What’s better than landing an interview? Landing a second interview! You nailed the behavioral questions, established a rapport, and are walking out with your head held high. But don’t relax just yet! There’s one small (but important) step left — the thank you note.

While it might seem old-fashioned, the tradition of the thank you note is still very much alive, and the majority of interviewers still expect one. This is even more true after a second interview — while an initial interview follow-up may seem perfunctory, after the second interview you’ll have established a much stronger relationship with a company and will have more to say.

When should you send a thank you note?

Send your follow up quickly — but not immediately. Within 24-48 hours of your interview is ideal. Any longer, and it might start to look like it slipped your mind. Which doesn’t mean sooner is always better — wait at least a few hours to show that you’ve properly considered the interview. And never have a pre-written thank you note ready to hand out at the end of your interview — it’s gimmicky and unlikely to impress.

Sending your thank you note via email is fine for the majority of employers. A handwritten letter may look nice, but it’s not necessary (except in very niche cases) and may risk getting lost or arriving late.

What to say in a thank you letter

Above all, your thank you note should reflect the conversations you had in your interview. Don’t send off a generic email just for the sake of ticking a box — smart recruiters will see right through it and see it as a lazy attempt to curry favor. Instead, think about what you talked about in the interview. Follow up on a question you were asked, send through a relevant link, address any lingering concerns, and reiterate how excited you are about the company — and why. In general, follow these do’s and don’ts:

• Do personalize your thank you letter.
• Don’t send the exact same email to multiple people.
• Do send a link to a relevant project or materials.
• Don’t send your entire portfolio or series of links (unless you were asked to).
• Do keep your thank you email to a couple of paragraphs.
• Don’t send multiple thank you emails. There’s no need to follow up again unless it’s been a couple of weeks and you still haven’t heard anything.

To see some examples of second interview thank you letters, keep scrolling for email templates you can use.