Your impression on an employer doesn’t stop after the interview.

One of the most important things you can do, to make sure you stand-out from the other applicants, is send a follow-up email. There may be some confusion as to what exactly this email should contain, so here are four main points to consider.

1. When should I send it?

A follow-up email should be within 24 hours of the interview. Sending it within this time frame makes the employer feel that you truly appreciated him or her setting aside the time to interview you. Also, sending this email shortly after the interview makes you stand out and shows you care about the company. What employer doesn’t want that in a new-hire?

2. What should I write about?

First and foremost, you should say ‘thank you’ to the interviewer for having you; it’s a big deal to get a face-to-face interview! But that’s obvious isn’t it? To make your email stand-out, write about something specific that happened during the interview. Maybe you really appreciated the company’s values, or connected with a project the company is starting. This should be stated in the body of the email. This shows the interviewer how attentive you were during the interview and that you valued the opportunity. It also makes it more personal so it does not seem like you just ‘copy and pasted’ it from a previous email.

3. How should I conclude?

This is something that I always struggle with myself. Do I sound too cold? Do I sound too casual? After a series of trial and error, I have found that a simple, ‘I look forward to hearing from you’ is the best way to go. It’s short, sweet, and to the point. You don’t want to elaborate on the ending of your email too much–remember, it’s an email, not an essay. Of course, don’t forget to sign-off with your signature–you want to make sure the interviewer knows who you are!

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