Thank You Notes

The thank you note is one of most important types of correspondence with employers and should follow every

employment or informational interview. It is important to send a note expressing your appreciation and

reaffirming your interest in a position. The thank you note has a number of purposes including summarizing

your interest in the position and the company, stressing relevant points that strengthen your candidacy, and

correcting any negative impressions or clearing up confusing issues that may have surfaced during the

interview (if applicable).

After a company visit where you may have been interviewed by more than one person, it is a good idea to

send a thank you note to each individual who interviewed you. This means you must get the names, titles, and

contact information of all who interviewed you during your visit.

Mailing vs. Emailing Thank You Notes

Many employers have indicated that e-mailing thank you notes is appropriate and preferred. We recommend

that you send the thank you note in the body of the email (as opposed to an attachment to be opened in a

program like Microsoft Word) as this requires fewer steps for the employer.

It is becoming more common for companies to have very short hiring timelines. Some companies that recruit

at Fisher must make decisions about who to invite to second rounds or who to extend offers to the same day

as the interview is conducted. For that reason

we recommend emailing the thank you note

If the employers indicate that they will be making their hiring decisions within a couple of days of your

interview, then you will want to email your thank you note

within 24-48 hours

so that they are more likely to

receive and read it prior to completing their selection process.

If you are asked to submit a resume or any other additional document, email your thank you note with the

documents attached.

Format

1. Thank the employer for his or her time.

2. Identify the specific position for which you were interviewed, along with the date and place of the interview.

3. Reiterate your interest in the position and why you fit well with the organization – be specific.

4. Close with your phone number and e-mail address, and indicate that you look forward to hearing from the

employer at the time specified during the interview.

Professional Guidelines:

• Make sure all spelling and grammar is correct

• Start with “Dear Ms./Mr. Last Name:”

• End with “Sincerely, Your Name”

Suggested Format for the Inside of a Hand-written Thank You Card:

• Use your best handwriting! We recommend writing or typing what you want to say and then writing

it on your card just in case you make a mistake.

• As with other thank you notes, indicate when and where you had your interview. Also highlight some

key experiences that you mentioned in your interview so that the recruiter will remember you.

• In the sample hand-written thank you card on page 5 of this handout, the student uses an acronym for

the name of the program to which she was interviewed. Only use acronyms if they are used and

understood by the employer. Acronyms such as AKPsi (Professional Business Fraternity Alpha Kappa

Psi) or OUAB (The Ohio Union Activities Board) might confuse employers who are not familiar with

those programs.

EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT SELECTED FOR THE POSITION, it is always a good idea to send a thank you

note so that you can have a positive last impression with the employer (see the second sample). This will help

in case you decide to seek out another opportunity with that company in the future.

Use your Buckeyemail or

another professional email

THANK YOU NOTE SAMPLE

(Sent via email)

Dear Mr. Borgen:

Thank you for taking the time to interview me for your Distribution Internship while you were recruiting at the

Fisher College of Business at Ohio State on February 10. I enjoyed meeting you and talking about how my

skills and abilities can benefit General Mills. I also liked learning more about the specifics of your internship

program.

I am very excited about your Distribution Internship program. As I stated in the interview,

I feel my academic courses in Logistics Management will enable me to make a

contribution to General Mills through this program. Additionally, I am a student athlete

participating on a traveling club baseball team and this experience has taught me how to

effectively manage my time to reach individual and team goals. I am enclosing a copy of

the syllabus for my Operations Design course, which you requested during my interview.

I hope to hear from you the week of March 6, as you indicated in the interview. If you

should need any additional information or would need to contact me sooner, please call

me at (614) 555-0100 or email me at [email protected].

Again, thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Shang Hu

Include

anything

requested by

the recruiter in

your thank

you note.

Notice that the

student is

reiterating his skills

and experiences

that he mentioned

in his interview to

help the interviewer

remember him.

Notes

• Make sure you include a subject line in your email. In this

case an appropriate subject line might be “Thank You for

the 02-10-XX Interview.”

• If you meet multiple people during the interview process,

send a thank you email to each of the people with whom

you interviewed.

THANK YOU DESPITE REJECTION NOTE SAMPLE

(Sent via email)

Dear Ms. Rankin,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to interview for the Customer Service Representative position while at

the Fisher Office of Career Management on November 20, 20XX. I learned a great deal from our meeting, and

I appreciate your consideration and interest in me.

Although I was not selected to fill your current vacancy, I want you to know that I appreciated the courtesy

and professionalism extended to me during the entire selection process. I enjoyed meeting you and the other

members of the sales staff. My meetings confirmed to me that Macy’s would be an exciting place to build a

career.

Finally, I want to reiterate my strong interest in working at Macy’s. Please keep me in mind should another

position become available in the near future. Again, thank you for the opportunity to interview. Best wishes to

you and your staff.

Sincerely,

Christina Rodriguez

There is no need to leave multiple

spaces between “Sincerely” and your

name if you do not have a digital

version of your signature.

HANDWRITTEN THANK YOU NOTE SAMPLE

(sent via postal mail)

Suggested Format for the Front of Thank You Card:

• Keep it simple, but professional! A card with the words “Thank You,” Ohio State’s seal or logo, or your

initials is all you need.

Dear Mr. Emrich,

It was a pleasure to have met and talked with you on Friday,

January 22, 20XX while you were on campus at Ohio State. I

appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Nestlé and the

Operations Management Trainee Program. As I mentioned, I am

very interested in the OMT program. I feel that my experience with

managing teams and balancing multiple projects with The Ohio

Union Activities Board and my sorority will make me a successful

member of this program. I look forward to hearing from you on

February 8. Thank you for the opportunity and your time.

Sincerely,

Katherine Sonnier