Anonymous writes:
Just got out of a job interview. If you interview with multiple people at the same time, is it okay to individually send the same letter to all members of the panel? Thanks for your help.
The Career Doctor responds:
No, no, no! Just put yourself in their shoes. People in an office share everything, and any points you gain from sending a thank-you note — since many job-seekers still have not mastered this task — will be lost when folks see you could not spend the time to personalize each letter.
Now, I am not saying that each letter has to be completely original. I think there can be plenty of overlap — the paragraph about fit with the organization can be the same in each letter — but for any thank-you letter to be most effective, you need to show you made a connection with the interviewer.
So, with a thank-you to a panel of interviewers, you need to take note of something each one said and use that information to personalize the thank-you letters.
And send those thank-you letters right away. I am dealing with a friend who was raised in South America and just does not seem to get the urgency of sending thank-you notes promptly — nor the nuance that the thank-you letter is another marketing opportunity another chance to sell yourself. The rule of thumb is to send the thank-you letter within 24 hours of the interview.
Read more in this article published on Quintessential Careers: FAQs About Thank You Letters.
