As a hiring manager in my day job, I do a lot of interviews, probably 5-10 each week on average. Sometimes a lot more than that. Of all the interviews I do, only 1 in 4 will send a thank you email. About 1 in 50 will send a handwritten thank you. If you want to stand out from the crowd, this is an easy way to do it.

Here are eight elements to a good thank you letter:

1. Address the interviewer. In the interview take note of who is in charge. Write down everyone’s name, but don’t be creepy about it. Address the person in charge, but you can scatter the other names in the letter. This makes it feel more personal.
2. Keep it short. This isn’t an essay. It should only be a few sentences. This isn’t the place where you put in all the stuff you forgot to say in your interview.
3. Restate your strongest qualifications. In the interview they probably told you the skills and qualities they’re looking for either explicitly or implicitly. Target what they’re looking for and remind them that you have those things. Don’t talk like a used car salesman.
4. Send the letter within an hour of the interview. Keep the conversation going. This reminds the interviewers that they met with you and that you’re awesome. The longer you wait, the less relevant the gesture becomes, because they’ve likely already made a decision, and the thank you letter won’t affect the outcome.
5. Do a favor for them. They might ask you for something during the interview. For example, they might find out that you did a project that relates to something they’re working on. Send them a copy. They might find out that you have a connection to someone they’ve been trying to get a hold of. Send them the contact info. Show them that you can add value to their team.
6. Get started. They probably mentioned in the interview something that you aren’t an expert at yet. If someone shared the title of a book they liked, put it on hold at the library, and tell them about it. If they talked about how Excel pivot tables are awesome, go watch a couple videos about them on Lynda.com. Showing that you did this demonstrates your passion for learning and eagerness to get started.
7. Send some links. It’s hard to show off your full-length movie in a 30 minute interview. Send them links to projects you’ve worked on or a digital copy of your portfolio that they can review later. Your printed portfolio will likely end up on their desk in a pile of other resumes. The that you email or card is something they can easily go back to and look at. If you’re going to write a handwritten letter consider using a short bitly link to point them to your content.
8. Include your contact info. Make sure that it is crazy easy for them to contact you. You want them to call you and offer you the job. Show that you are easily accessible.

Thank you letters are quick, easy, and can put you one point ahead of the next candidate. Make a habit of sending them after each interview. Let’s talk about prepping a thank you letter for your next interview.