Thank you emails after interviews

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Is this still common practice?

I am hiring someone and only one of the four candidates I’ve interviewed thus far has followed up with an email reiterating their interest in the position.

I have always done that and when I’ve hired in the past (pre-COVID) most people followed up.

Another formality gone by the wayside?

 

[tarheelbybirth]

Is this still common practice?

I am hiring someone and only one of the four candidates I’ve interviewed thus far has followed up with an email reiterating their interest in the position.

I have always done that and when I’ve hired in the past (pre-COVID) most people followed up.

Another formality gone by the wayside?

Our son sent a thank-you email. Then followed up with a thanks for considering me email when they said they were going to pass. Then went to the store and asked to speak to the owner again. After a brief talk, the owner told my son to wait five minutes, went to talk to the other owner (his wife), came back and said he had the job. Polite and persistent matters.

 

[jawatkins]

Our son sent a thank-you email. Then followed up with a thanks for considering me email when they said they were going to pass. Then went to the store and asked to speak to the owner again. After a brief talk, the owner told my son to wait five minutes, went to talk to the other owner (his wife), came back and said he had the job. Polite and persistent matters.

At a store though. If I’m changing jobs I’m dealing with HR that is far removed from the manager I would work for. It’s just hard. I’ll stay with guberment cheese for now. I want out but the public sector seems weird.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

We track whether we receive a thank you email when we do on campus interviews.

Also, a handwritten TY note is by far the best imho.

 

[ConvenientParking]

I don't like this practice at all but it sounds like I should be doing it coming up here. What an awful custom

 

[millah_22]

I did 3 interviews with Berkshire and got a rejection template where they did not fill in my name. [Dear Candidate] Thank you for applying for our position.

I sent a thank you email for that.

 

[EasyHawk]

Is this still common practice?

I am hiring someone and only one of the four candidates I’ve interviewed thus far has followed up with an email reiterating their interest in the position.

I have always done that and when I’ve hired in the past (pre-COVID) most people followed up.

Another formality gone by the wayside?

It definitely makes a difference, I think it is important.

 

[ConvenientParking]

It definitely makes a difference, I think it is important.

But why? Seems like pure pretense to me

 

[BrianNole777]

Handwritten thank you notes are better, IMO.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

But why? Seems like pure pretense to me

We get dozens of resumes and they are all very similar: great grades, other academics, community service, etc.

Anything you can do to distinguish yourself from your competition and show that you really want the job.

 

[lucas80]

We track whether we receive a thank you email when we do on campus interviews.

Also, a handwritten TY note is by far the best imho.

Dear God I’m shocked when an applicant under 30 can write out more than their name. I cringe when they hold a pen like they are going to stab you with it. But, I’m old apparently.

 

[Moral]

I probably don't want a job at a place where it would matter or not if you wrote a thank you email.

 

[globalhawk]

Is this still common practice?

I am hiring someone and only one of the four candidates I’ve interviewed thus far has followed up with an email reiterating their interest in the position.

I have always done that and when I’ve hired in the past (pre-COVID) most people followed up.

Another formality gone by the wayside?

Yes.

 

[LuciousBDragon]

Is this still common practice?

I am hiring someone and only one of the four candidates I’ve interviewed thus far has followed up with an email reiterating their interest in the position.

I have always done that and when I’ve hired in the past (pre-COVID) most people followed up.

Another formality gone by the wayside?

Yes, still required to do this within 24 hrs. Short & sweet and should include a clear ask for the position.

 

[ConvenientParking]

I probably don't want a job at a place where it would matter or not if you wrote a thank you email.

Just need to remind myself if I ever get one "okay they're not necessarily trying to kiss my ass they just heard this was the right thing to do"

 

[jawatkins]

Yes, still required to do this within 24 hrs. Short & sweet and should include a clear ask for the position.

Really? I ain’t begging for shit. They need me worst than I need them.

 

[ConvenientParking]

We get dozens of resumes and they are all very similar: great grades, other academics, community service, etc.

Anything you can do to distinguish yourself from your competition and show that you really want the job.

How many people are applying who *don't* want the job? They went to law school and passed the bar and they're applying to law firms just to keep their parents off their backs? How many are applying who want the job but who don't have the background to know that this is customary?

 

[Moral]

Yes, still required to do this within 24 hrs. Short & sweet and should include a clear ask for the position.

Applying for the job is a clear ask for the position.

 

[LuciousBDragon]

Really? I ain’t begging for shit. They need me worst than I need them.

If they needed you that bad, the interview process would just be a formality and they would make an offer on the spot.

I wouldn’t hire anyone with this attitude and neither would my peers.

 

[jawatkins]

Applying for the job is a clear ask for the position.

I don’t know that it’s even always an ask. Sometimes it’s just a feeler. If I can’t make more and spend more time at home I don’t need you.

