. If you have made definite plans to follow up — that is, if you are supposed to call the interviewer the next week, be sure to remind her that you plan to do so.
Sincerely,
Your Name
When closing the letter, use “Sincerely.” Also, make sure that you both type and sign your name to the letter. Proofread the letter carefully and make sure there are no errors. If you find mistakes or typos, rewrite or retype the letter completely.
