No matter how long you've been searching for a new job, landing an interview is a great achievement. So when you've been one of the chosen few invited back for a second interview, it really can feel like you've hit the jackpot. But even if you think you've aced it, your work isn't over quite yet.
Following up after your first interview was important, but the second interview thank you email is even more crucial for winning over your potential new employer. While sending an email likely won't be the decision making factor between getting a job offer or not, think about this one extra step as another way to convince the interviewer of your continued interest and that you're the right choice—you're reinforcing the attributes you had on show during your interview.
So how do you show that you're the best option for the position? Let's take a look.
How To Send A Second Interview Thank You Email
Should you choose to send a post interview thank you note after the second interview, here are some suggestions. Just as you did with your first interview thank you emails, you should send every person who was present at your meeting a note within 24 hours of the interview.
For morning interviews, send your emails just before close of business that same day so your name is the first email in their inbox the next morning.
If you've had your interview later in the afternoon, wait until the next morning to send your emails. This shows that you've not rushed out a message to get in front of your interviewers and, instead, have thoughtfully considered what you shared with them during your time together.
Before you start putting together your emails, you need to keep a few important points in mind.
Send your email to the right people
It's not as simple as sending one email for each job you've interviewed for. You should message every person you interviewed with individually.
Your note should also be sent directly to each interviewer, rather than one email with each person CC'd. It's the best way to make a good, and lasting, positive impression as the internal team discusses each of the final job candidates for the position.
Tailor each message to the person you're contacting
One of the biggest faux pas you can make is hitting “copy/paste” on the thank you notes you're sending to each interviewer. Even if you think they won't compare your follow up, you don't know that for sure, and you definitely don't want to hinder your chance of getting a job offer.
Keeping track of everyone you meet during the job search can get overwhelming, especially if you've been to several recruitment fairs. With your Teal Contacts Tracker, stay on top of who works at which company and take an extra 30 minutes to craft unique, personalized emails for your interviewers. What you include in the main text of your message should be covering the same points, but phrased slightly differently.
Add the contact information of each person you interviewed with to Teal’s Contacts Tracker. You can enter a follow up date to ensure you send a follow up email within an appropriate time frame.
What To Include In Your Follow-Up Email
Now that you know who you need to get in contact with, it's time to start putting together your emails.
Remember to keep it short—two or three paragraphs at most is plenty to get across what you need to say. The point of the second interview follow up is to remind your interviewers who you are, create a lasting impression, and reinforce why you're the top choice for their open role.
Open with your “thank you”
Interviewing multiple candidates takes a significant amount of time. That's why it's best to show your appreciation upfront in your thank you email.
Acknowledge the time that each interviewer has spent with you and thank them for considering you for the job title you're applying for. A simple “thank you so much for meeting with me today” is fine. Other options you could use are:
- Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me this afternoon.
- I really enjoyed meeting and getting to speak with you again about the [JOB TITLE] position, thank you so much for meeting with me.
- I was very happy to return to [COMPANY NAME] today and appreciate your time in discussing the open role.
Restate your interest in the position
This is your chance to enthusiastically remind your interviewers that you're excited about the possibility of working for them. Both hiring managers and recruiters are looking for candidates who clearly want the job and will be dedicated to the company if they're offered the job.
You should have been showing your interest throughout the whole application and job interview process so far, so treat the second interview thank you email as a reminder of why you want to work at the company and in that particular team.
If your interviewers mentioned anything notable about the company or the position you've applied for, like a specific project or recent news about the company, this is a great place to call back to that.
For example, “I really loved hearing more about the upcoming social media campaign for your new product launch and would be delighted to be part of the team that makes that launch a success.”
Clearly outline why you're the best option for the role
For many businesses, the second interview is the final part of the hiring process before an offer is made to the successful candidate. That means your thank you email could be the last opportunity you have to show the interviewers why you're the perfect person for the job.
Remember, the other candidates you're up against will also be sending their own thank you emails, so being as specific as possible will help you stand out from the pack.
Repeat a key trait or outcome you've achieved in a sentence or two—this could be something you brought up during the interview, or even pulled from your cover letter or resume. Whatever you use, make sure it's tied directly to the most important job responsibilities that the interviewers raised when you met.
