By Sophie Deering,

Even if you’ve absolutely nailed your job interview, you could rule yourself out of the running if you fail to follow up with your interviewer afterwards. Sometimes making a great impression in the interview itself doesn’t quite cut it and though you may have done a good job of providing them with all the answers they were after, this can easily be forgotten if another equally qualified candidate sends them a well thought out follow up email after their meeting and you don’t.

In order to stand out from your competition, it’s important that your follow up email has more to it than merely saying thank you. You want to remind them why you think you would make the perfect person for the job and leave a positive impression that they will remember you for.

On the flip side, you should still write a thank you email if you feel that the interview didn’t go well, as you may be able to do a bit of damage control, or at very least maintain a level of professionalism.

If you are unsure about what you should put in your thank you email, here are a few pointers to help you get started.

1) Thank your interviewer

You should begin your email by thanking your interviewer for their time and for offering you the opportunity to interview with them. Be specific about the role that you interviewed for and let them know that you enjoyed meeting them and your discussion.

2) Repeat why you feel that you’re a perfect fit for the role

Go back over what you have told them in your interview, about how your skills and experience align with the role they are looking to fill. Try to be specific and use examples, as these details will stick in their head rather than vague statements.

3) Remind them about a key topic you spoke about

Chances are that they have spoken to a number of applicants, so you want to provide them with a reminder about who you are and what you have to offer. Remind them about something specific you discussed and hopefully this will prompt their memory.

4) Provide new information

If there’s something that you forgot to let your interviewer know in your interview that you think could be an important factor in their decision, now is your chance to let them know. Explain that you thought it would be of interest to let them know about this experience/skill etc. and how it fits in with the role you are interviewing for.

5) Let them know that you will follow up

Hopefully your interviewer will have provided you with a rough idea about when you should expect to hear from them by, so you can end your thank you note by letting them know that you will follow up again if you haven’t heard from them by that date. This will demonstrate your genuine interest and commitment to the role.

6) Keep it short and sweet

Try not to waffle. Your follow up email should be kept brief and only cover the essential information. You’ve had your chance to explain everything in more detail in your interview, so your follow up email should act as merely a reminder.

7) Send within 24 hours

Make sure you email your interviewer while the meeting is still fresh in their mind. Any longer than a day and they may have made their decision already, meaning you could have missed out.