How to write a thank-you note after an interview

Everyone you spoke with gets their own note. That includes the hiring manager, each person on a panel, and anyone who joined for part of the conversation.

The recruiter who set up the interview gets one too. Theirs can be shorter: thank them for arranging it, mention one thing that went well, and ask whether there’s anything else they need from you.

If you met three people on a panel, write three notes, each about something that person asked or said. A single note to everyone, or the same note three times, reads as if you weren’t listening closely.

If you don’t have someone’s email address, reply in the thread the recruiter used to schedule the interview and ask them to pass your thanks along. You can also send a LinkedIn message to someone you’re already connected with. Write it and send it yourself.

Send it within a day, while the conversation is fresh for both of you. The same evening is fine. You don’t need to send it from the parking lot.

If a day or two has already gone by, send it anyway. A short, specific note a little late is better than none. Skip the apology for the delay and get to the point.

For a process with several rounds, send a note after each one, to the people you met in that round. Each round gets its own callback, so no two notes are the same.

A good thank-you note has three parts, and it fits in a few sentences.

First, a callback: one specific moment from the conversation. Name the question they asked, the problem they described, or the part of the job they cared most about. This is the line that shows you were listening, and it’s the one a generic note can’t fake.

Second, add one thing. Use the note to give a clearer version of an answer that ran long, a short example you didn’t get to, or something you offered to share. One thing is enough. This is not the place for a second interview.

Third, a plain close. Thank them, then ask one easy question they can answer in a word, such as whether something you offered would be useful. Sign off with your first name.

Leave out your resume. They’ve read it, and they’ve just spent time with you. Repeating your strengths in a list reads like a cover letter, not a thank-you.

Leave out pressure about timelines. “I look forward to hearing your decision by Friday” asks them to manage your schedule. If they gave you a date, trust it for now.

Leave out attachments they didn’t ask for, long notes, and praise that could be about any company. If a sentence would fit in a note to a different company, cut it.

The first note follows a one-on-one with a hiring manager. The second goes to one person on a panel, and the other two panelists would each get a note with their own callback.

Both are illustrative. The company, people, dates and experience are invented. Use the structure, then fill it with details from your own conversation.

Once the notes are sent, you’re done for now. Don’t follow a thank-you with a second message a day later.

If they gave you a date for next steps and it passes with no word, send the recruiter one short note asking whether there’s an update and whether they need anything else from you. Keep it to two or three sentences. If they didn’t give you a date, ask the recruiter what the timeline looks like in your thank-you note to them, and then wait.

Keep working your other jobs while you wait. An interview is progress, not a reason to stop reaching out to the people closest to your next hire.

Before the interview, Day60 can make a prep sheet for each round: what to get across, questions they may ask, and questions to ask them, each tied to the posting, the company or your own resume.

After it, save the interview on the job in Day60. That keeps your Today list and your Scorecard right. You write and send the thank-you note yourself; Day60 doesn’t draft or send it.