SCS Carnegie Mellon University
Wean Hall
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Tools of The Trade

Need help with resume/cover letter writing, handling technical interviews, or knowing what to do and say at a job fair?  It's all here, see links to the right.

Thank You Letters  

It’s considered a professional courtesy to send a thank you letter to a recruiter after an interview or after a meeting (job fair, information session, etc.). Additionally, it also provides you with another opportunity to summarize your strengths as a candidate, and to reiterate your interest in the organization. It’s best to send thank you letters within a few days of your interaction with the employer.

All thank you letters should be addressed to a specific individual—either e-mail or snail mail is acceptable. Make sure that you’re spelling the individual’s name correctly; in fact, make sure to check and double-check your spelling and grammar throughout the letter.

(1) Start off by reminding the recruiter of the circumstances in which you met. For example:

Thank you for the opportunity to interview with you here at Carnegie Mellon University on (Month, Date) for the Software Developer position.

OR

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me after COMPANY NAME’s Information Session at Carnegie Mellon on (Month, Date).

(2) Then mention one thing that you heard or learned about during your interaction with that recruiter. For example:

I was particularly interested in learning about your training program. Being rotated to different functional areas of the company sounds like it would be an ideal way for me to explore different career options at COMPANY NAME.

OR

Your description of your own experience as a summer intern provided me with a great preview of life an intern at COMPANY NAME, and really increased my interest in the position.

(3) Follow with a brief summary of the selling points that you had outlined during your meeting. For example:

Based on my interview with you, I am confident that my strong academic background, communications skills, and problem-solving skills that I discussed during our meeting would make me an ideal candidate for this job .

(4) Then write a professional ’close’ to the letter. For example:

Thank you again and I hope to hear a favorable reply from you soon.

OR

Thank you again for your time at the job fair. I hope to have an opportunity to meet with you again in the near future.

You may want to include or attach a copy of your resume with the thank you letter, but it’s not necessary.