Sending a thank you note after an interview is an opportunity for giving a final good impression. In general one should send a thank you note within a day or two of the interview. Even if one plans after the interview to not accept an offered jobs, a thank you note can be a way of networking and forming good relationships with businesses with which you might have dealings in the future.

In general, the thank you note after an interview should not resemble a letter of inquiry or a letter preceding a resume. Instead it should be a brief note expressing thanks for the company’s time. One can briefly allude, if one wishes to work for the company, to a few of the relevant issues in the interview. The thank you note can be a bit more personal as well. One could include a statement like the following: “I really enjoyed discussing how you blend single parenting with working. It resembles my own philosophy.”

Such a statement should only be made when the interview has been intimate and comfortable, and when such a statement “feels” right. Another possible tactic in the thank you note is to thank individual employees who might have been present at the interview. Such a note to the company could include, “I really appreciated Bob and Shari taking time to give me a tour of the company.” Again, a more formal interview might mean referring to Bob and Shari as Mr. Anderson and Ms. Jones.

One is generally allowed to make a final statement in a thank you note about how you feel you might fit in with the company. “Your philosophy on employee empowerment is closely aligned with my own," for example. The thank you note can also imply a sense of confidence in the interview, expressing how happy you will be to hear from the company again. This can potentially save one from waiting for days when a company does not contact interviewees unless they are hired.

If one definitely plans not to accept a job after an interview, a thank you note can serve as thanks for the time spent and as an announcement one is withdrawing one’s application for a job. By still thanking the company, in a thoughtful way, one avoids hard feelings by not accepting a job. Reasons given for not accepting a position should be vague and generalized. An unstable job market might one day mean applying to the same company. Even a very brief relationship with a company should end on a positive note.

Sending a thank you note shortly after an interview gives one a touch of class. Not every interviewee will take this step. In competitive job markets, a pleasant note of thanks can be the distinction between one’s self and other job applicants. It is a way of making a good final impression, and is likely to be appreciated by a company or individual interviewers.