I have received conflicting advice about sending thank you notes after interviews. Some people have told me that it's appropriate while others have suggested that I shouldn't bother the hiring manager. What should I do?
Answers
Hi Elise,
My teammates and I have interviewed a lot of people in recent months and if candidates did not send "thank you" notes, well, that was a big strike against them. I received several written notes (mailed via snailmail USPS), but the most common was an e-mail. The most effective were sent within a few hours of the interview and included a personal anecdoate from the interview. For instance, "BrieAnn, I was most interested in hearing about the internal social media tools you use at your company to integrate messaging from your business unit into others...on a global scale." But if I have to read a "thank you" note that is more than a short paragraph, I will lose interest. FInally, if the note is too conversational, I won't take him/her seriously. I only met you once! So keep it professional.
Essentially, keep it short. Include a personal anecdote from your interview. And remember, regardless of how nice or cool your interviewer was, keep the message professional.
Hope this helps.
I agree with the rest of the forum. I don't necessarily hold it against an applicant for not sending a thank you note. However, it definitely makes a candidate stand out.
Good luck!
I would recommend definitely "sending" a thank you note although I would recommend using email as opposed to snail mail. I would send it within 24 hrs of the interview as many decisions are made quite quickly.
It doesn't need to be long. Only 2-3 sentences would suffice. Thank them for their time and if you had a memorable moment, I would mention that.
Hope this is useful.
Yes, when I am hiring I go thru alot of resumes, several interviews, and that little thank you can be a tie breaker. If you are dealing with HR and not the actual hiring manager, maybe not so much.
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