Should You Send a Thank You Note to a Recruiter?

When working with recruiters, a big part of your process will be how to manage the relationship. You need to know how to stand out to your recruiter, and part of that is tied into the positive impression you leave with them.

Thank you notes are still an important aspect of finding a job, and so it is important that you understand the proper etiquette involved in sending them.

Some people never write thank you notes. While I don’t like to tell people that they are acting completely wrong, well…they are. You want to show that you are a thoughtful and considerate person.

If you’re looking to get a job, then even if you’re not someone who normally sends thank you notes, then you better start doing it. Employers, interviewers, and recruiters basically think that this is part of the process and if they don’t get a thank you note then you’re sabotaging yourself.

Do you send a Thank You Email to A Recruiter?

Alright, so you will send a thank you note to the person who interviewed you for the job. But do you have to send a thank you note to the recruiter?

Yes. I always say that you should send an initial thank you note to the recruiter. You should do this even before they land you a formal interview with a company.

Why? Well, because it will help create a positive impression with your recruiter. Remember, first impressions are always important when it comes to business and landing a job.

If you’ve met with a recruiter or spoken with them on the phone, then you should send them a thank you email once you’re done. It doesn’t have to be a long and complicated.

The primary reason for sending out a thank you note after your first meeting with a recruiter is to establish a relationship and make sure that they consider you a considerate, professional, and responsive candidate.

The feat amongst most recruiter is that you are someone who will simply no-show to a job interview. If you are someone who sends thank you notes after your interview, then that’s a sign that you are more conscientious and less likely to exhibit those negative behavior traits.

When Do You Send a Thank You Note?

So, when exactly do you send a thank you note? Is it something that you send as soon as you’ve finished speaking with your recruiter? Or do you wait a few hours, or days?

Well, it depends upon the circumstances. If you have had an online call with them, and you want to shoot them a quick LinkedIn message as a thank you or an email, then you can do it right after.

If your meeting was more traditional in nature and you actually met the person in-person, then you can certainly wait until you get home later to send off an email.

And you’ll notice that the preferred method of thank you notes is going to be email and LinkedIn messaging. No one uses pen and paper thank you notes any longer. It’s just not something that’s done in a professional setting.

Before or After Your Interview?

The other question that people tend to have is if they should send a thank you note before or after the interview.

My main suggestion would be to always wait until after speaking with someone to send a thank you note. It comes off as desperate to send a thank you note before hand.

If you do send a thank you note before you have your first phone call or zoom call with the recruiter, then you’ll be considered someone who doesn’t really understand the etiquette involved in business interactions.

You should always wait until after you have spoken to the recruiter to send them a thank you note.

What exactly would you be thanking them for before you speak with them? It makes no sense, so you should want to first talk to them and then you should go ahead and send over the thank you note.

Another key point that I like to stress is that thank you notes to recruiters are not just nice formalities. They have real world value. Scientific studies have shown that thank you notes have real power on influencing peoples perception of you.

How to Write a Thank You Note Without Sounding Desperate

The next thing that many people find difficult is how to write a thank you note without sounding desperate.

The main suggestion I always make is to make the thank you note brief, and not too needy.

All you need to do is thank the recruiter for speaking with you, and let them know that you are eager to work with them.

The goal of the thank you note to the recruiter is to make an impression and leave the recruiter thinking that you are someone who is a serious candidate and someone who will be responsive when an opportunity comes up.

So, keep it short. You don’t want to make yourself sound desperate by adding in a ton of praise. You are not writing a love letter, you’re writing a simple thank you note.

Can You Send a Thank You Note via LinkedIn?

Of course. In fact, that’s a great way to send over a brief thank you note to a recruiter if they connected with you originally on LinkedIn.

One of the things that recruiters like to do is keep the channels of communication steady. If they are dealing with LinkedIn, then they are going to want to keep the communication to that channel.

Once you move into different mediums (texting, emails, phone calls) then all of the information can become lost. Even if they have a well designed ATS, some of the communication can be lost.

If you and your recruiter have only been communication via Email, then you should not send a thank you note via LinkedIn. It would be out of place. Some recruiters don’t even respond on LinkedIn.

Not only might your recruiter miss the thank you note on LinkedIn, but it will also look odd for you to start communicating via a completely new channel. So, stick with LinkedIn if your recruiter and you have already been communicating via LinkedIn.

Sample Thank You Note to a Recruiter

Since so many people are not sure how to write a simple thank you note, I’ve decided to just provide a basic template that everyone can use.

This is going to be a very straightforward and easy to use template. You can use this with any recruiter that you connect with, regardless of industry.

So, here’s a quick and easy sample thank you note:

Hi Recruiter Name,

I wanted to thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. If you have any questions regarding my resume, or my availability to interview, please reach out and I’ll follow up as soon as possible. Looking forward to working with you!

Thank you,

That’s it. It’s a simple and quick thank you note that you can email or send via LinkedIn message to your recruiter.

There is no need to be overly wordy. In fact, the more wordy you are, the more of a problem you can cause yourself. You don’t want to be too needy because that can actually scare away a recruier and cause them to stop responding to you.

Really. It’s an issue that too many people don’t acknowledge. If you are too needy, then your recruiter might not call back.

So, keep it short and sweet.