Job Interview - Thank You Letters Are For Your Aunt!

If you are a job seeker, and have read any advice on job interviews, apart form the 1001 typical job interview questions you have to remember the standard answers to, you will also note the advice to always write a Thank You letter.

Thank You Letter Format
If you do a search on Google for Thank You Letter Format, there are presently 1.1million results, pretty much all conforming that you send a copy of the following standard format to all the people you met or were interviewed by within 48hours:

Dear X

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today to discuss XXX at your company. I was very impressed with XXX.

(Insert a para or two on things you either: forgot; didn't discuss; or didn't answer well)

I believe that my (education, skills and experiences - expand/contract as appropriate) fit your requirements, and am confident my skills would be an asset to your company.

If you need any more information please do not hesitate to contact me.

(They then normally miss an important sentence which is: "I look forward to hearing from you after the XXX, or will follow up with you after that date" - gives you the opportunity to contact them)

Yours sincerely,

Job Applicant you Interviewed

Can I just give you a thought from the recruiter or employers view point? Do I really need six to eight letters a day that my Aunt would love, that remind me that you failed in a job interview by forgetting something that you knew was important, and yet arrogantly also claim that you know my company/employer client better than I or they do?

Thank You Letters are for your Aunt! She bought you some nice new bath salts or gave you a record voucher - she's not yet caught up with the iPod generation - that's what Thank You Letters are for!

Win the job by writing to show you doing the job
If you want to win the job, then don't write a format Thank You letter. Write something that engages the hiring manager, and solves a problem or shows you actually capable of doing the work right now, from day one. What could you write to them about within 48hours of the job interview? Here are some ideas:

* You read before the interview that the company was developing a new technology, and the subject came up in the interview. Explain how you could add to the project
* You read before the interview that the company was going into a new market. It didn't come up in the interview that you had experience in that market, but the subject was mentioned. Explain how your experience which is on your CV/resume would help in that market
* Ideally the hiring manager or anyone from the company, explained a problem they had in the company right now/up coming. State how you see the problem from your previous experience, and how you could help solve it as part of a cross-departmental functional team

The key here in finding an issue to pick is three fold:

* It came up in the interview, and was discussed
* Provide additional information with a value added perspective of "how to"
* Show how you would do the job and add value

If you find additional resources on other discussed issues, then you can also always follow up with those as well in the intervening time: more evidence of your ability to understand their need and do their job.

Thank You Letters are boring: I'm not your aunt and I don't need to reminding of your failings - however minor - in the job interview. Follow through on key issues with value add and show how you would do the job. That way you win the job.

Good Luck!

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/