So, You Think Thank You Notes are Just for Candidates?
Do you think that post-interview thank-you notes are just something for candidates to send to hiring managers?
In today’s candidate-driven market, candidates are interviewing with multiple organizations and accepting and then declining offers (sometimes letting you know two days before you expected them to start working for you).
We’ve taught candidates to prepare substantive thank-you notes to hiring managers, but you know what? You should send a substantive thank-you note to the top candidates you interviewed to remind them how the opportunities and culture at your organization mesh with what you heard they wanted.
Your thank-you note is your last chance to let the top candidates know you heard them before they accept a position elsewhere. Will she/he recall how you stood out from the four other companies and hiring managers with whom she/he interviewed? Don’t you want to do everything you can to keep the candidates excited until you select one for an offer?
When you prepare your thank-you note, recall specifics from the interview that seemed important to the candidate or where a connection was made. You might open your note: “While we are considering several strong candidates for the position, I wanted to share some of my key take-aways from our meeting” and then remind the candidate about those points.
You’re not offering the candidates a job just yet—you’re reminding them of the issues you discussed that were most important to them and demonstrating that, whether or not you offer them a job, you value the impression they’ve made. Make your last impression a winning one.
Written by Michelle Wright & Andrew Chase
