So I had an interview Wednesday at a job I really want that I think went well. I got some very nice stationary and wrote a thank-you note and mailed it this morning, because that's what makes you look awesome. I wasn't expecting to hear from them for a week or so, but today I got a call asking for a 2nd interview with the company VP on Monday.

I know thank-you letters can sometimes nail the job for you, but mine won't arrive there until Tuesday at earliest. Is it weird to hand someone a thank-you card right after the interview? I just want them to get it before they make a decision, because I have a feeling the decision will be made on Monday.

Any ideas?

6/16/2006 4:48:47 PM

Yeah, no, don't do that. It makes you look like a kiss-ass.

6/16/2006 4:52:18 PM

Who the fuck writes a thank you letter for a job? If anything, they should write one to me for the priviledge of interviewing someone so awesome.

6/16/2006 4:54:57 PM

^I hope youre kidding

This thank-you letter could help me land a job that sounds really fun, that will give me tons of experience so I'll never have to grovel for work again, and that pays bank.

6/16/2006 4:56:50 PM

you're a bitch, you will always have to grovel. The only thing you will be looked at as, is eyecandy to show off when clients come through. Noone gives two shits about your "creditials". just email the boss saying you want to suck his cock, cause thats what you will be doing anyway, you worthless piece of shit.

6/16/2006 5:00:10 PM

this is the lounge

take your freshman immaturity to chit chat

6/16/2006 5:02:58 PM

If you are good enough you dont' need to write thank you cards
I've interviewed for prob. 10 jobs since I graduated and have been offered all but one of them



[Edited on June 16, 2006 at 5:05 PM. Reason : message_topic.aspx?topic=410751 these folks support it though]

6/16/2006 5:04:59 PM

you want a cookie?

6/16/2006 5:06:03 PM

just saying some folks would look at a "thank you for the interview" card and laugh
I know my boss would

6/16/2006 5:06:52 PM

What kinda jobs, weees?

6/16/2006 5:07:53 PM

50% probably love it
40% probably look at it and don't care either way, but at least it sticks out in some way that you did something extra
10% may laugh

6/16/2006 5:10:50 PM

I didn't do a thank you note for my new job and I got it.

6/16/2006 6:22:45 PM

Since you wrote a nice handwritten letter after the 1st interview, you could simply send an e-mail thanking them for the 2nd one. That way you would be sure that it got there before they called you back.

6/16/2006 6:27:29 PM

^ i would agree normally

but since he's interviewing with a vp i might send another handwritten one

its not like they're going to be offended

6/16/2006 6:33:13 PM

I have NEVER heard of this, nor think I would ever do it.

I mean what do you really write?

thanks for the time of day?

6/16/2006 6:49:33 PM

you've never heard of thank you notes for job interviews? i hope you're nowhere near graduation or even graduated for that matter

6/16/2006 6:52:46 PM

Well, I graduated in December of 2005 and I have never heard anything about writing a thank you letter for a job interview until someone brought it up on TWW recently. I mentioned it to one of my peers at a WCPSS event and she had never heard of such a thing either.

I've had several career oriented jobs in my adult life and every single one of them came without writing a thank you note.

6/16/2006 7:44:45 PM

Let's face it, the people interviewing us are taking time out of their day to do so, and in the business world time is money. So it very nice for someone to say "Thanks so much for your time in the interview. I enjoyed meeting with you and learning about your company".

It just shows you appreciate them, and tends to lean things in your favor.

Every single one of my business teachers praised the importance of this, relating stories about their professional careers. It's a GREAT habit to have, and I have to give props for NCSU business school for stressing it.

6/16/2006 7:57:31 PM

http://interview.monster.com/articles/thank%5Fyou%5Fletter/

6/16/2006 8:04:23 PM

i wrote a thank you email after my interviewers treated me to a very nice, upscale breakfast.

i also wrote an email letter thanking a firm for picking up the high cost for a flight to the final interview.

not sure if it made a difference, but was offered both jobs.

6/16/2006 8:07:02 PM

Quote :

"you've never heard of thank you notes for job interviews? i hope you're nowhere near graduation or even graduated for that matter"

no its gradschool after I graduate. and I still don't believe in them. I don't need a card to get me by.

6/16/2006 8:46:55 PM

if someone has 2 candidates that seem very qualified for the job and they're having a tough time deciding who to pick and one of the candidates sends a thank you note, i'd bet 9 out of 10 times the person who sent the note would be given the offer 1st.

a thank you note says you appreciate the opportunity for the interview, re-establishes your qualifications for why the company should hire you, and it tells the company that you're very interested in the job and you're not wasting their time.

6/16/2006 8:53:02 PM

NCSU Career Center says it's the way to go. It got me one job.

