Don't thank someone for it. Their loss.
Why send a thank you note
- leaves an impression that you’re a person with a positive attitude who can handle being turned down without getting all bitter and twisted about it
- stating that you are interested in future opportunities might be just the reminder the hiring manager or recruiter needs to keep you on the top of their list of upcoming roles.
- Shows your professionalism
- Leads to potential opportunities with the company
- Allows you to gain feedback on your interview skills
What to say
- “I’m sad to hear that I didn’t make the cut, but I’m sure you’ve done what is best for the role.”
- “I’m disappointed of course, but I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to let me know.”
- “I hope to be considered for future opportunities.
- wishing them the best in them selection of whom they feel is the right fit for team.
- I would have loved to work at the company because of the interesting work, career growth and the value of their products. At the end I politely thanked them for the opportunity, which was the main focus.
While I admit that I was disappointed to receive your email stating that I’d been rejected from the teaching position, I hope that you’ll keep my resume on file in case a fitting position comes up.
I would appreciate any feedback you have on my resume and interview performance, if possible.
- I am grateful to have received the opportunity to be considered for an internship with this amazing company. It was a pleasure to meet and speak with you in the interview.
- Thank you again for the conversation and the chance to learn more about ABC Company. And I wish you and your new hire all the best.
- As I continue my search, I am grateful for the chance to meet outstanding leaders like yourself and hope we can stay in contact. I’ll be sending you an invitation to connect on LinkedIn.
- Should there be a similar position that would be a better fit for my experience and qualifications, I would be interested. I hope you will keep me in mind.
- While I’m disappointed that I’m not the best fit for the role, I understand your decision and would appreciate it if you kept my skills and experience in mind for any future roles with your company that you believe I may be a better fit for.
- Thank you again for the opportunity to interview and meet you. Good luck to you and the rest of the team moving forward.
While I’ll admit that I’m disappointed I won’t be able to work as part of the [Company] team, it truly was great to meet you and learn more about the great work that you’re doing.
I’m excited to keep following [Company] as the team [pursues a specific current company goal], and I’ll keep an especially close eye on [project/development you discussed in your interview].
Thanks once again for the opportunity, and I hope our paths cross again in the future. I’m wishing you and [Company] all the best moving forward.
Thanks for letting me know about your decision.
While I’ll admit that I’m disappointed I won’t be able to work as part of the ZipZap team, it truly was great to meet you and learn more about the great work that you’re doing.
I’m excited to keep following ZipZap as the team expands its product line for individuals, not just organizations. And I’ll keep an especially close eye on the upcoming rebrand that’s slated to go along with that expansion. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!
Thanks once again for the opportunity, and I hope our paths cross again in the future. I’m wishing you and ZipZap all the best moving forward.
- Thank you for the opportunity to interview, and I hope you’ll keep me in mind for any positions you think I might be a good fit for. I’m wishing you and BookWorms all the best moving forward.
- Although I am truly disappointed to learn that you have selected someone else to fill this job, thank out for taking the time and effort to let me know.
[If you learned unofficially that someone else was hired, use this first paragraph] I understand that you have hired someone for this job, and I am very disappointed that I am not that person.
I do greatly appreciate being considered for this opportunity. I enjoyed meeting with [names of the people who interviewed you] and learning more about your organization. I have been a [name of organization] fan of for quite a while and that won’t change as a result of this outcome. [If they have a product or service that you really like, share a bit about that here.]
Working for [name of organization] is still a goal of mine, so I will continue to observe your activities and new developments in the hope that someday I will be able to become a contributor to [name of organization]‘s continued success.
Please do keep me in mind for future opportunities. I would be very happy to hear from you.
What else to do
- they were sufficiently impressed with your resume/C.V. to offer you an interview. In that sense, it wasn’t a rejection
- Pick up the phone immediately, call any interviewers you clicked with during the process, tell them you didn’t get the job, and ask them if they have any advice for you in your interviews going forward
- connect with them on LinkedIn