5 Alternatives to “Thank You For Your Understanding”

Using the term thank you for your understanding can sound like the right message to include in your business letter. But once you’ve completed your message, you read it once more and realize it sounds generic.

This term is found within cover letters, business emails, business letters, and job application notes.

It is used to express gratitude and appreciation to the person considering you for the ask you are placing to them.

This is why you see this expression as a way of creating a personal thank you to someone after a job application or job interview.

Here are some alternative methods to expressing a thank you to the person you are writing to without using a generic message.

Thank them for their time

Thanking a person for their time shows a better level of understanding of what you are asking the person to do for you. It is not just considering you. It is taking time out of their valuable day to consider you for any opportunity.

The better way of saying this is to say, “I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to look over my cover letter.”

Give them an ask

Giving the person an ask is another way of saying thank you and providing the inspiration to make the next move. For example, you can say that you are eager to get started with this position for X, Y, Z reasons. And that you want to show your sincere appreciation for their consideration.

It would look something like this, “After our interview, I am really excited to start working in sales and marketing. I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

Say the phrase in a different way

You can use an alternative to this phrase if you feel like the expression is still valid. Instead of saying “thank you for your understanding,” you could say, “I appreciate you considering me for the job opportunity of X”

This is a more personalized way of saying thank you to the person you have business communication with.

Pose a question to yourself

When you ask another person for their time, you may want to provide your additional assistance. This is a way of showing them a level of understanding about your ask. For example, you could say, “If you need anything from me, I’m available X, Y, Z,” which can show you are interested in providing the person your support to get the job accomplished.

This can work well for job interview emails as well.

Show the person you actually understand

Saying “thank you for your understanding,” asks the person to show you some flexibility. Let’s presume this email is to a colleague and you were late to reply to them. Instead of saying “thank you for your understanding,” you can say, I want to provide you an apology for not hearing from me. And I appreciate your patience. Then provide your note to the person and reader.

This is a good way of starting your email in a way that shows compassion to the other person and begins the conversation constructively.