Do You Need to Send a Thank-You Email After a Phone Interview?
Even though a phone interview may not seem as important as an in-person one, you should still send a thank-you email.
By: Jennifer Meehan | Contributor for Let’s Eat, Grandma
Yes, you do need to send a thank-you email for a phone interview or phone screening.
It may not seem as important as an in-person interview, but the interviewer still had to devote some time to talking to you. It’s only polite to say thank you.
Most importantly, a short thank-you email will make a positive impression that will help the recruiter remember you. After all, it’s not just a single hiring manager you have to impress – everyone involved in the hiring process will form an opinion of you that might help determine whether or not you get hired.
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Your thank-you email after a phone interview won’t be seen as pushy, just gracious. It very likely won’t make or break your chances at getting hired, but for such little effort, why not use all of the ammunition you have to make a good impression with your first contact in the hiring process?
Sending a Thank-You Email After a Phone Interview: When, How, and to Whom?
A phone interview is usually the first step in the hiring process. Sending a thank-you email will keep your name fresh in the recruiter’s mind. Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash
You’ll want to send your thank-you email as soon as possible, within 12 hours of the phone conversation. Even more so than at the in-person interview stage, this recruiter will have tons of other applicants on their docket. If you delay, you risk them forgetting who you are by the time they get your email.
At this stage, you only have to email it to the recruiter you spoke with. Don’t bother sending this to the hiring manager or anyone else you haven’t actually met yet.
And finally, the thank-you email after a phone interview should be incredibly simple. It doesn’t require anywhere near the amount of effort you take for a thank-you email after an in-person interview, which is short already. Just use the tips below, and see our tips for writing a longer note after an in-person interview here.
How to Write a Thank-You Email After Your Phone Interview
You don’t have to overthink what to say after a phone interview. Here are some suggestions for writing a short but eye-catching thank-you email:
- Make the email significantly shorter than one you’d send after an in-person interview. It should probably just be a handful of sentences, but use your best judgement according to the length and depth of the interview. If we’re talking a quick 10-minute phone screen, make your email REALLY short, like two or three sentences.
- Bring up one important point from the interview to emphasize your standout qualifications. For example, if the interviewer reacted positively to your experience with the CRM software the company uses, remind her of that.
- If you happened to make a small personal connection during the phone call, mention that as well. This will give a brief boost to your personal appeal: “I enjoyed hearing that we both volunteered at [organization].”
- As always, proofread before hitting Send! Even in a small thank-you email like this, typos matter. Check out some of our favorite proofreading tips here.
Use this Sample Post-Phone-Interview Thank-You Email
Feel free to adapt this sample as a template for your own thank-you email after a phone interview. Remember, keep it short, briefly personalize it to make a connection, and don’t overthink it!
Subject line: Thank you for our phone call! (M.J. Jobhunter, UX Designer)
Dear Liliana,
I just wanted to thank you for talking with me today about the UX Designer position with HootSuite. From our conversation, it sounds like I have the right skills and culture fit to help the organization build and maintain an easy-to-use website and app. As we discussed, my unique approach conducting user research would particularly aid in a quick launch.
I appreciate your taking the time to explain the position and the company culture. I also especially enjoyed talking about our shared love for fox terriers and I look forward to meeting you in person.
Please feel free to contact me with any further questions.
Sincerely,
M.J. Jobhunter
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