How to write a professional thank you email

You need to determine the recipients, keep a professional tone, and ask about the next steps in order to write a professional thank you email. For more details on these steps and others for writing a professional thank you email, use this guide:

• Determine your recipients. Your professional thank you email may be intended for one party or multiple people, depending on who you interviewed with.

  If you interviewed exclusively with an HR manager, you could thank that individual directly. If you meet with a whole team of people, you should try to CC them all on the thank you email and address it to their specific team or department.

  If you are unsure who on a team is making the final judgment on whether or not to go forward with you as a candidate, you might want to send individual thank you emails to all of the professionals that participated in your interview.

  Make sure you include concise details from your conversations during the interview to show you were actively listening; this increases your chances of getting the job or at least a second interview.

• Keep your tone professional. A professional thank you email is literal in the sense that you must keep your tone professional.

  Avoid using slang terms, colloquialisms, or other kinds of informal speech. Keeping your language professional and direct will display your communication skills, and help you to earn the respect of the recipients of the email.

• Address the recipient(s) properly. Again, if you are writing an email that will be sent to an entire team, you can use their team or department title.

  When emailing a thank you to one specific professional, it is important to use: Dear Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr., followed by their last name. If you are unsure of the person's gender, you may use their full name as a substitute. Also, if you previously knew the recipient prior to your interview, you can also use their full name.

• Make the purpose of your email known. Let the recipient know immediately why you are writing to them.

  Example: I am writing to thank you for the opportunity of interviewing for the X position...

• Touch on specific details from your interview or meeting. Bringing up details from the interview or your meeting is a good way to continue the conversation and communication with the other party.

  This also shows you were actively listening, and that is a great trait for nearly every type of job. This impresses the recipient and also shows that you genuinely care about the role and their input as well.

• Reiterate your qualifications and goals. A professional thank you email is also a chance to reiterate why you are such a good fit for the position.

  You shouldn't expound too much in this area; however, it is a good idea to touch on one or two skills that you possess and think are essential to your prospective role.

  You can also restate your desire for future follow-ups and contact. Making your goals clear is essential to having the recipients understand what you want.

• Inquire about the next steps. Near the end of your professional thank you email, you should ask the recipient about the next steps you can take or what the process will look like moving forward.

  This gives you an idea of the timeline for hearing back from them on a final decision. And also gives them the opportunity to ask about any information that wasn't covered in the interview. Asking about the next steps is a professional way to show your interest in the job.

• Conclude the email. At the very end of the email, you should thank them once more for their time and consideration.

  You should sign off with your full name and title, if applicable.