Editor says she will never hire someone who doesn't send a post-interview thank you note.

I'm wondering what you all think of this. The comment that resonates the most with me is that applicants will start sending thank you notes once the hiring managers don't leave them dangling in the wind post-interview, with no idea if they are still under consideration, or even whether the position has been filled. This happens a LOT, and drives me crazy. It's particularly infuriating because virtually all hiring software allows you to send an "I'm sorry, you weren't selected" email after every search.

I sympathize with the problem of needing to weed through lots of candidates but I find it obnoxious - or even insidious - when people use somewhat random personal-preference criteria that (probably) don’t correlate with performance.

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Originally posted by jon-nyc:
I sympathize with the problem of needing to weed through lots of candidates but I find it obnoxious - or even insidious - when people use somewhat random personal-preference criteria that (probably) don’t correlate with performance.

This x100!!!

When I've been on (or chairing) search committees as part of my job, the jobs we are hiring for do not have "writing thank you letters" as part of the job description. Further, many of the people we're hiring (since this is a dept. of languages) are not Americans and may not be aware of these (totally arbitrary) cultural expectations.

A blanket requirement like this is a gate-keeping tool, and while I doubt that it plays a role in making better hiring decisions, I am fairly confident that it does function as a way to prevent more diversity in hires. So, in that regard, it may actually function as intended. And therein lies the real problem.

quote:

Originally posted by jon-nyc:
I sympathize with the problem of needing to weed through lots of candidates but I find it obnoxious - or even insidious - when people use somewhat random personal-preference criteria that (probably) don’t correlate with performance.

+100

Yeah, I also suspect there's a material gender bias in writing thank you notes after interviews.

It's not quite as bad as 'if they're not a college hoops fan, they probably won't fit in here', but it's in the same genre.

I have to say, I can't remember whether I've sent thank you notes after the majority of my interviews.

I don't recall an interviewer ever sending me a thank you note, even if they called me and asked to interview me. I either got a job offer or I didn't.

I wonder where this one-sided expectation came from.

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I have to say, I can't remember whether I've sent thank you notes after the majority of my interviews.

I sent thank you emails (not actual letters) for every skype interview and in-person interview I had when I was on the job market. I think in academia there's an expectation that applicants will (should) send a thank-you after an interview.

But at this point all it means is that someone has read online that sending the thank-you is something they're supposed to do.

On another angle, I wonder if sending a paper thank you note marks you as an old person. Son1 has a new job. He said that email thank you notes were expected/appreciated, but he thought paper notes were for oldsters.

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On another angle, I wonder if sending a paper thank you note marks you as an old person. Son1 has a new job. He said that email thank you notes were expected/appreciated, but he thought paper notes were for oldsters.

That might be, although it might be field-specific. It also might depend on the sender. If you are a young person and you send a paper note, it might make you stand out. The same move by an older adult might make you look out of touch.

When I was on the job market, I decided to do the thank yous by email b/c *all* of the correspondence had been by email, and of course email is more immediate.

I never sent any when interviewing, I would have thought it sent the wrong message.

I received a few as interviewer but definitely the minority.

It took me some time to start sending them, but by the time I graduated from law school I was definitely sending handwritten notes. I was persuaded by the argument that it gets you one more opportunity to get your name back in front of the decision-maker.

Then when I interviewed for legal positions in 2013, I always sent a thank-you email after an interview. I always got a reply, and it was useful to have that email as a way to follow-up later if I needed an answer. Plus, I definitely didn't want to rely on government internal mail to convey my appreciation.

I coached my kids to always send a prompt email thank you after an interview, taking care to reference some things said during the interview so it doesn't appear formulaic. As an interviewer, I don't much care if I don't get a thank you, but I definitely notice if I do. It shows whether the applicant can write -- sadly many cannot -- and it just seems like it is the least the applicant can do to show appreciation that I met with them.

Quirt, I don't understand why the applicant would expect the interviewer to send them a note of thanks. Does that ever happen?

Edit: I should add I would never ding an applicant for failing to send an email thanks. That seems arbitrary, and it is always possible that they did send it and I missed it. Or they sent something to another member of the interview team. Or they just forgot. If I otherwise like them, of course I would hire them note notwithstanding.

We are experiencing rolling layoffs..One is our star recruiter.

I talked to her today..She does it all by the book and then some (she knows this inside and out).. with a resulting ...silence....

She had a 4 hour second interview and then never so much as a "thank you for your time"....And that for a job for which she was referred by a friend...Her friend did call to apologize..

Next layoff will be in a few weeks..we are all on pins and needles..

I am not sure a thank you note will make much difference, really...though I would send one just to hedge my bets...

Hell, I'm not even particularly nice in interviews anymore, much less writing a damn thank you note. . I am totally myself, I do not embellish - this is what I can do for you, this is how I like to do it. If that is something you desire, hire me If not, save us both the trouble.

quote:

Originally posted by BeeLady:
We are experiencing rolling layoffs..One is our star recruiter.

I talked to her today..She does it all by the book and then some (she knows this inside and out).. with a resulting ...silence....

She had a 4 hour second interview and then never so much as a "thank you for your time"....And that for a job for which she was referred by a friend...Her friend did call to apologize..

Next layoff will be in a few weeks..we are all on pins and needles..

I am not sure a thank you note will make much difference, really...though I would send one just to hedge my bets...

I hate that. It's so unprofessional and just so tacky.

I've encouraged my kids to write thank you emails after interviews. Heck, I even suggest they toss in a line like "As I'm new to the job market, if you can provide any feedback for me regarding future interviews I would be forever grateful." You'd be surprised at how many people took the time to respond, sometimes in great detail, and usually very encouraging.

I've also suggested they email back if it's past the time the decision was to be made, asking for an update if they've heard nothing. Shockingly, the response in almost every case has been crickets.

HATE IT.

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Originally posted by Cindysphinx:

Quirt, I don't understand why the applicant would expect the interviewer to send them a note of thanks. Does that ever happen?

The idea that the potential employee should send a note of gratitude, but the employer need not, suggests an imbalance in the relationship. The potential employee needs to be grateful. The potential employer need not. Whether that’s factually true or not, it’s morally wrong. It’s a two-sided agreement. Both parties need the other. And, when that labor market is tight, the employer may need the talented employee far more than the employee needs the employer.

But I’ve never heard of thank you notes (from a potential employer). I am aware of a potential employee’s “sponsor” calling after an interview to tell the employee how well it went, and that an offer would likely be forthcoming. But I’ve never heard of a thank you note.

I just don’t see why the interviewee should be held to a different standard.