We all require informational interviews at some point in our lives. Imagine you just had a wonderful informational interview with someone and the other person answered all your questions well. You are very satisfied with the informational interview you just had. So what should you be doing now? It is time to write a thank you letter for informational interview. So after the interview, you must pick up your pens and paper (or your laptops) and begin writing the thank you letter for informational interview.
The main purpose behind writing a thank you letter for informational interview is to thank the interviewee or the interviewer, depending upon your case. It can also help you stay on good terms with the person and will keep your name on his or her top list. You can also use this letter as a medium to share something specific like your skills or experience again to keep you on top of the mind of the person. Further, apart from the selfish reason, it is also a way of thanking and appreciating the person for giving you the time and answering all your questions.
In this article, we will cover the varied aspects of writing a thank you letter for informational interview. In the various sections, we will talk about what is a thank you letter for informational interview ad when is it required. Further, we have some tips for you on how to write a thank you letter for informational interview along with some sample templates for the same.
What is a Thank You Letter for Informational Interview
A thank you letter for informational interview is a letter meant to thank the person for being cooperative and addressing all your questions during the informational interview. It is a sincere letter of thanks expressing gratitude towards the receiver of the letter. It is a letter in which one can talk about the experiences of the interview than thank the person for a great interview.
An informational interview is one in which a person can clarify the doubts regarding any job position or industry from an experienced person. The main purpose of the interview is to get some specific information from the person. So after getting your purpose fulfilled, you must thank the person for the help. This is why you must write and send a thank you letter for informational interview.
When is a Thank You Letter for Informational Interview Required?
A thank you letter for informational interview is required after you have any informational interview with a person. The letter must be sent immediately after the interview as waiting for a long time to send the letter might make it useless. For the letter to remain useful and purposeful, you should send it soon after the interview. After having an informational interview, if you feel that your purpose has been solved, then you must write a thank you letter for informational interview. Some of the specific reasons for writing a thank you letter for informational interview are given below:
- If you talked to HR for getting some insights into the company, then you must write a thank you letter to them.
- It can be written after you had an interview with someone taking guidance or advice about a specific career.
- If you had an interview with a school before applying for the post of a teacher, then also you must write a thank you letter for informational interview.
- Another instance for writing a thank you letter for informational interview is after having an interview with the college authorities about the college.
- You can write a thank you letter after having an interview with a career counselor before taking up a specific career.
These are some of the instances when writing a thank you letter for an informational interview can be a great idea. You can simply write a thank you letter when you want to thank anyone for an informational interview.
Tips for Writing an Effective Thank You Letter for Informational Interview
In order to write an effective thank you letter for informational interview, you need to keep a few things in mind. We will discuss all the important tips and tricks for writing an effective thank you letter for informational interview in this section. You must go through these tips before writing a thank you letter for informational interview and must follow them while writing one.
- A thank you letter for informational interview is generally a formal letter. However, it can be an informal letter if you are writing it to a friend or anyone close who gave you some information about a specific thing. But under most circumstances, it is a formal letter. So you must follow the format of a formal letter while writing it. The format is given below for your reference.
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the Company/ Organization
Address of Company/ Organization
Subject: Thank You Letter for Informational Interview
Dear ABC,
(Body of the Letter)
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
- Express your gratitude through the letter and specify the main reasons for which you want to express your thankfulness.
- If you got any specific much-needed information through the interview, then mention that in the letter while thanking the receiver for it. This will also show them that you were paying attention during the interview.
- Always send the thank you letter for informational interview soon after the interview. There is no point in waiting too long before sending it.
- Mention the action you are taking after receiving the information through the interview. For instance, if a counselor guided you to pursue Engineering and you chose to go by the advice, then mention that in your letter.
- Thank the person for taking out time for you and for clearing your doubts.
- Make sure that you write the letter in such a way that the reader feels that you are really thankful for the interview.
