"I think thank-you emails after interviews are overrated"
There's only one circumstance that I think it helps.
And thats if you had an okay interview but flubbed a thing or two. Maybe your thank you letter/email can save you if you indirectly correct your flub.
However, I have a hard time believing that an interviewer won't hire you bc you didn't send a thank you or that they will forget about you but remember how good you were once you send that email.... Seems like a stretch to me.
I think if you had a great interview, more damage could be done if you have a typo or as one of my associates did, get the company name wrong (called it blank and Goodman instead of blank and Goodwin)
That being said...I just sent out two thank you emails
Thoughts?
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
1. "I hate cover letters and thank you emails" In response to Reply # 0
but they are both required so I do them. If I don't want a job, then I won't bother with a thank you email. this happened to me recently. the job was good but part time. I actually flubbed during the interview also. but in the end, i realized it wasn't for me so I didn't bother BUT I won't lie and act like they don't matter. They do. I know when I was a hiring manager in Baltimore, I would pay way more attention to the people who took the time to send one than those who assumed they had it in the bag and didn't bother.
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79557 posts
Tue Mar-07-17 11:52 AM
2. "cover letters are the worst" In response to Reply # 1
I'm really supposed to write a personal cover letter for EVERY job I apply for?
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79557 posts
Tue Mar-07-17 12:23 PM
20. "I think they are overrated" In response to Reply # 5
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
52. "Yep. I hate writing cover letters with the fire of ..." In response to Reply # 5
... a million suns but they are absolutely necessary in spots where you know your resume will look the same as about 100 other applicants just based on format and layout of resumes alone, so you gotta type up an impressive "here's my story" to make yourself standout to a hiring manager.
They are daunting and tedious and the fucking worst but if you actually want a job they are an absolute necessity.
I actually don't mind the thank you follow up emails at all. They are less formal and shorter typically, and like the OP said, they can give you a chance to correct a mistake you made in the interview.
27. "who actually reads them? " In response to Reply # 2
I mean if I have to email you to apply for the job, why do i have to email you a cover letter AND resume also. take this email paragraph and keep it pushing.
30. "lol if i'm emailing them my resume, my resume would be the cover" In response to Reply # 27
letter. Unless they ask for the cover letter as an attachment, then my email is like 2 sentences.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
8. "I hate cover letters to but I can see their importance" In response to Reply # 1
Especially if you are applying for something that you aren't necessarily qualified for.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
11. "It depends on the job. But in my industry a cover letter won't matter." In response to Reply # 8
Either what you may see as a lack of qualification isn't nearly as important as you think, and the cover letter explanation is needlessly drawing attention to it, or its a MUST have qualification and that explanation won't help you anyways.
10. "So you'd rather hire the person that sent a letter than" In response to Reply # 1
The individual that was most qualified or interviewed the best? Why?
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
31. "nah, i'm talking about the thank you email." In response to Reply # 28
It was in response to what she said.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
32. "that's NOT what I said at all..." In response to Reply # 10
I said "I pay more attention to a person who sends one than one who assumes they have the job in the bag." MEANING if I have two great people and one sends a letter, and the other doesn't....I would be more inclined to lean toward the one that sent the letter because they understand the value of follow up and communication. KEY in my field.
If I have an okay one and a great one, and the okay one sends one and the great one doesn't, I would be inclined to take a second look at the okay one and see if they have the potential to grow in that position and what other skills they have that might benefit me. Maybe the interview was off.
If I have a trash person and a great one, and the trash one sends a email, that wouldn't change my mind about which person to choose BUT I would likely respond to the trash person with a personalized rejection letter mentioning the key things I did like but why i chose someone else.
Again the emails aren't necessary at all. But I do look more favorably upon those who do take the time to follow up. Especially when they include things we spoke upon or additional skills they feel might be an asset to me.
34. "Ok so its important to you bc communication and follow up is key in" In response to Reply # 32
your field? I can get with that. What field are you in btw?