 

[TennNole17]

Hiring is one of my least favorite tasks. Especially in my company which sort of has dedicated HR people, but they do zero prescreening. They just load the max amount of resumes into Beeline or something and I have to sift through it.

The last person I hired- they mailed their equipment to the wrong place; and set up the credentials with their last name spelled wrong.

 

[jawatkins]

If they needed you that bad, the interview process would just be a formality and they would make an offer on the spot.

I wouldn’t hire anyone with this attitude and neither would my peers.

You aren’t someone in a hiring position. My priorities are me.

 

[LuciousBDragon]

Applying for the job is a clear ask for the position.

Agree in concept but the idea is the interview is 2-way to find out more of the role and expectations to see if the person is a good fit and the person agrees. If there is mutual agreement, that’s where the ask needs to be reiterated.

I have had situations where two candidates are pretty equal so I chose based on who wanted it more.

 

[BrianNole777]

Applying for the job is a clear ask for the position.

Emailing a thank you is a 1 minute courtesy, brah.

Easy peasy.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Agree in concept but the idea is the interview is 2-way to find out more of the role and expectations to see if the person is a good fit and the person agrees. If there is mutual agreement, that’s where the ask needs to be reiterated.

I have had situations where two candidates are pretty equal so I chose based on who wanted it more.

You can really only guess as to who wanted it more. Maybe your intuition is right but a thank you note as an indicator of "wanting it more" is kind of not doing it for me. As an indicator of "good at following customs I'm familiar with" it's pretty good.

 

[Moral]

Emailing a thank you is a 1 minute courtesy, brah.

Easy peasy.

It is a formality. It shows you know the formality, and are just being formulaic.

 

[goldmom]

I don't like this practice at all but it sounds like I should be doing it coming up here. What an awful custom

Is it just a custom or does it exhibit qualities that might give clues that this person would be a good employee?

 

[LuciousBDragon]

You aren’t someone in a hiring position. My priorities are me.

I’m not? Maybe you should talk to my VP! Would certainly lessen my burden.

 

[goldmom]

Really? I ain’t begging for shit. They need me worst than I need them.

Worst?
Pass.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Is it just a custom or does it exhibit qualities that might give clues that this person would be a good employee?

It's fantastical guesswork. What if a shithead just heard this was customary, blustered their way through the process, convinced the hiring manager, checked that thank you note box, and then they got selected over someone who ends up a much better employee for someone else?

 

[LuciousBDragon]

You can really only guess as to who wanted it more. Maybe your intuition is right but a thank you note as an indicator of "wanting it more" is kind of not doing it for me. As an indicator of "good at following customs I'm familiar with" it's pretty good.

Disagree. A good thank you note includes gratitude and a sentence or two explaining why the candidate believes they are best for the role. That absolutely shows who wants it more.

 

[Moral]

Is it just a custom or does it exhibit qualities that might give clues that this person would be a good employee?

Or it could be a POS that happens to know that sending thank you emails will increase your odds of being hired at some businesses.

 

[goldmom]

I probably don't want a job at a place where it would matter or not if you wrote a thank you email.

They’re probably not important at WalMart.

 

[jawatkins]

I’m not? Maybe you should talk to my VP! Would certainly lessen my burden.

Oh you’re an hr person that doesn’t really know what is needed?

 

[goldmom]

It's fantastical guesswork. What if a shithead just heard this was customary, blustered their way through the process, convinced the hiring manager, checked that thank you note box, and then they got selected over someone who ends up a much better employee for someone else?

That’s always a possibility and hiring is never an exact science.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Disagree. A good thank you note includes gratitude and a sentence or two explaining why the candidate believes they are best for the role. That absolutely shows who wants it more.

Disagree, it shows they have heard it was customary. It's low effort so I'll remember to do it going forward but that's just to fool hiring managers.

 

[Moral]

They’re probably not important at WalMart.

Why would I apply at Walmart? I already have that position.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

How many people are applying who *don't* want the job? They went to law school and passed the bar and they're applying to law firms just to keep their parents off their backs? How many are applying who want the job but who don't have the background to know that this is customary?

I don’t make the rules. Law is a staid profession.

And every law school has a career services office that gives their students interviewing advice. I guarantee that “send a thank you note” is in that advice.

 

[LuciousBDragon]

Oh you’re an hr person that doesn’t really know what is needed?

Are you confusing me with @The Tradition ?

I don’t smoke.
I don’t smoke meats.
And I don’t work with fugly HR specialists.

Front-line LOB manager is my thing, not HR.

 

[hawkifann]

We track whether we receive a thank you email when we do on campus interviews.

Also, a handwritten TY note is by far the best imho.

I still do a handwritten note (assuming I can get a physical address), but things sometimes go fast enough these days that decisions are made before those get there sometimes, so I definitely do email as well. I’ll email anyone I talk to, but I do only do handwritten for hiring managers.