6/16/2006 8:54:01 PM

and if you include small things you talked about in the interview then it tells them you were actually paying attention instead of just trying to impress them.

i sent out thank you letters to every person i talked to when i interviewed for the job i start on monday. i think i spoke to 6 people, 1 HR person and 5 from the group i'll be working with. The HR person in the interview was filling for another HR person who was handling my application and interview schedule and stuff as she was out of the office the day i interviewed. And another member in the group was out of work that day also. But I sent both of them thank you letters along with the six others just to show my appreciation and interest in the job. All the letters had the same general idea but had little differences that i put in based on what each specific person talked about during the interview that i picked up on and related to. For the two people i didn't interview with, i wrote that i enjoyed meeting everyone that day, that i appreciated the opportunity and i was sorry i didn't get to meet them that day. The next week i got a call saying i was the guy they wanted.

this was a job i really wanted and with my background it would have been a dream job coming out of school for me. i showed i was interested, showed i was qualified, and showed that i was a good fit for the group by reaching them at a personable level with the thank you notes.


i went on another interview for another job after the previous interview and absolutely hated everything i heard and saw and just didnt' want to be in the interview the minute i got there. I didn't send thank you notes, but if i did i would have sent one to the contact that got me the interview even though i didn't meet with him. they offered me a job even though i didn't send any, but i think they were just looking for anyone competant enough and i was next on there list after other people turned them down. i do regret not sending thank you notes just because...

6/16/2006 9:16:40 PM

I tried to write a thank you note to the job I applied for, but they hired me the day after I interviewed. So, I didn't even have time to get it out the door.

6/16/2006 9:52:34 PM

i guess its called etiquette for a reason

you send someone a thank you note when they have you over for dinner or give you a gift

you send a note when someone goes out of their way for you

you send a note when you interview for jobs, etc.

you also bring something like dessert or flowers with you when you go to someone house for dinner

these are things polished people of both sexes do.

i mean of course you can "get by" without doing them but that doesn't mean you shouldnt

again, i guess it has to do with how your parents raised you to treat other people's kindness and respect

as a matter of fact-- i'm glad most of you people dont do this stuff-- it makes the people who do mind their manners only look better

6/16/2006 11:58:26 PM

OMFGPlzDoMe: you're totally right. a follow-up letter is considered good job interview etiquette. It's not required, but it can make a big difference. it tells the interviewer that you're serious, and it will be another thing that sets you apart from the rest of the interviewees.

I've had two real jobs since graduation, both of which had intensive interviews, with a lot of candidates. in both cases, i sent a follow-up email to each of the interviewers thanking them for their time, and reaffirming my interest in the position.

in both cases, i got the job. In one case, the manager told me (after i was hired) that he was impressed by my thank-you email. I dont know if it was a deciding factor. But in both cases there was a significant number of applicants for the position.

I mean if youre an employer, and you've got two or more equally-qualified people applying for a single position, how do you choose which to take? at that point it really comes down to appearances. who dressed nice? who was well spoken and friendly? who was more polite? who was the person that the interviewer would WANT to work with?

thank you letters is a standard practice, and Weeeees is an idiot. So he's never had to write a thank you letter after interviewing, but he's also never had a job off campus. Working at Chick-Fil-A and NCSU Computing Services doesn't count.

6/17/2006 12:26:46 AM

It's different for grad students...and I am sure he's one...

Professors and Univ employees hate getting emails/letters. It makes sense not to send a thank you note for an RA/TA position.

6/17/2006 12:58:54 AM

What do you guys have to say about email thank you notes compared to snail mail, though.

6/17/2006 1:00:06 AM

i think it depends

either one is ok but if you know the person prefers one mode of communication over the other then you should obviously use the one they prefer

6/17/2006 1:02:13 AM

froshkiller wins this thread

6/17/2006 1:02:41 AM

What about cases where you know that there are going to be rounds of telephonic interviews followed by actual on-site sessions?

6/17/2006 1:03:38 AM

i'd wait until the in person interview to send a thank you note

the phone interviews sound like they're screening and just narrowing it down--no need to really do it for that since they're probably eliminating people who aren't qualified to being with

plus you want to be genuine-- you dont want to send 10 thank you notes for 1 job

6/17/2006 1:06:04 AM

i wouldn't do it for phone interviews

wait for the onsite interview

then send one to the person you phone interviewed with telling them you appreciated them hooking you up with the real interview

6/17/2006 1:06:09 AM

I prefer email...I think it makes more sense to email thanks when applying to a tech company

6/17/2006 1:08:02 AM

(1) working on a college campus is in no way, shape, or form remotely similar to working in the real world. applying for an RA or TA is a cakewalk compared to a for-profit company.

the professor/researcher doesnt give a shit: if youre qualified, thats all they need to know. ultimately, it isnt their money, and you're just a temporary worker. if you turn out a freak or something, you're the University's problem, not theirs.


(2) i dont know anyone who uses snail mail for anything.

but im an engineer, and everyone I know uses email. so my thank you "letters" are always emails.