- The letter might also help you strengthen your professional connections so you must specify any additional that you want the person to know. In case you had an interview with the HR Manager of your dream company then let them know about any additional skills that you have through the letter.
- Be polite in the letter and write it in a positive tone.
- Use appropriate closing lines while ending the letter. Write words like ‘Sincerely’ in a formal letter.
These tips will help you write an effective thank you letter for informational interview. However, if you do not wish to write the letter then you can find some ready-to-use templates in our next section. These are free sample templates for thank you letters.
Sample Thank You Letter for Informational Interview
Some sample thank you letters for informational interviews are given below. You can use the template that suits your requirements to send them to the person.
Sample #1 (Thank You Letter for Informational Interview with HR)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the Company/ Organization
Address of Company/ Organization
Subject: Thank You Letter for Informational Interview
Dear ABC,
Thank you for meeting with me earlier today. Our conversation proved to be very informative for me and gave me clarity on all issues that I was doubtful about. Thank you for taking out time to clarify all my doubts. I am glad you gave me insights into what it is like to be an employee at the company (Write the name of the company).
I really loved hearing about (Mention any specific thing that you liked). The information given by you helped me make up my mind. I am pleased to inform you that I will like to go forward with the offer for the post of Accounts Executive (Mention the post offered). I am looking forward to working with the company and getting in touch with you some time again soon.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Sample #2 (Thank You Letter for Informational Interview with a Friend Taking Guidance on Career)
Your address
Date
Receiver’s address
Dear ABC (Name of the Receiver),
Hello, hope you’re doing well. I had a great time having a conversation with you. Thank you for taking out some time for clarifying all my doubts regarding the profession of a Chartered Accountant (Write the profession or career option). The informative conversation helped me gain clarity on which career option I should pursue. I am glad I thought of you to ask all my doubts from as you are in this field for so many years.
I want to thank you for taking out time from your busy schedule to guide me regarding the career options available for me. I was very confused between taking up the profession of Chartered Accountant or Company Secretary. But after having a conversation with you, I have finally made up my mind to make a career as a Chartered Accountant. Thanks for helping me out.
Yours Lovingly,
XYZ (Your Name)
Sample #3 (Thank You Letter for Informational Interview with School Staff)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the School
Address of School
Subject: Thank You Letter for Informational Interview
Dear ABC,
It was a pleasure to meet with you today. I am writing this letter to thank you for providing me with all the necessary information regarding the vacancy of a teacher at the school (Name of the school). Thank you for taking out time from your busy schedule for giving me all the information. The informational interview with you today helped me made up my mind about going forward with my application.
I am going to email my updated resume to the Email ID given by you. I want to thank you once again for helping me and clarifying all my doubts.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Sample #4 (Thank You Letter for Informational Interview with Career Counsellor)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the Company/ Organization
Address of Company/ Organization
Subject: Thank You Letter for Informational Interview
Dear ABC,
I am writing this letter to thank you for your guidance in helping me choose a suitable career path for myself. I was very confused between the 3 streams. The conversation with you helped me gain an insight into the 3 streams and helped me make my mind. I have finally chosen to go with the Humanities stream as the career options that this stream offers fascinated me more than others.
I really appreciate your approach towards guiding me and helping me decide the right career option for myself. I am going to follow your advice and do what my heart says. I am feeling very positive about taking up Humanities as it will open up varied opportunities for me in the future. I will keep you updated about the decisions I make. Thank you once again for helping me out.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Sample #5 (Thank You Letter for Informational Interview with College Authorities)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the College
Address of College
Subject: Thank You Letter for Informational Interview
Dear ABC,
Thank you for meeting with me today. I am grateful to you for talking with me and providing me with all the necessary details about the college. Thank you for guiding me and helping me make a decision. I have finally decided to have some work experience before applying to graduate school.
I have decided to apply to some companies and gain some work experience. I will apply to the college (Write the name of the college) next year to increase my chances of getting selected. Thank you once again for your help.
Sincerely,
(Signature) Sender’s Full Name
