The very first thing job seekers are concerned about is their resume or CV. This is the most important document and the primary marketing tool. Those looking for a job spend hours or even days in order to create an effective resume that would land them interviews. Some are willing to pay about $100 to professional resume writing services to make sure they will stand out among the hundreds of other qualified candidates. Another thing people are concerned about is a cover letter; however, by far not every job seeker takes time to develop a cover letter. The reason is simple - the cover letter is often not in the requirements of job ads so people don't bother with writing one although it can make a big difference. There is one more tool that is often ignored by job seekers - a thank you letter...
Follow Up After a Job Interview
If you have ever been on job interviews then you should know what it feels like when you forgot to say something very important. Maybe you even think that because of that you actually lost your chance to get the job by missing the opportunity to reinforce some of the qualifications. Well, a thank you letter can help fix some of these things. Unlike many people believe, a thank you letter is not just a nice gesture. It can be more than that. It should be more than that if you really want the job. If composed correctly, a thank you letter is one more marketing tool to gain a competitive advantage over other candidates. Keep in mind that a thank you letter is simply a continuation of a job interview you have had, but now you have first-hand information about the job and requirements. If during the interview the hiring manager reiterated the importance to comply with XYZ requirement, but you feel like you fall short of it then a thank note is a perfect way to explain why this shouldn't be a problem.
It is very appropriate to briefly reiterate the interest in the position and mentioned that you know how to address the challenges for the positions that you had discussed during the interview. It will give a personal touch to your thank you letter and focus on the things you could do for the company, not vice versa. Not every interview goes as smoothly as you would like it to go; very often candidates make mistakes they wouldn't have made in a different environment. But making mistakes is ok as soon as you realize it and know how to make sure it won't happen again in the future. A thank you letter is a great opportunity to expand on the issue and to demonstrate that you know what you did wrong. There is no need to go into excuses and explain everything. Such letters will not be read to the end. After all, it is a good chance to reinforce your interest and key qualifications for the position. Besides, thanking an interviewer for the time is also a nice thing to do.
Keep It Concise
Remember that hiring authorities don't have much time to read your thank you letters. Therefore, it should be very concise and up to the point. A thank you letter never should be over 1 page. In fact, 2/3 of the text on one page is more than enough to express the thoughts mentioned above. Lastly, job seekers have to remember that any thank you letter is an additional tool in the entire job search process. But as most of you know every detail is important when it is about the job search.
You can find more information on the subject in our newer blog.
