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Chapter 6
The Follow-Up Letter

Before reading any further, it’s imperative to understand the distinction between
the Follow-Up Letter, which is covered in this chapter, and the Thank-You Letter, F
which is covered in the following chapter. In a Thank-You Letter, your sole purpose O
L
for writing is to express appreciation. In the Follow-Up Letter, your “thank-you”
L
is only an excuse for writing to those who have the power either to hire you or to O
influence the hiring decision in your favor. W
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In this chapter, we focus on the Follow-Up Letter, the letter you write after
U
being interviewed for a position that you are interested in attaining. Although you P
may begin your Follow-Up Letter by thanking your reader for a meeting, advice,
a referral, or for consideration, your primary goal is to continue promoting yourself L
E
and your candidacy. You accomplish this by achieving your secondary goal, which T
is to strengthen a connection with your reader that you established during an in- T
terview, meeting, or other prior contact. E
R
When should you send a Follow-Up Letter after interviewing for a position
S
in which you are interested? Always. When should you send the same person an-
other Follow-Up Letter after interviewing a second time for a position in which
you are interested? Always. When should you send a Follow-Up Letter after re-
ceiving help from someone who can influence the hiring decision? Always.
You’ll find Follow-Up Letters easy to draft if you follow these steps.

STEP 1: RE-ESTABLISH THE CONNECTION

Open your letter by mentioning something that will identify yourself to your
reader, such as the time or place of the meeting. Because it’s likely that your
prospective employer met with numerous candidates, it’s vital that she remem-
bers you. If your meeting occurred early on in the hiring process, it’s even more
critical that your interviewer remembers you. And it’s vital that her memory of
you is a positive one.
Therefore, in your opening refer to a common link that was revealed during
your meeting. You may have discovered, for example, that you and your inter-
viewer both worked at the same company in the past, or that you share an alma
mater, professional association, or business philosophy. Such a connection subtly
suggests that you and your prospective employer are similar in some way, and
will find common ground on which to build a rapport. (Unless you’re planning to

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