You’ve just gone on a fantastic informational interview—the person was excited to talk with you, answered all your burning questions, and had a glint in their eye that just maybe they’d consider you for a role at their company.
So, what do you do now? Go home and brag to your friends about your awesome meeting? Celebrate with a night out? Change your LinkedIn status to “Employed at [insert dream company here]” because you’re basically in? (OK, probably not that last one.)
But before all that, you should probably send the person a thank you note.
I know, groan—but this is actually essential if you want to stay on good terms with this person (also known as getting the heads up if and when their company’s hiring). For a purely selfish reason, it keeps you top of mind by literally putting your name in their inbox and gives you a chance to share (or re-share) anything significant about your skills or experience.
But for not-so-selfish reasons, it also shows that you appreciate them taking the time to meet with you Think: If you had an extra 30 minutes this week, would your first thought be, “I’d like to spend it with a stranger?”
And finally, it’s a great way to re-emphasize how much you’d like to work with them.
Template How to Write an Informational Interview Thank You Note
Hi [Name],
It was so nice to meet with you today! Thank you for taking the time to answer my (many) questions and talk about what it’s like at [Company]—it seems like an amazing place to work. I especially loved hearing about [something you enjoyed talking about].
I look forward to staying in touch as I continue [my job search/figuring out my next step]. I definitely plan on using your advice to [piece of advice that stuck with you]. And if [Company] has any openings in their [department] down the road, I hope you’ll let me know so I can apply.
All the best,
[Name]
It’s that simple, and it’ll only take you five minutes to send. And as long as you keep it personal, professional, and prompt (a.k.a., you should send it that same day), there’s a pretty decent chance you’ll turn that informational interview into an actual one.