Is sending a thank you note after a job interview really perceived as courteous, or is it desperate butt-kissing?

genuine random a hole wrote:

If it takes an hour, the person is not qualified.

I agree. Being able to fire off 20 concise emails in 15 minutes is a prerequisite skill for any good job. The fact that you sent a thank you note doesn't demonstrate that. It doesn't really demonstrate anything except that you're possibly trying to compensate for lack of skills.

redux wrote:

Did you send a thank-you note to Google after the interview you had there?

I've never sent a thank-you note, but apparently I need to in the future.

Captain Super Duper Obvious wrote:

Courteous.

Grow up.

You're a sheep.

Step away from the flock and think for yourself.

jamin wrote:

genuine random a hole wrote:

If it takes an hour, the person is not qualified.

I agree. Being able to fire off 20 concise emails in 15 minutes is a prerequisite skill for any good job. The fact that you sent a thank you note doesn't demonstrate that. It doesn't really demonstrate anything except that you're possibly trying to compensate for lack of skills.

You could fire off 20 thank you notes to demonstrate that skill

Yes! Send the note if you're interested in the job. My wife works in HR recruiting lots of candidates for various positions. She says that thank you notes always work as they let the employer know that you are genuinely interested in the job and will most likely accept an offer.

jamin wrote:

I already make sure there's a polite sendoff at the end of an in-person interview. I shake the interviewers hand and tell him/her that I'm grateful they took the time to interview me and that I hope the interview was informative. My career counselor tells me that I should also take the time to write up a thank-you email or actual thank-you note when I get home. To me, that seems like it crosses the line into blatant @$$-kissing.

Not sure I'd take the advice from people who aren't hiring managers.

I have long been in charge of hiring for companies that I worked for and now for companies I consult for.

A thank you note (or e-mail is more appropriate) won't get you the job if you fall behind someone else in the interview process, but it is a way to show that you are interested in the job, and SOMETIMES that's a good thing. Sometimes there's a thought that a candidate might be or feel overqualified, and a thank you e-mail (along with a once-again-stated comment that you are interested in the position) helps there.

Also, sometimes the actual hiring comes weeks after an interview, so any good lasting impressions you can give is a good thing. Finally, in the corporate world, e-mail is still used a ton (even if not for college kids), and if you write it well, that's just another skill you can demonstrate. I find it amazing how poorly-written many e-mails can be in the workplace.

Anyway, hiring managers appreciate effort and politeness, and a thank you e-mail after an interview shows that. No butt kissing is implied.

Following up is part of communicating, and in many jobs the ability to effectively communicate is key to its success. Following up is, of course, some butt kissing, but it can also show good communication skills.

Now they know they can low ball you, and you will accept the crap offer. HR departments are the biggest joke as is the mentality in our society that we need to send a thank you note for stuff like wedding gifts, interviews, etc. Saying thanks in person should be enough.

Let me translate wrote:

HR departments are the biggest joke.

Why? Serious question.

Personally I wouldn't, because if the interview went well then I would expect the company to be bending over backwards to recruit me rather than the other way around.

If I liked the company but was unsuccessful then I might send a note to say thanks for the opportunity after I'd been notified in the hope it might sway them the next time they are recruiting.

I agree, HR is the worst group to deal with. They low ball you at every step. But they are still making the decisions related to how much you get paid. You can't change that just by being aware of it. If you actually want to play the game then you play by the rules. And EVERYONE is underpaid except the C_Os.

It's your choice--Write the thank-you note and understand that that is the first in an endless line of belittling actions you will take every day for the rest of your professional life.

I vote for a thank you email. I have a job, but I still send thank you emails to people who invite me to their facility to give a presentation or whatever. And people send them to me as well when I invite them here. It's just good and polite business communication, that's all.

jamin wrote:

Ken Osha wrote:

Not saying skills arenot important, BUT soft skills are often very important too.

And I don't think that being able to type up a thank-you note is a demonstration of soft skills. Any idiot can sit behind his computer, take an hour to type out a thank-you note and have his career counselor proofread it before he sends it to the interviewer.

1. If it takes you an hour to get that done you need better soft skills.

2. How many people have you hired? How many people have you helped get the job they were seeking? How many jobs have you been hired for? What makes you think you are more experienced in this matter than your career counselor?

jamin wrote:

I agree. Being able to fire off 20 concise emails in 15 minutes is a prerequisite skill for any good job. The fact that you sent a thank you note doesn't demonstrate that. It doesn't really demonstrate anything except that you're possibly trying to compensate for lack of skills.

