As a recruiter who only works with experienced financial professionals, I’m often surprised as to the lack of care and effort some candidates put into one of the best opportunities to impress hiring managers- the Thank You note.
You have spent hours, perhaps days, preparing for every possible question you may hear from a hiring manager and researching the firm to an exhaustive extent. You’ve possibly taken time away from the position you currently hold utilizing a vacation day in addition to other efforts and sacrifices to be present for the interview. Why would you put less than your best effort forward in a chance to stand apart from others interviewing for the same role?
An effective Thank You note contains the following:
• An acknowledgement and thanks for the interviewer’s time
• A possible mention of anything you may have learned during the conversation that helps you understand the role and company better
• If you connected over any unexpected common interests or personal connections it wouldn’t hurt to mention them
• A direct statement of enthusiastic interest in the position and company overall
• Supporting statement about why you are a strong potential fit for the position
• A positive statement in closing about looking forward to next steps in the process
It’s perfectly acceptable today to send Thank You notes via email. If you have excellent handwriting and nice stationary, a handwritten note can be a nice touch and will help you stand out. Regardless of type, it’s a good rule of thumb to get your notes out within a twenty four hour period following your interview. Throughout a multi-stage interview process, it’s appropriate to send notes to all new people you meet. Have at least one trusted friend review your notes, particularly for grammar and spelling; a poorly written note can hurt your chances to secure the position. It’s important to send unique notes to each individual you meet in the interview process; repurposing the same text for multiple individuals can give off the appearance of laziness.
I wish you success and good luck in your ongoing career search!
John
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