Interview Questions UK

How to write a thank you letter to use after an interview, a phone interview, or even to someone who passed your name on to a hiring manager is an art that is not taught as often as it should be by placement services and others who help job seekers with finding jobs. They always cover the basics of resume writing, interview preparation, cover letter writing, how to create a reference sheet, and even how to prepare a salary history, which isn’t even required that often, but how to write a thank you letter is a subject that should be covered. It is a necessary skill that puts the capstone on the interview or other contact you had, makes you appear to be thoughtful and intelligent, and puts you above the crowd.

Some hiring managers are so swamped with resumes and cover letters when they post a listing on an online job bank or run a newspaper classified ad that they look for reasons to discard resumes. Having five hundred resumes in your email in box can be quite intimidating. Some hiring managers have been known to send out an automated response to all applicants letting them know that the resume was received. They will then sit back and wait for further communication. If an applicant knows how to write a thank you letter they have a jump on the competition immediately.

How to do it? As in all formal correspondence it should be block formatted with proper spelling, addresses and salutations. Keep it short—two or three paragraphs. In the first paragraph express your primary purpose by thanking the person you are writing to for their time and consideration. Business people are busy and time is a valuable commodity. In the second paragraph restate one or two key job skills you can bring to the position. Remind the reader as to why you are a good candidate for the job. In the third paragraph, thank the reader again, and reiterate that you are available by phone, email or in person should they have further questions. End with the traditional business ending “sincerely yours”.

An example of how knowing how to write it occurred with one job seeker a few years ago at a business brokerage in the Midwest. This job seeker was already working as a part-time telemarketer. She was competing for a full-time office manager position against two other. One of the men had a bachelors degree and the other was about to receive her bachelors. Both had several more years experience in office administration Obviously the other candidates were more qualified than the first applicant, but she knew how to write a thank you letter, and proved it. After her interview with the company owner, the managing broker and the old office manager (who was retiring and helping choose her own replacement) the fist candidate composed a thank you letter. She then printed out individualized copies for each person she interviewed with mailed them that evening. When the interviewers received them the next day they were impressed with her thoughtfulness and adherence to protocol. Despite the fact that the other two applicants were more qualified, she was hired. The fact that she knew how to write one probably got her the job she was seeking.

Many hiring managers will interview multiple candidates and only hire from those who send thank you letters. Some studies have shown that only one in ten applicants see the importance of thank you letters, so it should be obvious that if you know how to write a thank you letter you have a very important job skill.

Believe it or not, there are many people who are asking the question “what does a resume look like?”  While it might seem like a silly question to some people, there really are some people out there who haven’t seen a resume and don’t know what one looks like.  They may be people who have been working factory jobs and have never needed a resume before, or kids just out of school with no clue where to start on their job search with new degree in hand.

If you are asking “what does a resume look like”, the standard answer we can give you is that it can look like nearly anything you want it to look like.  There is no one way to craft and create a resume, so when wondering what does a resume look like, there is no cut and dried answer.  Your resume can look however you want it to look, but there are some general guidelines that you will want to follow.

First, your name should appear at the top in large, bold letters with your contact information (address, telephone numbers, and e-mail address) appearing below in smaller, regular letters.  After that, your resume is separated into sections.  Some possible sections can include:  career objective, job experience, education, skills, memberships, and awards and recognitions.

Some people also include a section on their resumes that says “references” and then below that they type “references are available upon request.”  This is fine, but if the advertisement for the job you are applying for asks that you include references with your resume, change that line below the “References” section to “references are attached” and then include a separate reference sheet.

Microsoft Word has several examples of resumes in their templates section that can help people who wonder what does a resume look like.  They are often used just as guidelines, but they can be customized by you by entering in your personal information.  Some people who are more advanced in their resume writing skills prefer to craft their own resume, but these templates are great for inexperienced resume writers.

So when asking “what does a resume look like”, we can’t give you a definitive answer.  Take a look around the Internet and look at some web sites that give examples of resume formats.  These web sites can also give you tips about creating your own resume, so use the resources that are available to you and you are sure to be a winner in the job market.  Plus, when someone asks you “what does a resume look like”, you’ll be able to tell them yourself!