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Maybe this is why the people I interview almost never send us thank you notes. Here I thought it was just a general decline in etiquette, but they're really jus

by davidmr 14y ago

Maybe this is why the people I interview almost never send us thank you notes. Here I thought it was just a general decline in etiquette, but they're really just being respectful of our time! Seriously though, I'm curious how many people send thank you emails (or even cards) after an interview. I was always taught that it was extremely rude not to do this, but I'd say as a conservative estimate, we get thank you e-mails after less than 1 of every 10 interviews.

xur17 14y ago
I thought it was standard practice to send thank you emails or cards after an interview. I figured some people forgot, etc, but 1 out of 10 is a lot lower then I expected. Honestly, it only takes a few minutes to write a simple thank you note and send it, so there's no excuse not to.
incongruity 14y ago
Interesting. I'm recently out of graduate school and I've been interviewing for full-time positions recently. I send a thank you email 8-24 hours after every interview, with very few exceptions. In contrast, I've been surprised/disappointed by the general vibe I've gotten in the interview process with a number of employers, large and small. Put most simply, there's little respect shown for candidates' time or situation. (This has been echoed through watching other classmates' experiences as well, so it's not just me being a low-value candidate) The specifics vary, but it always clearly a one sided interaction and little effort is put in to relations with potential employees except for the most high-profile, rock star candidates. To me, that seems to be a serious failing - I appreciate the mindset that says you should treat employees with the same mindset that guides your interactions with customers - especially in high-talent or high customer contact industries where employee satisfaction translates quickly into real business value. So, I guess my point is that I feel the job search process reveals more about society in general when viewed from both sides. Still, I will always send the thank you notes. I figure the place I want to work is one that appreciates the small gestures as well as the big ones...
- greenyoda 14y ago
  "Put most simply, there's little respect shown for candidates' time or situation." And the same companies that treat job seekers rudely will probably complain about how hard it is to find qualified employees these days. "To me, that seems to be a serious failing - I appreciate the mindset that says you should treat employees with the same mindset that guides your interactions with customers..." A lot of big tech companies aren't known for their wonderful customer service either.
hfsktr 14y ago
I used to send an email (and still do sometimes) but sometimes it seems that there isn't a point. Usually I think I just give up hope and figure an email that they delete isn't going to make a difference in the end. When it's a job that I actually want (or with a company that can provide that job later) I go out of my way to make sure I send it and make it known I want to work there. Occasionally I want to send the email but feel really awkward about asking for contact info in an interview (especially when there are more than one person at once). When they give a business card or I have their info beforehand I generally do even if it's just an awkward 'thanks for the time'. Somehow I feel like if they wanted me to contact them they would provide the info. I know I should make the effort to get the info but as you can see from my mindset above I generally feel like I bombed and it's pointless anyway. Back on topic, I recall having to do interview stuff in classes (can't remember which...language arts maybe) in both high school and college and it was always brought up to send a thank you. Maybe people didn't pay much attention.

by davidmr 14y ago

xur17 14y ago

I thought it was standard practice to send thank you emails or cards after an interview. I figured some people forgot, etc, but 1 out of 10 is a lot lower then I expected. Honestly, it only takes a few minutes to write a simple thank you note and send it, so there's no excuse not to.

incongruity 14y ago

Interesting. I'm recently out of graduate school and I've been interviewing for full-time positions recently. I send a thank you email 8-24 hours after every interview, with very few exceptions. In contrast, I've been surprised/disappointed by the general vibe I've gotten in the interview process with a number of employers, large and small. Put most simply, there's little respect shown for candidates' time or situation. (This has been echoed through watching other classmates' experiences as well, so it's not just me being a low-value candidate) The specifics vary, but it always clearly a one sided interaction and little effort is put in to relations with potential employees except for the most high-profile, rock star candidates. To me, that seems to be a serious failing - I appreciate the mindset that says you should treat employees with the same mindset that guides your interactions with customers - especially in high-talent or high customer contact industries where employee satisfaction translates quickly into real business value. So, I guess my point is that I feel the job search process reveals more about society in general when viewed from both sides. Still, I will always send the thank you notes. I figure the place I want to work is one that appreciates the small gestures as well as the big ones...

greenyoda 14y ago
"Put most simply, there's little respect shown for candidates' time or situation." And the same companies that treat job seekers rudely will probably complain about how hard it is to find qualified employees these days. "To me, that seems to be a serious failing - I appreciate the mindset that says you should treat employees with the same mindset that guides your interactions with customers..." A lot of big tech companies aren't known for their wonderful customer service either.

hfsktr 14y ago

I used to send an email (and still do sometimes) but sometimes it seems that there isn't a point. Usually I think I just give up hope and figure an email that they delete isn't going to make a difference in the end. When it's a job that I actually want (or with a company that can provide that job later) I go out of my way to make sure I send it and make it known I want to work there. Occasionally I want to send the email but feel really awkward about asking for contact info in an interview (especially when there are more than one person at once). When they give a business card or I have their info beforehand I generally do even if it's just an awkward 'thanks for the time'. Somehow I feel like if they wanted me to contact them they would provide the info. I know I should make the effort to get the info but as you can see from my mindset above I generally feel like I bombed and it's pointless anyway. Back on topic, I recall having to do interview stuff in classes (can't remember which...language arts maybe) in both high school and college and it was always brought up to send a thank you. Maybe people didn't pay much attention.