Posted under Letters on September 18th, 2007
One of the early life lessons every child is taught is to remember to say “please” and “thank you.” When it comes to job search, however, it appears that many people have forgotten the lesson. According to an MSNBC article, most studies show that well below 40% of job seekers send thank you letters after an interview - even though most hiring managers indicate that they expect to receive an expression of thanks.
If only two out of five people are sending thank you notes, you have the opportunity to really stand out. Use a thank you note for any or all of the following reasons:
- To show common courtesy and gratitude for the opportunity.
- To reiterate a point you made that you felt was well received and remind the interviewers why they were positively impressed.
- To recover from a weak answer by offering your thoughts after you’ve had further time to reflect on the question.
Author Susan Ireland (The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Perfect Resume) wrote on this topic in her blog last week, noting that how you send the note may depend on the nature of the relationship. I would suggest that an email is appropriate if time is of the essence (e.g., if you’ve been told that the decision will be made by the end of the next day), if it’s an IT position, or if email has been your primary means of communicating with the employer. A word-processed letter would most likely be well received in a conservative, traditional environment. And a hand-written note, perhaps on an attractive blank greeting card, would be well suited in a setting that values relationships. Remember to send individual thank yous to each person you meet with if you’re interviewed by more than one person.
Asked about thank you letters, the Vice President of Talent Strategies for Coca-Cola told an audience of career management experts that she didn’t care how people sent them, just as long as they did. So give yourself the upper hand, and send a thank you note after your interview.
Posted by Wendy Gelberg
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Julianne Franke, MS, CCMC, CPRW on 21 Sep 2007 at 2:45 pm #
I’m of the opinion when it comes to thank you letters that time is ALWAYS of the essence. Especially if you are working with a recruiter, both the recruiter and the hiring manager want to see quickly your reaction to the interview to confirm that you are interested in moving forward with the process.
One of my clients learned this the hard way. Being of the opinion that hand written notes were more personal, she wrote a thank you card and mailed it immediately after the interview. However, they didn’t receive it until several days later. She was working with a recruiter who was anxious to get the position filled and went ahead with another candidate. My client regretted that she had not emailed or faxed her thank you note so they could have immediately known her interest and she could have had the opportunity to communicate vital information based on her perceptions from the interview.
My advice, email or fax your thank your letter rather than “snail mail” it - they are both equally accepted these days.
Wendy Gelberg on 21 Sep 2007 at 6:52 pm #
Good point, Julianne, and thanks for sharing your client’s story. Clearly, a delay in sending a thank you note can affect the chance of receiving an offer. Perhaps those inclined to reply with a hand-written note could also hand-deliver it to ensure that it arrives promptly!