Once you have had an initial conversation or a phone interview or any form of communication (even if they said, “Thanks, but no thanks”), you MUST write a thank-you note. Send this note within 24 hours of the contact (preferably sooner). A hand-written note, while not entirely necessary after the electronic one, is a nice and noticeable touch.
Please be sure to create your own message, in your own words. Don’t simply copy the following text. Think about it from the reader’s perspective: If they get twenty thank-you emails that look exactly alike, they will trash all twenty. Be yourself. Be unique.
When crafting your thank-you email, you want this to be brief, but also touch on some part of your conversation that is meaningful to you. Perhaps you want to correct something you said, emphasize an important experience, or add a comment that you forgot to make. All of that is OK. Just don’t forget to thank them for their time.
Here’s a sample thank-you email for you to consider (but not copy verbatim) as you craft your email:
Dear Ms. Smith: [Use a colon, not a comma.] [Use Ms. or Mr. and avoid Mrs. or Miss.] [Some people omit this from an email, and it is OK to do so.]
Thank you for a great conversation this morning. I enjoyed learning more about ABC Corp. and I appreciate your insights regarding the ever-changing world of data solutions. Your candor regarding the company is particularly beneficial. During our conversation, we talked about my experiences, and I wanted to describe how I would apply my data structures class and my experiences with the student government to my work at ABC Corp.
I look forward to continuing the discussion about a potential fall internship with ABC Corp. Please let me know if I may provide any further information.
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Phone]
[Email]
[The “Sincerely” is also considered to be “old school” and is not absolutely needed. The address block is very important. Also, if you can add a stylized “signature” or a scanned version of your signature, that is a nice touch.]