Interviewing for a nurse practitioner position has evolved tremendously over the last couple of years. Nowadays it’s become more common for employers to conduct video interviews over platforms like Skype and Google Hangouts. It’s also not out of the ordinary for NPs to be asked by hiring managers to provide a link to their professional profiles on sites like LinkedIn. Yet while some things change, others stay the same.
Case in point, following up after an interview with a thank you note. Sending a thank you note after an interview is an absolute must, especially if you’re serious about landing the position. But doing so no longer has to entail purchasing personalized stationery and stamps. Thankfully, emailing your letter of appreciation is now an acceptable and effective format for doing so when done correctly.
Emailing a thank you note has several unique advantages that handwritten letters don’t. For example, it can easily be sent and received within the first 24 hours of your interview. It also provides you with an opportunity to do more than remind your potential employer of why you’re the ideal candidate for the job but to also provide links to your professional social networking profiles. Though much more convenient than handwriting a thank you note, emailing does come with its own set of challenges. Here are the do’s and don’ts when emailing a post-interview thank you note.
Do:
…Send your email right away, ideally within the first 24 hours of the interview. Regardless of whether you’re still interested in the position or not, failing to send a thank you note is very unprofessional and only reflects poorly on you. If you’re no longer interested in the position, you can politely say so in the email. If you’re serious about your interest in the opportunity, you want to stay fresh in the hiring manager’s mind; which is why so important to send a letter as soon as possible to thank them for the opportunity and reiterating your skills and qualifications.
…Email all of your interviewers in either one collective email or by sending separate emails to each person you spoke to. If you weren’t able to get a business card for each person, you should be able to easily track down their email address online or you can call their office to ask for it. Should you decide to send a separate email to each individual, be sure that you address them directly by name. You’ll also want each message to vary somewhat so that it doesn’t seem like you’re sending out a generic thank you email for every position you’ve interviewed for.
…Include a direct subject line with the title of the position you interviewed for along with the words, “thank you”. Something similar to “Thank You- Family Nurse Practitioner Interview” will suffice. It’s straight to the point and will immediately grab the attention of the recipient.
…Use keywords from the original job posting or that were discussed in the interview to remind the potential employer of how your experiences and qualifications meet their needs. For example, you can say something like, “I believe my experience working as a nurse practitioner in the emergency department has well prepared me for the skills needed in the urgent care setting.”
…Remember to address the interviewer directly, reiterate your interest in the position, include some details from the interview that intrigued you, and include your contact information following your signature in the email.
…Provide links to your online professional sites as part of your contact information. Just be sure that your profiles are up to date and reflect you in a very professional light.
Don’t:
…Be overbearing and annoying by following up more than twice. Once you’ve sent your thank you note, wait another 1 – 2 weeks before following up again if you haven’t heard anything back. Repeatedly hounding a potential employer more than twice will not convince them that they want to work with you; it will only make you seem desperate, needy and less desirable.
…Be too casual. Save the funny memes, GIFs, emoticons and acronyms for messages between yourself and your friends. A thank you note with a potential employer is not the time to send a “thank you” eCard either. Remember the nature of your email should be kept professional and essentially needs to be formatted like a formal business letter.
…Forget to proofread. Reading what is supposed to be a professional email but is misspelled with grammatical errors is like listening to nails on a chalkboard. While most NPs aren’t journalists, there is no excuse for not proofreading an email before sending it.
Here is an example of an appropriately crafted thank you email to send after an interview:
Subject:
Thank You- Family Nurse Practitioner Interview
Email Message:
Dear Dr./ Mr./Ms. Last Name,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today about the family nurse practitioner position at ABC Family Practice. I enjoyed our conversation and appreciate you taking the time to give me a tour of the facility.
The position seems to be an excellent match with my skills and career objectives as a family nurse practitioner. I am excited about the possibility of bringing my experience working as a in other private practices over the last ten years to this facility. The collaborative approach between the nurse practitioners and physicians that you described was impressive and reinforced my interest in becoming a part of your team.
Thank you again for the opportunity to interview. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this position.
Sincerely,
Erin Tolbert
1234 Street
Nashville, TN 25837
(615) 382-8374
[LinkedIn URL]
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