Email examples for saying thank you for a job lead

Imagine you’re searching for a job, and someone sends you a job lead.

This job lead could come from a friend or a former coworker who liked working with you. Or it could be from a contact in your network.

Regardless of where it comes from, you should thank the person for the job lead, whether in person or through email.

But sitting down and just writing a short thank-you email isn’t how you should do it. What you say and how you say it matters because 82% of employees rated referrals as the best way to find a job.

In this article, you’ll learn why it’s important to say thank you for a job lead, mistakes to avoid when saying thank you, and what to include in a thank-you email. You’ll also find four templates to get started with your thank-you emails.

Why it is important to say thank you for a job lead

Saying thank you for a job lead should always be a priority. It helps you build better relationships with the people in your network and can leave them with a good impression of you. Saying thank you shows others that:

• You show gratitude and have good manners

• You appreciate the other person thinking about you in the first place

• You value the other person’s time

• You think the other person is important

Sending thank you notes is still in fashion and is common practice in many workplaces. Jessica Liebmann, Global Managing Editor at Insider, mentions that about 95% of its editorial job interviewees send unprompted thank you notes after taking part in a job interview.

While a handwritten letter provides a personal touch, sending an email message is most common in today’s digitalized world. Plus, it's faster and you don’t have to worry that your contact won’t receive the letter.

What is the right length for your thank-you email?

The length of your thank-you email depends on what kind of email you send. If it’s a short and simple email, it’ll be more concise than a very formal and traditional thank-you email.

Keep in mind that you’re thanking your contact for their time and consideration. Therefore, it makes sense to have multiple paragraphs with two to three lines.

If you keep the overall length between 100 and 200 words, you are on the safe side. That way, you make sure your email isn’t too long, but you can still say everything you need to.

When to send a thank-you email

Once you receive a job lead, it’s best not to wait too long to send a thank-you email.

While there is no need to rush your answer, we recommend sending an email the day after receiving the job lead.

If you receive the job lead on a Friday, try to send your email on the same business day instead of waiting until the next day. Doing so shows that you value the person’s time.

Mistakes to avoid when sending a thank you email

When you write a thank-you email, you’ll want to avoid making the following mistakes:

DON'T BE GENERIC: Sending the same thank-you email to multiple recipients. While you could save time, it doesn’t look professional. The person sending the job lead took the time to reach out to you. Therefore, return the favor and send personalized emails.

DON'T BE SLOPPY: Forgetting about proofreading and grammar. Once you’ve finished your email, make sure there are no misspelled words or grammatical errors in your text and that your sentences make sense. There are great tools you can use for free, such as Grammarly.

DON'T KEEP THEM WAITING: Waiting too long to send a thank-you email. As mentioned earlier, it’s important to always send a thank-you email soon after receiving a job lead. If you can’t send it the next day, aim for a maximum of 48 hours.

DON'T FORGET HOW IT WILL BE READ: Not thinking about mobile phones can hurt your delivery. A survey found that for 80% of people, it’s important that they can read an email on their phone. Make sure you don’t write big blocks of words, but rather multiple paragraphs to make reading easier.

How to write a thank-you email for a job lead

Your thank-you email should be brief and cover the fundamental elements of an email. Write only a few paragraphs that bring your main message across.

Any thank-you email is a step in the right direction, but applying the steps below will help you be professional.

1. Create a clear email subject line

The subject line is one of the most important parts of your email because 47% of recipients open an email based on the subject line. Provide a straightforward reason why you are sending the email. A short “Thank you for the job lead” works most of the time.

2. Open with a professional greeting

Start your email with a professional greeting before moving to the message, and address the person who sent the job lead directly by name. For example, “Hello Mark” or “Dear Stephanie” are excellent salutations.

Avoid using very informal phrases like “Hey” unless it’s a close friend or a person who uses this language publicly. It’s better to be formal in a business environment.

3. Show appreciation for the job lead

After the personalized greeting comes the first paragraph of your email, where you show your appreciation and express your gratitude. Be sincere and authentic.

Thank the person for thinking of you and taking the time to send you the job lead. For example, you could say: “Thank you for sending me the XYZ job lead today.”

After that, you can add more details like what you plan to do with the job lead so that they know you take them and the opportunity seriously.

