Writing a compelling subject line for a thank you email after an interview is an opportunity for you to shine, if it’s well written. It is your opportunity to frame the unique value you bring to the company where you want to work.
Expressing gratitude and appreciation is incredibly valuable in many situations. At home, sitting down to dinner with your rambunctious children is much sweeter when they thank you for dinner, right? At work, well-expressed appreciation fosters teamwork and respect.
In personal and business encounters, I believe that it’s better to lean towards over appreciating people rather than under-appreciating them. Appreciation connects us.
Email subject lines to use after an interview
After an interview, the subject line of a thank you note highlights your ability to summarize information and signals that you’ll be an employee with strong social and emotional intelligence who will work well with the team. A strong subject line in a thank you email will help you land the job you want.
I’ve known people who will only consider candidates who send a thank you email after an interview. We all know we should write a thank you note after an interview. Let’s do better and write a thank you note with a subject line that highlights and frames all you can offer to a company.
We’ve covered two important aspects of writing a thank you letter after an interview:
- How to write a thank you letter following a 6-step formula that never fails.
- An example, with annotations, of a strong and weak, thank you letter after an interview.
We’ve also addressed subject lines' general concepts here, but not specifically related to thank you emails.
Subject lines tips
Let’s look at examples of subject lines specifically for thank you notes emailed after a job interview. Some considerations:
- They have to be concise yet thorough.
- They have to entice the reader to open the email.
- They have to be honest yet convincing.
- They work like mini executive summaries.
- It’s a lot of pressure for a string of text that isn’t even a complete sentence!
That said, here are seven good subject lines for an email sent after an interview or meeting.
7 Example subject lines
All are good, but they become progressively stronger by adding specificity and weaving in your value:
-
Thank you – Assistant Accountant Executive Interview
This is nice and acceptable and will connect to your reader, but it’s generic and you’ve highlighted the position more than you.
-
Thank you from Claudia Smith
This works because it reminds them of you and expresses polite thanks. It’s suited for more formal interviews in a traditional company.
-
Thanks for our meeting about ABC Consulting
This addresses the meeting and position and hints at how you can contribute.
-
David – thank you for our meeting about ABC Consulting’s sales growth
Personalize your subject line! Naming your reader will connect to him directly and you’ve weaved in the focus of what the reader most wants – sales growth.
-
David, thank you & next steps for ABC Consulting
This is personalized, shows you recognize what the reader most cares about (sales growth), and suggests forward movement.
-
David – I enjoyed our meeting - follow up call next week about sales strategies?
This is personalized, you acknowledged the meeting, and you overtly ask for the response you want while framing it around what David most cares about.
-
Thanks + additional idea about sales growth
This acknowledges the meeting and entices David to open your thank you email since there is information of value to him. In the email, follow strategies for writing a strong thank you email and don’t make these mistakes. Here’s your chance to highlight your unique insights after the interview!
Pro Tip: Never use the subject line, “Thank you.” It’s boring and that subject line will never stand out in an inbox.
Remember, your subject line should be concise but descriptive. Let it function as a compelling introduction to the content of your email. Learn more about writing business emails through our email writing course.
