Post-interview "thank you" note?

[imported_Tomato]

I interviewed last Thursday and have yet to hear back from the potential employer... is it too late to send a thank you note? Would it be better via e-mail or snail mail? I vaguely remember a thread on this awhile back, but can't seem to find it in the archives.

*off to monster.com to review proper thank you note etiquette/verbate*

 

[Pepsei]

Don't need it...

you must be desperate for this job eh? it shows, so it would be to your disadvantage when it comes to negotiatng the pay rate if you got hired.

 

[Storm]

Snail mail...

 

[StageLeft]

Tough call at this point. I ALWAYS send a thank you, via email, immediately after an interview.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: Pepsei
Don't need it...

you must be desperate for this job eh? it shows, so it would be to your disadvantage when it comes to negotiatng the pay rate if you got hired.

Don't need it, eh? Why not?

What's wrong with wanting a higher-paying job with more opportunities for advancement?

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Tough call at this point. I ALWAYS send a thank you, via email, immediately after an interview.

Thx for the input, Skoorb. I'm worried it might get filtered out as spam because it'd come from a yahoo addy... worth a shot anyway?

 

[DougK62]

"Don't need it"? That's bunk.

It's a bit late for a thank you note now. They're usually sent shortly after the interview. The best way to send them is via the method that you used to communicate with them during the process. If you wrote emails back and forth then it's perfectly acceptable to send an email thank you note.

 

[Bassyhead]

thank you note after the interview is a good idea, but might be too late now

 

[kitkit201]

yeah, definately do thank you notes..

word of advice.. never burn bridges...

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: DougK62
"Don't need it"? That's bunk.

It's a bit late for a thank you note now. They're usually sent shortly after the interview. The best way to send them is via the method that you used to communicate with them during the process. If you wrote emails back and forth then it's perfectly acceptable to send an email thank you note.

Thanks, DougK62... I didn't send a thank you note after the first interview, and was summoned for a second. At this point, would it be worse to not send one at all, or to send one late? We communicated via phone and e-mail to arrange the interviews.

 

[StageLeft]

Well it couldn't hurt at this point, although I would place 99% odds that they already know if you're in the running or not, whether they've told you or not. In the future you need to try and keep the momentum going with an email immediately after (snail mail is too slow!).

 

[DougK62]

Originally posted by: Dezign

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Tough call at this point. I ALWAYS send a thank you, via email, immediately after an interview.

Thx for the input, Skoorb. I'm worried it might get filtered out as spam because it'd come from a yahoo addy... worth a shot anyway?

If you're out interviewing for jobs you really need to have a real email address. The yahoo, hotmail, etc accounts come off as being very unprofessional to a potential employer.

Get your own domain name - they're cheap these days.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: kitkit201
yeah, definately do thank you notes..

word of advice.. never burn bridges...

Amen to that.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Well it couldn't hurt at this point, although I would place 99% odds that they already know if you're in the running or not, whether they've told you or not. In the future you need to try and keep the momentum going with an email immediately after (snail mail is too slow!).

Very true... I guess it couldn't hurt. Advice noted for next time, wish I'd asked earlier...

 

[DigDug]

Thank you note is too late. You can however, work a quasi-thank you/continued interest note:

Dear XXXXXXXXXX,
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me this past Thursday. I very much enjoyed learning more about [firm name] and speaking with you about my qualifications [or, if you talked about sports, hobbies, or something else notable, use that instead.]

I would like to take the opportunity to reiterate my interest in [firm name]. My meeting with you confirmed my initial conceptions about [firm name] as a dynamic, engaging and enjoyable place to work, and I am confident that I will be able to make an important contribution and serve as a valued member.

If you require further information or clarification of my qualifications, I can be reached at (xxx) xxx-xxxx or via e-mail at xxx@xxx.xxx.

 

[Double Trouble]

A thank-you note is not going to be the difference between getting hired or not, more than likely they've narrowed their choices down to a core group already (which could include you). Still, a thank you note is a good way of showing that you are attentive and that you are interested. I'd send a note by snail mail. You never know. Perhaps this job might not go your way, but something else might come up that you could also be suited for, and they will remember that they had found someone they liked.....

 

[Storm]

Originally posted by: DougK62

Originally posted by: Dezign

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Tough call at this point. I ALWAYS send a thank you, via email, immediately after an interview.

Thx for the input, Skoorb. I'm worried it might get filtered out as spam because it'd come from a yahoo addy... worth a shot anyway?

If you're out interviewing for jobs you really need to have a real email address. The yahoo, hotmail, etc accounts come off as being very unprofessional to a potential employer.

Get your own domain name - they're cheap these days.

I dont think it matters whether its yahoo or hotmail as long as the e-mail is addressed to like n155anfanboi@hotmail.com. If its your name, I dont think it matters imho. The interview is the most important part...

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: BlipBlop
Thank you note is too late. You can however, work a quasi-thank you/continued interest note:

Dear XXXXXXXXXX,
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me this past Thursday. I very much enjoyed learning more about [firm name] and speaking with you about my qualifications [or, if you talked about sports, hobbies, or something else notable, use that instead.]

