The thank-you note you send after every interview joins your resume and cover letter to become the foundation for your file with every potential employer. Sending it is not optional; that said, you should choose strategically among the options you do have. Here’s a primer on the art of the thank-you note: who gets one, how they get it, and what it contains.

But first, some basic information that applies to every thank-you note, every time.

• Every note must be unique. You can’t send the same thank-you note to more than one person – if there are multiple identical (or nearly identical) notes in your file, it will reflect poorly on you.
• Absolutely no typos of any kind. It’s unfortunate that we need to say that, but every month, an employer calls us and says, “You know, I really liked this student, but I have to tell you there was a huge typo in their resume, their cover letter, their thank-you note.” In a competitive world, that’s enough to undo you, even if you have a million other great things to offer. Don’t do it.
• Make sure you’re sending it to the right person at the right firm. Spell their name properly and, in the event you had multiple interviewers, send a separate note to each one.

Who gets a thank-you note?

For starters, every interviewer, every time. For most lawyers, time is money, and they have chosen to spend some of it with you. Whether you have multiple interviewers in one round or multiple interviews with one firm, send a note to every interviewer, every time.

Anyone at the firm who helped arrange the interview. If you had help from a friend at the firm, partner’s assistant, or HR representative, thank them for their time and help. That said, make sure there is a pre-existing connection between the two of you. If in doubt, run it by a career counselor first.

Do not send a thank-you note to the interviewer’s boss or anyone with whom you didn’t have direct contact during the interview process.

How should you send it?

Most of the time, email works best because it works fast. Your note should go out within 24-48 hours of the interview, especially if it’s a compressed timeframe like OCI or when the interviewer is meeting a lot of people.

In certain settings – a smaller firm, for a post-graduate job, or an extended timeframe during which the interviews are taking place – you may want to consider a hand-written thank-you note. If you are going to send a hand-written note, it should be on a plain card and it should not look like you’re thanking your Aunt Millie for a birthday present. It should be very professional and very clean, and you have to have legible handwriting. If you don’t have decent handwriting, this is not an option for you.

What should it say?

Thank them for their time. It’s called a thank-you note for a reason. Reiterate your interest in the organization and the basis for it. Include one personal thing, either about the substance of the interview or a personal connection that came up.

Here’s one example of how it might all come together:

“Dear ______, thank you very much for your time (insert time reference). I really enjoyed talking with you about the antitrust practice at your firm. It sounds like it would be a fascinating place to work. I also enjoyed talking with you about Sam Bradford getting signed with the Eagles. As Philadelphians, our fingers are crossed. Thanks again for your time. Sincerely, ______.”

Extra credit: sometimes the thank-you note can serve as an opportunity to reinforce something that went really well or to rehabilitate something you wish had gone better. Think about it like a little interview p.s. – something in writing that gets attached to your file, where you’re controlling all the words. Just check with a career counselor first, especially if you’re trying to “fix” something you wish had been said differently.

My final point, and one I cannot stress enough, is this: when in doubt, check with us first. Whether it’s a question about etiquette, procedure, or some good old-fashioned proof-reading, the Career Services Office is here to help!