Thank You Notes after interviews

I've never heard of doing this.

Seems kinda...lame.

I've never actually done it, but I've been told a note or a card is supposed to remind them that you are dedicated and exist. I guess when no one else actually sends a card or calls it makes you look good?

But I think it's annoying and makes you look like a spazmo.

Beg to differ - I always sent a thank you note/card after an interview, and got some very good freelance gigs because of it; one of which led to my current job.

It's a simple courtesy (Lemmy always says "Good manners don't cost you nothing"), and a sign of professionalism. Plus, it does stick in the interviewers head and often goes into their file for you.

Again, thank you notes usually worked for me, but your situations are probably different than mine, your actual mileage may vary, and might not be valid outside of the United States, it's territories, and parts of Nebraska.

After you found out you didn't get the job, yeah, I wouldn't do one. But sending one while the jury's still out puts you ahead of the other candidates, all other things being equal, especially if you're able to inject an actual pulse into it. If someone isn't going to hire you because of a thank-you note, they weren't going to hire you anyway, so you literally have nothing to lose.

Never heard of that over here, could be a good tactic though.

Most of the time I'd be too annoyed to send them anything when a lot of them never get back to you. The number of times I've had to ring up numerous times after an interview to get feedback or even a confirmation is staggering.

This in a nutshell. Of course, don't bother sending one after you find out you didn't get the job. But to not send one while the decision is still being made makes you look bad. As spazzy as it sounds, it costs you nothing but a chunk of good manners and a stamp. I send out my thank-you notes the same day of the interview, after I get home.

I'm not sure about other cities or other industries, but in NY in the traditional "going for a boring office job" situation, they're huge on thank you notes. I've always sent them.

And I got to see this first hand when we were interviewing last year for our second admin position. I helped in the interview process, and you can really tell, not just from the interview, but also from if they sent a thank you note, and if so, the kind of note, what kind of candidate you were looking at. I remember when we got down to the final two people, one of our bosses was very impressed with the thank you note that one of the two women sent. We actually hired the other, because she was more qualified, but the other woman's note really bumped it up to where she almost got the job instead of the girl we hired. The note was that impressive.

Never done it. Is this like a thank you note for failing?

In Houston thank you notes are second only to who you know in oil/gas/energy industry. Even if you don't get a job, it doesn't mean they didn't like you. Projects come and go monthly, and a thank you note might put you on the top of the pile for the next opening. It's a really smart thing to do.

As a recruiter, I tell every one of my candidates to follow up with a thank you email to the person that interviewed them, just to show they were listening and paying attention, and to keep them on the hiring authorities radar during the process. As for after a decision has been made to hire someone else, it really couldn't hurt. You'd be surprised how many people interview for and don't get Job A, but the company likes them for Job B, which they may hire for in a couple weeks. As far as your feelings on Robert Half, can't say I blame you, but I don't recruit for the same jobs ;-).

Lemmy who? For some reason I'm thinking about Lemmy Kilmister from Motörhead.

Got it in one! Lemmy was doing an interview where he talked about some of the hijinks Motörhead got into on the road. I don't remember the context or the exact story, but to hear Lemmy schooling the audience on being polite... well, who wouldn't take his advice to heart?

Remember, for every thank you note you send after an interview is another happy beat in Lemmy's alcohol-besotted heart.

I do a lot of interviewing in my job; I've also done a lot of interviews in the Great Career Quest.

As an interviewer - completely indifferent to them, no matter when they arrive in the cycle. Particularly the 'form' ones that don't actually add anything.

When I'm the candidate I try to use it as a "let me remind you of why you should hire me - oh, and by the way thanks" tool.

When I worked in the UK (left 6 years ago), notes and cards never came up. Came to the US and it was a major culture shock.

Any time you meet someone in a professional setting, it's dumb not to send a follow-up note or email; you never know when they wanted to talk again but forgot or didn't get your proper info. And obviously, it's good manners. A post-interview thank you note is just an extension of this.

In the modern era, for professionals, I think an email when you don't get the job is just fine. A letter or fax is a bit much. It's always a good idea to thank someone for their time and consideration, and to keep you in mind for future endeavors (when it's appropriate).

If you get the job, you should thank them in person or call, rather then send written correspondence, IMHO.