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UNIT 5

THANK YOU LETTER

By the time students finish reading this chapter, they will have been able to:
1. mention definition of thank you letter,
2. explain importance of thank you letter,
3. describe components of thank you letter,
4. write reply to thank you letter accurately

A thank-you letter is a document that expresses your appreciation. In doing


business, especially when we are applying for a job, this type of letter is written to an
individual/ people for 1) the time they took to interview you and consider your
candidacy, and 2) helping you getting information about job vacancy (referral).
Thank-you letter is a common type of letter in business world; it is an integral part of
business etiquette. In addition, thank-you letters are critical to maintaining good
relationships. When you learn about job vacancy from your former lecturers, sending
thank-you letter that acknowledged their help and described how your job interview
went briefly is pivotal. Conversely, not sending a thank-you letter when one is called
for can harm a relationship. You may think that other people don’t care if you send a
thank-you letter — but they do. Furthermore, thank-you letter also helps job
applicant stand out against other candidates. This is an opportunity to say why you
want the job, what your qualifications are and how you would contribute to the
company. The letter is a perfect opportunity to discuss anything importance that your
interviewer did not ask or that you did not answer as well as you could have.

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Thank-you letter should be sent as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours
after your job interview. This is when email comes in handy. A thank-you letter sent
via email has a couple of important advantages over the old-fashioned, paper-and-
ink variety of thank-you letter. You can send a link to your online portfolio,
LinkedIn account or professional social networking profiles.
Thank-you letter consists of several elements. The following is parts of a
thank-you letter

Your Address
Should include your complete street address, city, province and zip code
For example:
Jl. Wonorejo 66
Arjowinangun – Kedung Kandang
Malang, 65165

Date
Date of the letter is usually typed in one of two ways, namely:
a. Month/Date/Year (AE): April 19, 2018
b. Date /Month/Year (BE): 19 April 2018

Inside Address
Complete name, title and address to whom you are sending the letter.
For example:
Mr. Poedjo Oetomo
PT. Ganesha Petroleum
Rasuna Said Kav. 20-25
Kuningan – Jakarta Selatan

First Paragraph
Express your sincere appreciation; naming all people with whom you
interviewed and the position you apply.

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Second (and sometimes third) Paragraph
Reemphasize your strongest qualifications and how you meet the requirements
for the position you applied. Show how your past work experience matches the
job.

Closing
A simple “Sincerely” followed by some blank lines for your signature and your
full name.

Given that thank-you letter is written in a formal setting, expressions you use
in a thank-you letter is different from those you use to send gratitude in general. The
following is some expressions to use in a thank-you letter for a job interview and one
for providing a reference.
Thank You for a Job Interview
 I appreciate having the opportunity to speak with you today about the (job
title) at (company name);
 I appreciate the time you and the (company name) team spent interviewing
me;
 I appreciate your time and consideration in interviewing me for this position;
 I enjoyed speaking with you about the opportunity to work with your
company;
 I greatly (or “sincerely”) appreciate the time you took to interview me;
 I sincerely enjoyed meeting with you to discuss the (job title) opening;
 I would like to thank you and your staff for the opportunity to meet with you;
 Many thanks for the opportunity to meet with you;
 Thank you for speaking with me about the (job title) position at (company
name);
 Thank you for the courtesy you extended to me during my interview.

Thank You for Providing a Reference and Referral

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 I appreciate your taking the time to write a reference for me;
 I really appreciate the reference you gave to (company name) on my behalf;
 Thank you for taking the time to provide me with a reference;
 Thank you very much for recommending me for the position;
 Thank you for referring me for the job at (company name);
 Thank you so very much for referring me for the (job title) position at
(company name);
 Thank you so much for putting me in touch with (individual name) at
(company name);
 Thank you so much; I really appreciate it!
Example of a thank-you letter (after job interview)

Jl. Wonorejo 66
Arjowinangun – Kedung Kandang
Malang, 65165

April 19, 2018

Mr. Poedjo Oetomo


PT. Ganesha Petroleum
Rasuna Said Kav. 20-25
Kuningan – Jakarta Selatan

Dear Mr.Oetomo:

Thank you very much for taking the time to interview me yesterday for the sales
representative position with PT. Ganesha Petroleum. Your explanation of the
challenges and the goals of the sales division at PT. Ganesha Petroleum are
ambitious but attainable.

