Post interview thank-you email: Examples and templates

Writing a thank-you letter or email after an interview is a well-es­tab­lished practice in both the US and the UK. It offers you the op­por­tun­ity to express gratitude to your in­ter­view­er once more and reinforce the positive im­pres­sion you (hopefully) made during the con­ver­sa­tion. But what should you actually include in a thank-you email?

How to write a thank you email after an interview using examples

It can be difficult to get the tone just right. That’s why we have put together several post-interview thank-you email examples for you. You can use these samples as a starting point for writing your email after you’ve just had the interview. Make sure you in­di­vidu­al­ise your message!

Example 1

In the subject line, clearly state the content and context of your email, and address the purpose in the opening sentence. Next, reaffirm your interest in the position and reference a specific point from the con­ver­sa­tion. This demon­strates to your contact that you have thought­fully engaged with the dis­cus­sion. Finally, include your phone number and express your will­ing­ness to com­mu­nic­ate further.

Example 2

This example assumes you are re­spond­ing to an email after your interview, with the previous con­ver­sa­tion included below for context. The tone here is more informal. Match your style of address to what was used during the interview. For example, if first names were used, continue with that in your follow-up com­mu­nic­a­tion. If the interview involved multiple people, address each person in­di­vidu­ally (in order of hierarchy) at the start of your thank-you message.

If a specific topic was discussed in more detail during the interview, feel free to revisit it in your thank-you email. For instance, you could reference a relevant article to demon­strate both your expertise and your en­thu­si­asm for the position. However, only do this if you can genuinely con­trib­ute to the topic. The recipient can then decide whether or not to follow the link.

Example 3

This template is brief, friendly, and in­form­at­ive and gets straight to the point, high­light­ing what you ap­pre­ci­ated most. By com­pli­ment­ing your con­ver­sa­tion partner in­dir­ectly, you avoid coming across as too over­bear­ing. You also make yourself available for further dis­cus­sions. While your phone number is already in your ap­plic­a­tion materials, including it in the email saves the recipient from having to search for it after the interview.

When should you say thank you for the interview? The perfect timing

Timing is crucial when sending a thank-you email after the interview. If it arrives too early or too late, the email can lose its impact. A timeframe of one to two days has proven to be ideal. Sending your message within this window leaves a positive im­pres­sion, showing that you’re still re­flect­ing on the con­ver­sa­tion and making it feel genuine:

• Too early: Reaching out on the same day may come across as overly eager and misses the op­por­tun­ity to strengthen your im­pres­sion once their memory of you starts to fade. Within just a few hours, you’re still fresh in their mind.
• Too late: If your thank-you note arrives after a decision has likely been made, it may no longer have an impact. You could already be out of the running, and a delayed message might come across as insincere. 24-48 hours is a good timeframe.

How to write a thank you email after an interview with correct for­mu­la­tion

Your post-interview thank-you email should always feel authentic and friendly. Being overly pushy can damage the positive im­pres­sion you’re trying to reinforce. Make sure to avoid including any demands in your message.

A polite and sincere thank-you is suf­fi­cient. Excessive flattery might come across as insincere and could even offend the recipient.

It’s also essential to keep your message brief. A lengthy thank-you note can create un­ne­ces­sary work for the recipient. A few thought­ful sentences are enough to leave a positive im­pres­sion and show your ap­pre­ci­ation.

To ensure your email reaches the right person, confirm you have the correct contact in­form­a­tion for your in­ter­view­er. Email cor­res­pond­ence often goes through a general HR address, so use the in-person interview as an op­por­tun­ity to ask for a business card. This ensures your message reaches the ap­pro­pri­ate in­di­vidu­al directly.

Finally, consider your thank-you email as an extension of your ap­plic­a­tion, so it must be com­pletely free of errors. Since thank-you messages are usually short, any spelling, grammar, or wording mistakes will stand out even more.

Post-interview thank-you email dos and don’ts

The risk of dis­cred­it­ing your entire ap­plic­a­tion with a poorly thought-out message is real—no doubt about it. However, those who skill­fully avoid common pitfalls can use a thought­ful thank-you note to strengthen their ap­plic­a­tion and leave a positive im­pres­sion.

Why send a thank-you email after an interview?

Kindness and pro­fes­sion­al­ism are always valuable—both in daily life and during the job ap­plic­a­tion process. A brief, polite post-interview thank-you email can offer three sig­ni­fic­ant benefits:

• You make a positive im­pres­sion: Sending a thank-you message re­in­forces a favorable im­pres­sion and en­cour­ages decision-makers to view you in a positive light.
• You keep yourself memorable: With so many ap­plic­a­tions to review, even ex­per­i­enced HR pro­fes­sion­als can lose track. A follow-up email ensures you stand out from the crowd.
• You demon­strate genuine interest: An ad­di­tion­al, un­promp­ted message shows your en­thu­si­asm for the role. By ref­er­en­cing specific topics discussed during the interview, you also highlight your at­tent­ive­ness and en­gage­ment.

Not everyone thinks about sending a post-interview thank-you email, which means that it could give you a com­pet­it­ive edge. Unlike other can­did­ates, you’re taking advantage of an extra op­por­tun­ity to leave a strong im­pres­sion—as long as it’s done thought­fully.