4. Let the sender know that they can contact you any time

As they have sent you a job lead, they were the ones who gave first. Now, it’s your turn to return the favor. It doesn’t have to be a job lead — it can be any form of help, such as giving advice or connecting them with someone.

You can also tell them that they should feel free to contact you anytime. This reduces the barrier of them reaching out to you if they need something.

5. Include your contact information

Adding your name and contact information in the form of a signature or plain text is the best way to end an email. Doing so makes it easier for them to connect and get in touch with you in the future.

Your signature should include the following elements:

• Name

• Address (if applicable)

• Email address

• Phone number

• Website (if you have one)

• Relevant social media account URLs (use the 'Share' arrow on your Jobcase Profile)

4 templates and examples of thank-you emails

Now that you know the fundamental details of a thank-you email, it’s time to look at examples. By reading these, you’ll understand how to put all the aspects above into a well-written thank-you email.

Below you’ll find four different letter examples that you can use as templates and inspiration to build your next thank-you email.

Email 1: Short and simple

This email template is brief and very straightforward. It includes all the necessary elements and is ideal for sending a quick thank you note. The subject line could be: “Thank you for sending the job lead.”

Hello Daniel,

Thank you very much for sending the job lead {yesterday afternoon/on Tuesday/etc.}. I really appreciate you thinking of me.

It sounds like a great position and seems to be a great fit. I’ll reach out to your contact regarding an interview and update you about my experience with the hiring manager.

If there is anything I can help you with in return, please let me know.

All the best,
Jimmy

Email 2: Longer and specific

If the first template seems too short for you, consider writing a longer and more detailed response.

You can also include information about why you think this job lead might suit you well. This can increase the chances that your contacts might send you other job leads in the future that fit your skills.

Dear Liz,

Thank you for taking the time to send such an outstanding job lead {yesterday afternoon/on Tuesday/etc.} and sharing your network resources with me. I really appreciate that you thought of me as a good fit for this job.

It was great learning about this exciting opportunity, and this position seems like a great role that suits my skill set. I think my {list skills here} make me really qualified for this position.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if, at any point, you know how I can return the favor. I would be happy to introduce you to former or current colleagues, give you a reference or recommendation letter, or help you out in any other way.

Thanks again.

Best regards,
Stephanie

Email 3: Adding value

You can also add value for the other person to your thank-you email. Doing so can enhance your ‘thank you’ as you immediately give something back for the job lead.

Value can come in many forms, such as giving relevant information or advice, connecting them with your contacts, or anything else they could be interested in. Your email could look like this:

Hello Mike,

Thank you very much for taking the time and sending the job lead {yesterday afternoon/on Tuesday/etc.}. I appreciate you reaching out to me and sharing your business relationships with me.

It’s always great to hear about job openings, and I’m sure that I can succeed in this position with my skills. Thanks for thinking of me as a strong candidate for the job. I’ll reach out to the HR department and do my best to succeed in the interview process.

I also heard that {insert company} is looking for an assistant manager, and I believe you could be a good fit because of your previous experience and skills. I know someone at the company and could ask him for the right contact if you’re interested.

If there is anything else I can do for you or you need help with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am happy to help whenever I can.

Have a great day!
Hillary

Email 4: Casual approach

If you know the sender of the job lead very well, or you know your contact uses casual communication in their workplace environment, this email template is an excellent choice.

Some industries use language where you don’t need to be overly formal and send multiple long paragraphs. Use a subject line like “Thanks for the job lead,” and keep your email relatively short.

Hey Susan,

Thanks a lot for sending the job lead {yesterday afternoon/on Tuesday/etc.} and for thinking that I could be a great fit! I really appreciate you taking the time to reach out.

This could be a great opportunity, and I’ll definitely connect with your contact and try to schedule an interview. I’ll let you know how it went.

Let me know if I can help you with anything in return.

Best,
Daniel

Start writing thank-you emails

Ready to send out thank-you notes?

Now that you know what a thank-you email looks like and what to include, you are well equipped to write one yourself. Writing such an email makes you and your contact feel good and deepens your connection.

At this point, we want to point out that sending a thank-you note after you’ve had a job interview is also a great idea. And if you’re ready to start your job search, you can check out our job board.