It's not about anyone COULD send off a thank you note. Obviously anyone could. Actually bothering to DO IT does matter.

I'm not a hiring manager, but I have interviewed candidates for jobs before and had a vote (though not final say) in the process. We interviewed about a dozen people for 3 spots. Yes, the short, polite thank you notes were noted.

Jamin, you're clearly just looking for justification for not doing one. Fine, don't do it. But before you start your next thread on how college is evil and the world is going to hell and you'll be underemployed forever- remember that people told you the stuff you're stubbornly avoiding could have helped. Guess what- most of the people who work in HR Depts AREN'T hyperlogical introverted robots who think "Does note compute. Subject already said thank you once."

If you're a petroleum engineer being desperately recruited or have crazy SQL skills or something, sure, be a little borderline pseudo-autistic jerk. If you're interviewing for an entry-level job a monkey could do and so are 20 other people, hey, it's your life.

OK

I have a question for all you gurus out there.

Why is that most all career advice folks give the same advice? And why is so much of it predicated on stupid stuff like sending a thank you note?

Like if there is a guy that is CLEARLY the best, but he didn't send a Thank You note... the job goes to someone else. Are they trying to fill a position, or playing "Gotcha!"

Also the idea that you dont look for jobs listed on the website, you contact a "decision maker". If you try to call someone and ask about a job the only place they'll send you is to their website!

Why cant you talk about money? The ONLY reason you are there is to make money- to get paid! Obviously you weren't just going there to hang out BEFORE the job posting came up, so yeah the only reason Im even walking into the building is because I might do a chore, a task,etc.. and get paid for it.

The whole job hunting thing is just outdated and silly.

dem bones wrote:

jamin wrote:

And I don't think that being able to type up a thank-you note is a demonstration of soft skills. Any idiot can sit behind his computer, take an hour to type out a thank-you note and have his career counselor proofread it before he sends it to the interviewer.

1. If it takes you an hour to get that done you need better soft skills.

2. How many people have you hired? How many people have you helped get the job they were seeking? How many jobs have you been hired for? What makes you think you are more experienced in this matter than your career counselor?

Oh, and to answer your title question - it partly depends on how you write the thank you note and your intentions. If you are just being courteous and write such a note, it will likely be perceived that way. If you're assuming it is butt-kissing, then you might have problems. I suggest studying some good, courteous, thank you notes first. You know, those soft skills that you think you already have.

You are missing the point that personality and social skills play a major role in hiring decisions.

Most people prefer to work with a nice person who falls a little short in the skills department than an arrogant jerk who can do everything perfectly. Why? Because you have to interact closely with that person for 40+ hours a week under stressful circumstances. Typically, corporate culture places a higher value on developing friendships throughout the organization than on being a computer whiz who never talks or always creeps the pretty girls out.

Employed wrote:

Personally I wouldn't, because if the interview went well then I would expect the company to be bending over backwards to recruit me rather than the other way around.

If I liked the company but was unsuccessful then I might send a note to say thanks for the opportunity after I'd been notified in the hope it might sway them the next time they are recruiting.

I think this is a mistake. If you and another candidate equally impressed in the interview and the other candidate sends a thank you e-mail, that could be the tie breaker (and I've seen that happen before).

The interview is a process, and your goal is not to just win the interview part but to destroy the other candidates in the whole process. The thank you e-mail afterwards is the final blow.

Just win baby.

zohan wrote:

Like if there is a guy that is CLEARLY the best, but he didn't send a Thank You note... the job goes to someone else. Are they trying to fill a position, or playing "Gotcha!"

I very clearly said a thank you note isn't a job ticket, but if you were very close to another candidate, a small courtesy could help a little.

If you're far and away the best candidate for a job, yeah, sure, skip it. I still think it's polite, but whatever.

What's more likely in today's economy though- you apply for a job and are the only qualified applicant, or you're competing for one slot against at least 5 (and probably more) OTHER well qualified college graduates who are willing to accept lowball wages?

I honesty don't get the resistance here. Jamin could have sent a one- or two-sentence email in less time than it took him to make this thread.