by On this page, you will find a few examples of thank you letters as well as tips to write your own notes, email messages and letters of thanks in a professional manner.
A thank you letter, also referred to as a letter of thanks means a letter or email in which one person expresses his or her appreciation or gratitude to another person. Most of such letters are typed in the form of formal business letters and their length is not expected to exceed one page. Less formal letters that are meant for friends, acquaintances and relatives can be handwritten.
6 tips to write effective thank you letters
- Write it promptly. Send out your thank-you letter as soon as possible after the event (for a job interview, you'd better do this within 24 hours).
- Make it personal. A standard message will be lost among other job-seekers' letters. Address your letter to one person, not just the company or organization in general, and mention details from the event, it will make your thank-you letter stand out.
- Make it short and stick to the point. Make your letter short, direct, clear and concise.
- Sound natural. Express your gratitude and make the thank-you letter sincere, heartfelt and tactful.
- Proofread it before sending. Always carefully check your spelling and grammar. Errors and typos are unprofessional, but nothing could be worse than misspelling of someone's name. Take a minute to double check the spelling of all names in the letter.
- Handwrite, hard copy or e-mail? In general, typed (paper or email) thank you letters are recommended. Some managers, however, like hand written letters. In the tech industry, a thank-you email is appropriate. E-mails are also fine in less formal situations or if time constraints require it.
On what occasions is it appropriate to send a thank you note? Here are just a few quick examples:
- After a job interview or a business appointment
- When you receive a scholarship, gift or donation
- When you receive a recommendation
- When you establish a new contact
Tip. If your need to write a persuasive request letter, you'll find lot of useful information about the business letter format as well as tips and samples in the above-linked tutorial.
Thank you letter examples
If you have found yourself in a situation when you know that you need to send a thank you letter but cannot come up with the right words, our examples might set you on the right track.
Thank you letter after the job interview (from employee)
Dear Mr./ Ms.,
I want to thank you for taking the time to interview me yesterday for the position of [position name]. I sincerely enjoyed meeting with you and learning more about the [job name] and your Company.
After our conversation and observing the company's operations I am convinced that my [area of experience] experience fits me out more than adequately for the job, and my background and skills can take the Company to new heights of success. I believe I can make a significant contribution to the [new process or project name]. I am excited by your interest in [idea you suggested] and I also have a number of great ideas for [you have great ideas for…]. I feel confident that my experience in [your experience in …] would enable me to fill the job requirements effectively.
As you know (I neglected to mention during my interview that), my work as [previous position] at [previous working place] provided an excellent background as well as understanding of all the aspects of this kind of job. In addition to my enthusiasm, I will bring excellent qualifications, skills, assertiveness and the ability to [your ability] to this position. I am more convinced than ever that I will fit in beautifully as a member of the team and contribute my skills and talents for the benefit of your company.
Please feel free to contact me if I can provide you with any further information. I can make myself available for any further discussions of my qualifications that may be needed.
I thank you again for considering me for this position. I am very interested in working for you and look forward to hearing from you concerning your hiring decision.
Follow up thank you letter after the interview (less formal)
Dear Mr./ Ms.,
Thanks for taking the time to discuss the [Position] and my experience in [area of experience] with me. I really enjoyed speaking with you yesterday.
After meeting with you I am sure that my background and skills fit your needs. Your plans for [plans of your employer for] sound exciting and I hope I can contribute to your future success. I think my background in [background in] makes me an asset to your company. I was impressed with your department's energy and positive attitude. I know I would enjoy working with you and your group.
I look forward to hearing from you concerning your hiring decision. If I may be of any assistance, feel free to email or call me again at [your phone number].
I appreciate your consideration.
Scholarship thank you letter
Dear [Scholarship Donor],
My name is [Name] and I am honored to be one of this year's recipients of the [Scholarship name]. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity and willingness to help me achieve my goals. Thanks to your donation, I am able to continue my education at the [College / University].
I am currently [Degree or Program] with an emphasis in [Subjects]. I plan to pursue a career in [Industry] upon graduating the [Institution].
By awarding me the [Scholarship name], you have reduced my financial burden allowing me to focus more on learning and motivating to complete my degree. Your generous contribution has also inspired me to help others reach their goals in higher education and give back to the community once I begin my career. I thank you again for your generous support that made my scholarship possible.
Sincerely,
Your name
Thank you for recommendation (from employer)
Dear Mr./ Ms.,
I wanted to thank you for recommending [person you recommended] to a position of [position]. I am sure that [person] will bring along some great ideas and will be a valuable employee in our department.
Thanks again for the assistance. Don't hesitate to contact me if I can ever be of help to you in a similar matter.
Thank you for recommendation (from the person recommended)
Dear Mr./ Ms.,
I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the recommendation letter you wrote for me.
I know you put a great deal of time, energy and effort into it and hope you know how much I appreciate your support as I begin this next stage in my life.
I enjoyed working with you, and I am truly thankful for the complimentary things that you said about me. As I have searched for a job in my field, your letter has opened doors and provided opportunities that will be a good start for my new career. I hope I can do the same for someone else one day.
I will keep you updated on any responses I get.
I appreciate your time and would like to call upon you again for future opportunities.
Thanks again!
Personal thank you letter
Dear Mr./ Ms.,
I'm writing this note to let you know that your input and assistance contributed greatly to the success of [process or event they helped with]. I especially appreciate [what you especially appreciate].
Your expertise, the information and frank advice you have given, as well as the contacts you have shared with me have been invaluable to me during this process.
It's wonderful to have good friends like you, who are always willing to pitch in when we need you most. Even though you said it was not a problem, you still deserve to know that the favor is truly appreciated. As always, it was a pleasure working with you.
I look forward to returning the favor.
Personal thank you letter (less formal)
Dear Name,
Your expertise, the information and frank advice you have given, as well as the contacts you have shared with me have been invaluable to me during this process.
It's wonderful to have good friends like you, who are always willing to pitch in when we need you most. Even though you said it was not a problem, you still deserve to know that the favor is truly appreciated. As always, it was a pleasure working with you.
I look forward to returning the favor.
Email templates for thank you letters
In case you plan to send your thank-you letters or notes by email, our Shared Email Templates can save your time enormously. Instead of typing or copy-pasting a message for each recipient, set up a template just once and reuse it whenever you want!
With the help of the built-in macros, you can quickly personalize your letters - automatically populate the To, Cc, Bcc and Subject fields, enter recipient-specific and context-specific information in predefined places, attach files, and more.
Your templates are accessible from any of your devices, whether you use Outlook for Windows, for Mac, or Outlook Online.
The below screenshot just gives an idea of how your thank-you email templates may look like:
Curious to see how Shared Email Templates can streamline your communication? Get it for free from Microsoft AppStore.
2 comments
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