“Thank you for your interest”: Meaning, Usage & Examples

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“Thank you for your interest”: How and When To Use This Phrase

There are several different meanings of the word “interest” in English.

“Interest” can be a financial term, referring to the money that you earn on an account.

An “interest” can also refer to a hobby, something that you like to do or learn about.

For example, you might say, “My interests are film, running and cooking.”

A similar use of “interest” refers to wanting to know more about a subject, and this is how the word is used in the phrase “Thank you for your interest.”

 

What is the meaning of “Thank you for your interest”?

When you use this phrase, you are letting someone know that you appreciate their inquiry, which could be about a situation, a business offer, a job or even about you.

 

When do you use “Thank you for your interest”?

“Thank you for your interest” is a formal phrase, and you would use it in writing more than you would in speech.

As you will see from the examples below, it is often but not always used in response to an inquiry.

Sometimes, it is used in response to an action you have taken that implies interest, such as reading an advertisement for a job or going to a talk on a certain topic.

 

Applying for a job

One place you might see “thank you for your interest” is in postings for jobs.

It is usually the last line, after the job has been described and the instructions on how to apply are given.

It is also used in correspondence about the job. If you apply and you receive a letter or an email about the job, it might begin or end with this phrase.

The phrase itself does not give you much information about whether the news is good or bad. For example, you might get an email or a letter that begins like this:

“Thank you for your interest. Unfortunately, the position has already been filled.”

However, you should not panic if you see those four words. The letter might instead say something like this.

“Thank you for your interest. We would like to schedule an interview with you at your convenience.”

“Thank you for your interest” is just a polite way of saying that they appreciate that you have responded to their job advertisement.

 

Replying to a request for information

If you are writing a paper or an article on sea turtles and you send an email to the world’s foremost expert on sea turtles asking a few questions, the expert’s email might begin like this:

“Thank you for your interest in my work on sea turtles. In answer to your question, the largest type of sea turtle is the leatherback.”

This is a polite way of acknowledging appreciation that you have asked them about their work.

Companies also use this phrase. For example, if you are planning a family vacation and you send an email to a resort asking whether they have activities that your young children would enjoy, the reply might begin like this:

“Thank you for your interest in Paradise Resorts. We have a variety of activities for the 3-to-5-year-old age group.”

As you can see from these examples, the phrase may be used on its own as a complete sentence or it might be followed by “in. . .” and specific words that describe the thing you have asked about.

 

“Thank you for your interest” and speech

This phrase is used occasionally in speech although it sounds a little stiff, like words an employee has been told they have to use if someone inquires about a specific thing.

It is still polite, but it might sound slightly insincere, as though someone is repeating lines from a script.

 

Other ways to express “thank you for your interest”

A more natural use of this phrase in speech might alter it slightly.

For example, if you went to a talk on space by a famous astronaut, the speaker might begin by saying,

“I just want to thank you all for your interest, and for being here tonight. . .”

 

Thanks for asking

A similar, related phrase you are much more likely to hear in informal speech is “Thanks for asking.” You would use this after someone asked you a specific question:

Friend or work colleague: “How’s your mom doing after that surgery she had?”
You: “Oh, thanks for asking. She’s feeling much better.”

In a way, what you are saying with “thanks for asking” is “thank you for caring” although it would sound strange if you used that phrase instead.

In other words, you would tend to use “thanks for asking” for situations in which people were inquiring about something personal, such as health or how a test or a job interview went.

You would not say it to a work colleague who was asking you if you had finished a task or for a more neutral situation, such as someone asking you if your car was out of the shop yet.