Now what do you do?

If you want to be sure your prospective employer remembers the interview in the positive way you do, send a thank-you note within a day or two. 

A thank-you note puts you at the top of the interviewer's mind a few days after your interview, after he or she has likely met with other candidates.  It reminds the interviewer how well your interview went and the pertinent topics you discussed.

A great thank-you note should:

Be specific to your interview.  If you send a generic "thank you for meeting with me" note, you may be seen as half-hearted, as if you're sending the note only out of obligation.  With that generic note, you are also missing an opportunity to make your interview stand out among many by mentioning specific topics that only you discussed with your interviewer.  Be sure to mention one or two of these topics along with a thank-you that's as specific as possible ("Thank you for taking the time to meet with me on the day of such an important investor presentation - I hope it went well").

Provide additional information if possible.  A way to stand out is to include additional relevant information with your thank-you.  For example, if you discussed an interesting website or business resource, provide the URL or phone number.  One candidate made a great follow-up impression by including a specific magazine article that came up during the interview.

Check for typos and grammatical errors.  This is crucial, because the best thank-you note can be a liability if it includes "your" instead of "you're," or the classic then/than mix-up.

Electronic or Snail Mail?

Should you send the thank-you note via e-mail or in handwritten form?" 

There appears to be a generational divide on this: younger candidates think handwritten notes are dated and electronic messages are more current.  Mid-career candidates think electronic notes seem too casual and handwritten notes are more personal.

Both types of notes have their place.  You should customize the format of your thank-you based on each interview.  Think about your interviewer - their office, their use of technology and anything they said that might give you a clue how they would feel about either type of note. Think about the culture of the company - hip and entrepreneurial, or more formal and corporate?  Somewhere in between?  Use this information and go with your gut feeling about what type of note would be best received.

What is not debated, of course, is whether you should send the thank-you: You always do.

In one search conducted by Heyman Associates Inc., a leading executive search firm, three candidates were interviewing for a position with a major travel company.  Two of the candidates sent thank-you notes after their first interview, and one did not.  The company wondered if the third candidate should even remain in the running because the candidate had not sent a thank-you note.

Remember that other people are being interviewed for the same position, and you must assume they will send a thank-you.  To keep the playing field level (and to set yourself apart), send one after every interview.