After speaking with you in more depth, I know that my experiences and education
would complement your already talented sales force. I am still very interested in
any openings you have and would be willing to relocate if necessary. Again, thank

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you very much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

signature

Arum Setyaningrum

Example of a thank-you email (referral)


You can also write a thank-you letter for individual who informs you about a
job vacancy. This individual is called referee and the action he or she does is called
referral. When you write a thank-you letter to your referee, do not forget to mention
1) position you apply, 2) name of company, 3) when and where your job interview
took place, 4) your interviewers and their positions and 5) how your interview went.
Should your referee ask you to give him or her an update on your job application,
make sure you follow up his or her request.

Subject: Thank You from David


From: David Woods (dwoods@niu.edu)
To: Timothy Evans (timothyevans@niu.edu)

Dear Mr. Evans:

Thank you very much for referring me to the Land Surveyor position at Seven Seas BPO
Services Ltd! I greatly appreciate the time and effort you expended on my behalf.
I interviewed for the job today yesterday with Eric Jones, Head of Human Resource
Department and Lisa Heal, Head of Research and Development Department at its
headquarter in Qatar.

I think the interviews went well, and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about Land
Surveyor position at Seven Seas BPO Services, Ltd. Eric Jones told me that they would be in
touch in a three daysfor the next steps in the process. If you would like, I will keep you
posted about any progress being made.

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Best,

David Woods
Department of Material Engineering
School of Engineering
Northern Illinois University
https://www.job-hunt.org/job_interviews/sample-interview-referral-thank-you-
notes.shtml

Exercise
A. Fill in the blank using one of the following words

compatible goals hospitality intern staffs


interview members responsibility shares strategies

160 Jacobs Management Center


Buffalo, NY 14260
United States

February 22, 2019

Peter Harris
Director of Personnel
Ocean Mist Products, Inc.
San Diego, CA 15478

Dear Mr. Harris:

Thank you again for the opportunity to 1) _____________ for the marketing position. I
appreciate your 2) _____________and enjoyed meeting you and 3) _____________of your
staff.

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The interview convinced me of how 4) _____________ my background, interests, and skills
are with the 5) _____________ of Ocean Mist Products Incorporated. My prior marketing
experience as a student 6) _____________ with the Rural Institute Services has prepared me
to take a major 7) _____________ in developing both domestic and international marketing
8) _____________. I am confident my work would result in increased market 9)
_____________ for your company.

I look forward to meeting you and your 10) _____________again.

Sincerely,

Sally H. Gunner
B. Look at the following job advertisement. You were applying for one the job
vacancies and interviewed yesterday. Use the format below and write down a
thank-you letter to your interviewers

__________________________ (your address)


__________________________
__________________________

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__________________________ (date)

__________________________ (inside address)


__________________________
__________________________

Dear Mr/Ms 1) ________________________________ (name of your interviewer)

I appreciate the opportunity I had to interview with you for the position of
2) _______________________ (position) on 3) ________________________ (name
of company). I was very interested to learn that you are using 4)
_________________ and 5) ____________________ (software), as those are my
favorites. I believe that my experience with ____________ and
_______________________, in addition to my internship at _____________ (name
of company), would enable me to be an asset to________________________ (name
of company).

Thank you again for your time and your interest in me as a potential employer of
your company. If you need any further information, you may contact me at
___________________ (mobile phone number) from 8 a.m. until 5.30 p.m. or in the
evenings at ___________________ (mobile phone number). You can also reach out
to me through _________________ (email address). I look forward to hearing from
you.

Yours truly,

___________________ (your name)

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C. Imagine that you had already faced a job interview held by Huawei Technologies
which offered you a job as Drafters whose responsibility was for overall site
survey and design quality control. Now, write a thank you letter concerning with
the activity above.

D. You learn about job vacancy at Huawei Technologies (see Part C) from one of
your former lecturers. You decided to apply for the job and your lecturer, the one
informing you about the job vacancy, wrote you a recommendation letter. You
were interviewed two days ago. Write a thank-you letter to lecturer informing her
how your job interview went.

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