Think You Can Skip a Thank You Note? Think Again.

You've done all the prepping, all the practicing, you had all the nerves, and you nailed the interview.  Good job!  But you're not done yet.  Do not jeopardize all that work by leaving out the important step of sending a thank you email to your interviewer.  Is it annoying?  Maybe.  Are you over it at this point?  I'm sure.  Whether or not other industries have ditched the thank you email, the medical sales industry still considers it part of polite society.  And, if all things are equal between you and two other candidates, and those candidates send thank you emails and you don't???  C'mon!  Why chance it??  With the template I am providing you below, you have no excuse not to send one at this point.

It doesn't have to be long, but it does need to be well executed.  It needs to thank the interviewer(s) for their time, express your interest in the position, drive home any important points you want to make, address any concerns that came up, and close the interview, i.e. ask for the next step.  It sounds like a lot, but you can do that in one paragraph.

As discussed in the interview tips and tricks post, make sure you collect a business card from everyone who is interviewing you.  If you are not able to, write their names down in your notes so you can reference them in your email to your main contact, i.e. "Thank you so much for your time today.  If you could please forward this thank you to Jane, Jimmy and Joe as well, I would greatly appreciate it."

The thank you email is another reason to take good notes during the interview.  It will make it easy to fill in the "x, y, z's" below.  Check out the template below and customize it to each of your unique interviews.  My hope is that this makes it so easy you have no reason to skip this important step.  You'll thank ME later. 

Sample Thank You Email Post Interview

(THANK YOU)

“Thank you for your time today.  I appreciate the opportunity to interview for this position.  I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and left even more excited about this opportunity.

(TAKEAWAY – SOMETHING YOU LEARNED IN INTERVEW)

“One of my takeaways from our meeting is the work you all are doing to make a positive impact in healthcare, including X, X and X.  I would very much like to be a part of this effort.”

(REINFORCE A POINT OR RE-HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING THEY WERE INTERESTED IN)

As I mentioned in our conversation, I attribute my success to date to developing and sticking to a strategic business plan.  My organizational abilities enable me to work very efficiently and stay on top of a lot of details.  And, my tenacious personality always keeps me driving forward.  These personality traits lend themselves well to a goal-oriented profession, such as sales.

(ADDRESS ANY CONCERNS/OBJECTIONS MENTIONED IN INTERVIEW)

I understand you are looking for a rep with previous experience to step right in and take care of the competitive threat at X customer.  However, I assure you, I will work very hard to get up to speed as quickly as possible and jump right in to work on the situation.  Referenced on my skills comparison checklist, I have handled similar situations before in my current role/profession, including X, X and X.

(REFERENCE ANY NEXT STEPS THAT WERE DISCUSSED)

You mentioned you would be interested in me participating in a ride-along with a member of your team in the field.  I would be thrilled to do this, and I will make myself available when it is most convenient for your team member.  Please let me know if you would like me to reach out to them directly to schedule day/time.

(CLOSE THE SALE)

I am excited about this position, and I believe it will be a great next move in my career.  I would very much enjoy the opportunity to meet with X and X in X (city).  I look forward to hearing back from you next week.  Please let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.  

Thank you,

Name

Number

Boom!  Now sit back, relax, and get ready to receive their enthusiastic response to schedule your next step in the medical sales interview process.  I wish you the best of luck!  Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you in your journey.  You can schedule a coaching call with me at www.primetimesellers.com.