I would like to take the opportunity to reiterate my interest in [firm name]. My meeting with you confirmed my initial conceptions about [firm name] as a dynamic, engaging and enjoyable place to work, and I am confident that I will be able to make an important contribution and serve as a valued member.

If you require further information or clarification of my qualifications, I can be reached at (xxx) xxx-xxxx or via e-mail at xxx@xxx.xxx.

Phew! Quite impressive, blipblop... did you just come up with that? That offers a bit more than the standard "Thanks for meeting with me," etc. etc.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: tagej
A thank-you note is not going to be the difference between getting hired or not, more than likely they've narrowed their choices down to a core group already (which could include you). Still, a thank you note is a good way of showing that you are attentive and that you are interested. I'd send a note by snail mail. You never know. Perhaps this job might not go your way, but something else might come up that you could also be suited for, and they will remember that they had found someone they liked.....

Very true... thanks, tagej. Just out of curiosity, how quickly do companies normally wait before contacting potential employees with offers? It'll be a week come Thursday, no peep from them yet...

 

[Double Trouble]

When we hire people, we generally take some time to interview all the candidates who's resume/background seems to match our requirements, and we don't contact any of the candidates until we've had a chance to interview the folks we're interested in. Once that process is complete, we contact 3 or 4 individuals and bring them back for a second or third interview and finally have meetings to go over the strengths and weaknesses of each applicant. Then, we contact the people we might make an offer to.

Of course, each company has different hiring practices and things can be very different depending on the kind of position, but I would definitely not sweat it after 1 week. It could be a lot longer time before you hear something.... Oh, and don't call them to 'show that you are interested' or to 'check on things' -- it reeks of desperation, and usually doesn't come across as a good sign. A thank-you note is plenty.

 

[Yossarian]

CALL THEM. Stop waiting around.

 

[imported_Tomato]

Originally posted by: tagej
When we hire people, we generally take some time to interview all the candidates who's resume/background seems to match our requirements, and we don't contact any of the candidates until we've had a chance to interview the folks we're interested in. Once that process is complete, we contact 3 or 4 individuals and bring them back for a second or third interview and finally have meetings to go over the strengths and weaknesses of each applicant. Then, we contact the people we might make an offer to.

Of course, each company has different hiring practices and things can be very different depending on the kind of position, but I would definitely not sweat it after 1 week. It could be a lot longer time before you hear something.... Oh, and don't call them to 'show that you are interested' or to 'check on things' -- it reeks of desperation, and usually doesn't come across as a good sign. A thank-you note is plenty.

Good to know. Thank you kindly for the helpful info (and reassurance).

As you seem to have significant experience in the field of hiring, what are "weaknesses" you'd prefer to hear from candidates over others? I've heard "being a perfectionist" is overused/overrated.

 

[Pepsei]

Well, I never send a "thank you note" before and I got offered a job from 3 out of 4 interviews for the network engineer opening. The one that I didn't get I was under qualified anyway. Granted that was about 6-8 years ago, there are more competitions now.

If they want to hire you, they will give you the job, they don't care about some cheesey thank you notes.

 

[marquee]

Originally posted by: Pepsei
Well, I never send a "thank you note" before and I got offered a job from 3 out of 4 interviews for the network engineer opening. The one that I didn't get I was under qualified anyway. Granted that was about 6-8 years ago, there are more competitions now.

If they want to hire you, they will give you the job, they don't care about some cheesey thank you notes.

It couldn't hurt, but like pepsei said, it probably wont help you much either.

 

[Double Trouble]

Originally posted by: Dezign
Good to know. Thank you kindly for the helpful info (and reassurance).

As you seem to have significant experience in the field of hiring, what are "weaknesses" you'd prefer to hear from candidates over others? I've heard "being a perfectionist" is overused/overrated.

I'd guess it probably varies quite a bit based on the field and the position, but I work in corporate finance, so we tend to invest a LOT of money in the people we hire. As such, you have to spend a little more time making sure the person you want really is the person for the job. A mistake is not easily corrected without spending a bunch of money.

I've heard pretty much every 'standard' line out there, the ones that they always tell you to say. What's important from an interviewer or hiring manager's perspective is that the person be sincere and that you can use the information to evaluate them. If someone just gives every 'pre-packaged' answer in the book it might sound nice, but then you really can't evaluate them, and you end up going with someone else. The "being a perfectionist" line is tired. You hear if from people that you can clearly see are not perfectionists. I'd stay away from that one. My personal thoughts: any weaknesses related to working with others, communicating with others, or with enthusiasm is a red flag. No matter what someone's weaknesses, if they have enthusiasm and can work well with others, they can be a good part of a team. Of course that doesn't hold true when you're hiring someone for a more technical field like IT/Engineering where you might be looking for someone that posesses specific skills rather than someone to work in a group environment.

Another favorite is to ask about negative experiences in previous jobs or with previous supervisors. Generally, people that have a lot of negative things to say about prior managers are likely to foster negative attitudes themselves. A good employee might say negative things about someone/something, but have a positive message overall. Everyone has bad supervisors or bosses at one time or another, but odds are that if someone says a lot of negative things, they are generally not a good fit. Just my .02.....

Sorry about the rambling on