I suppose, if you're interviewing for some oldfashioned type job where they write real letters, then write your thank you letter on nice stationary and put it in the mailbox.


(3) i would never write a "thank you" email after a phone interview. It would be likely that you wont know their email anyhow, which is kind of the point. they're using the phone to weed out the bulk of the unqualified and mediocre applicants.

in these situations, the competition is fierce. so if/when you do get an in-person interview, it will really behoove you to send a thank you note afterwards.





[Edited on June 17, 2006 at 1:28 AM. Reason : words n stuff]

6/17/2006 1:11:27 AM

Quote :

"I prefer email...I think it makes more sense to email thanks when applying to a tech company"

my thoughts exactly.

more importanly, its also faster. it underscores your impression on them quicker. snail mail will take 2-5 days, and they might have forgotten you by then, or already made a decision.

6/17/2006 1:16:16 AM

i sent a quick thank-you email for the persons time for the phone screen, and then a hand-written tahnk you for the proper interview expressing my interest in the job

for the record, i was offered both.

6/17/2006 1:57:54 AM

Good to see there are still some good people out there.

Yes thank you letters can make a BIG difference. Even if they can't / aren't hiring you immediately, I garauntee a nice, well thought out letter will stick in the minds of nearly every manager/hr person out there.

And while email is nice, even in Tech companies, there is a lot to be said for the time and effort it takes to mail out a real, well composed letter.

6/17/2006 2:11:09 AM

Quote :

"more importanly, its also faster. it underscores your impression on them quicker. snail mail will take 2-5 days, and they might have forgotten you by then, or already made a decision."

the thank you note sent via snail mail is actually meant to REMIND them of you

of course you're right that they may have already made a decision

but i'm not so sure i'd want to work for a company that hired people that quicky.

it took 2 weeks to hear back from my current job bc of background & drug testing-- i guess not every company does that though

personally i have cards embossed with my initials that i like to send my notes on.

also, since i've been hired & i've been to the desks of some of the people i interviewed with, they had the thank you note i sent them on their desk or wall somewhere

6/17/2006 2:21:32 AM

Quote :

"i'm not so sure i'd want to work for a company that hired people that quicky."

Depends...I'd love to work in that sort of company because it tells that they are working on some new stuff and need people to start asap.

I prefer startups to IBM

6/17/2006 2:23:33 AM

meh, i prefer job security

plus i appreciate companies that take time to hire the right people for the right job & take their personality into consideration

6/17/2006 2:26:49 AM

one of my offers was from an established company that has never pulled out of a market and never had a lay-off (and its a telecomms company) and the other was from a startup interactive marketing firm.

to be honest, the only reason i'm not at the startup right now is becuase of other things going on, I much prefer working for small businesses to large ones, though both do have their set of advantages and disadvantages.

job I accepted took 2 weeks to get back after interview with the offer
job I have an unofficial standing offer for (which I would love to take in the future and I wish I could now) took about 24 working business hours to interview me and offer me the job (interviewed at 2pm on a Friday, got the offer around 2pm that Monday).

I see the real difference being that smaller businesses have less levels of approval and formal processes to get through, which takes a lot of time. I know 100% that both checked multiple references so it wasn't a matter of not taking the time to make sure that I checked out, one was simply able to move faster.

6/17/2006 2:32:23 AM

hey are you moving to charlotte or no? i got your IM a while back but never replied, sorry!

6/17/2006 2:34:56 AM

exactly, just because IBM or Microsoft takes 2 months between interviewing you and actually offering you a position does not mean they're weighing your role...they don't have time for that...there's too much bureaucracy and levels of authority to be traversed before they can hire anyone...and by that time the requirement becomes more of a generic requirement.

6/17/2006 2:36:01 AM

^^ - yes - i am moving to charlotte I start on the 26th so I'll be there from the 25th on, might be requesting some help (to the tune of free pizza and beer) on moving-in day not to be cheeky or anything.

we MUST hang out - i'll be working right near south park mall but living up in the university area.

6/17/2006 2:38:20 AM

of course larger companies take awhile

hello, i work for a major corportation-- you dont think i've encountered the bureaucracy?

i just assumed a normal-larger sized company in the comment i was referring to-- i didnt mean ALL companies of every size everywhere

^ what happened to NYC?

[Edited on June 17, 2006 at 2:39 AM. Reason : lkfjgklfjg]

6/17/2006 2:39:29 AM

my life has been crazy for the psat 3 years (you know!) and i need to take a step back and get my finances in order and stop being so crazy for a year.

in short, thats what happened to nyc. job is still there, i'm just deciding not to take it now due to everything else going on.

it's been a crazy month to say the least.

6/17/2006 2:42:56 AM

pm the info about where you're working in southpark, i live in that area and work up in university, we're flip-flopped.

6/17/2006 2:46:04 AM

will do check your PM's!

6/17/2006 2:47:18 AM