Briefly add anything you forget to mention
Interviews are often nerve wracking times for even the most confident of job seekers. There's a good chance that you forgot to talk about something relevant during the interview.
The best examples of what to include here are achievements you forgot to mention or answers to questions you weren't sure of off the top of your head in the interview. Sales figures or performance-related numbers are an ideal, and tangible, point to note and help to back up your claims for why you'll be the right hire for the position.
Keep this section brief and move onto your closing paragraph. If you're not sure how to wrap up this part of your email, offer to provide any additional information or clarifications that might help your interviewers make their decision.
Ask about a timeline for their decision
Before you left your interview, discussions may have happened about what the timeline for hiring looks like. These could have been initiated by you or the interviewers.
If this wasn't something anyone mentioned during the interview, close your email with a quick note about clarifying when you can expect to hear back from them about a decision on moving forward with the role. This can be as simple as “I look forward to hearing soon about the next steps in this process.”
Don't forget the subject line
Keep your subject line simple and straightforward—there's no need to be fancy here! Pick a format that you can use for each of your recipients, like:
- Thank You - John Smith Interview Follow Up
- Thank You - Marketing Manager Interview
- Thank You - John Smith, Marketing Manager Interview
- John Smith, Marketing Manager Interview - Thank You
Proofread your message before sending
As with any professional communication, check each of your emails before hitting send. Even if you've been a top candidate until this point, a few typos could make you look careless and not interested in the position.
Run your emails through spelling and grammar checkers, along with confirming that you're addressing each message to the right person when you put in their email address.
Templates You Can Adapt For Your Second Interview Thank You Email
Thank you to your interviewers
In most cases, the person who would be your direct manager in the role should have been in your interview. Here's a template for an email you would send to someone you would report to directly:
Subject: Thank You - Marketing Manager Interview
Hi NAME,
It was great to meet with you about the open marketing manager position at COMPANY today and I really appreciate your time and consideration of my application.
It sounds like you're working on some really exciting projects with the marketing team—I was especially interested to hear about the upcoming product launch and the social media campaign around this.
After our discussion today, I'm even more interested in joining you at COMPANY and feel that my skills in campaign development and content creation would be a good fit for the work you're doing.
Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to see any additional examples of my work and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best,
John Smith
If you're applying to work at a smaller business where the CEO or owner has been part of your second interview, you should address them and thank them for their time like this:
Subject: Thank You - John Smith Interview Follow Up
Hi NAME,
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me today about the marketing manager position at COMPANY. During my previous interview with OTHER EMPLOYEE, I really enjoyed hearing about the upcoming product launch and was pleased to learn more about that today.
With my background in content creation and social media management, I feel that I would be a strong asset to the marketing team at COMPANY. Having seen a 250% increase in social-driven revenue during a recent campaign I worked on, I would be glad to have the opportunity to make an impact like this on your business.
Thank you for considering me for this position and I look forward to hearing more about the next steps.
Sincerely,
John Smith
Located within Teal's Job Application Tracker are additional templates to use as a starting point when crafting a follow up email following a second interview.
Thank you to a recruiter
Many companies work with recruiters to help them find the best candidates for open jobs. If a recruiter was involved in your second interview, whether they're an internal employee or an external consultant, you should also send them a follow up email. This could look like:
Subject: Thank You - John Smith, Marketing Manager Interview at COMPANY
Hi NAME,
Thanks so much for setting up my second interview at COMPANY this afternoon. It was a pleasure to finally meet you in person and I appreciate the time you've taken in getting me to this stage of the hiring process.
I believe I would make a great addition to the marketing team at COMPANY and I'm excited to use my extensive background in social media marketing to develop new ways to grow the brand's audience and digital marketing revenue.
If you have any other questions about my experience or qualifications, I'd be happy to send those over to you. I look forward to hearing from you about the next steps.
Thank you again for your consideration,
John Smith
Seal The Deal With Your Follow Up Email
Whether this is the last step before a hiring decision is made or there's another round of interviews ahead, keeping track of your follow ups can be time consuming. But it doesn't have to be with Teal's free Job Application Tracker.
Stay on top of your open job applications, where you are in the process, and what materials you need for each one with an easy-to-use tool. It's like a spreadsheet, but better! Customize your resume and every follow up email directly within the platform and make your job search more streamlined than ever before.
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