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
51. "public health and " In response to Reply # 34
a lot of our work is interacting with patients/participants. And I want someone comfortable with extra follow up and retention. So to me, the fact they would go that extra mile says that maybe they will do so when it comes to dealing with the community. It's not always a given but most of the time it is. Plus it kinda tells me that they really want the job (whether its' because they are hungry or love the work).
Like I said I HATE them too but sometimes its necessary and honestly it should only be a paragraph or so. Not a whole new cover letter lol.
63. "must depend on the industry" In response to Reply # 4
I'm in advertising/design and we all roll our eyes at folks who send thank you emails. it's like people who come to the interview in a suit. immediate red flags.
18. "I never respond to them. At the end of the interview I give them a " In response to Reply # 15
clear expectation of the next steps in the process and when they should expect to hear from me, and I don't contact them at all prior to that next step contact.
26. "Exactly. Let's say there was something GREAT in a thank you " In response to Reply # 21
letter. Some great statement that really made that person stand out and bumped them up the list. I'd have to then take that thank you letter and incorporate it in the rest of my notes on that person, whether electronic or on paper. Sometimes those notes are within our proprietary system used by HR which makes it a pain. So by the time I've gone through that much trouble, I'm like eff it.
If there is something important, bring it up in the interview or have it on the resume.
29. "I got a response to one that I just sent. She sent my homegirl that " In response to Reply # 18
interviewed the same response as well.
what a waste.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
16. "The one scenario I can think of where a thank you would matter to me " In response to Reply # 0 Tue Mar-07-17 12:20 PM by soulfunk
would be if it was after meeting someone at a job fair. Because that's a situation when I may have talked to dozens of candidates in one setting, so a thank you letter may help you stand out and be more likely to get a call for an interview.
But a thank you after an interview is pointless for me - at that point it's usually already been narrowed down to 5 or less candidates and trust me, I will remember every one of those candidates. It would be a different situation though if I was a recruiter doing initial interviews or a headhunter.
35. "lol haha i'm sayin" In response to Reply # 33
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
40. "^^ I let the interviewee TELL me their resume" In response to Reply # 33
I actually do that to see how well their description of their experience matches their resume; to see how much fluff they put in the resume. It's really helpful.
46. "yup and they likely auto default to the stuff they actually do on " In response to Reply # 40
a regular basis.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
37. "I hate doing them, but it's part of a lopsided process" In response to Reply # 0
along with all the other hoops. I just hate when you interview (and don't let it be a panel, or sucessive interviews totaling over two hours) and then after all that, the hoe-ass HR people don't event have the decency to get back to you with word on a decision.
43. "yup thats very tacky" In response to Reply # 39
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
59. "At my company we always let the person know. We even give them " In response to Reply # 38
the option to set up a separate meeting on feedback to tell them why they didn't get the position and what they can work on for the future (if they made it to the hiring manager stage - in the earlier HR stages HR reaches out to tell them that we aren't moving forward.)
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
42. "I think theyre useless unless you're apologizing" In response to Reply # 0
I have a friend who had a so-so interview but sent a TY email explaining why she didn't feel like it was her best and she still got the gig, so I'm sure the are circumstances when that email can make the difference.
But if I think the interview went well I'm keeping my mouth shut until I hear back from the potential employer first.
47. "what vibe would make you send one...an overly formal one?" In response to Reply # 45
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
55. "lol i know what a vibe is, i'm asking which vibe would make you send" In response to Reply # 49
one vs not send one.lol
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
58. "lol. damn. my bad..." In response to Reply # 55
In my mind, I'm interviewing the interviewer....
what they got on, posture, readiness...what sort of questions are they asking, body language after I respond to them. These are some clues if they are someone who'd appreciate an thank you email.
60. "interesting...only interviewers that seemed like they would want a " In response to Reply # 58
thank you email are the stuffy stiff and highly scripted ones. I usually don't wanna work there anyway.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
54. "I'd feel that the thank you email wasn't what got me the offer lol" In response to Reply # 50
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
Atillah Moor Member since Sep 05th 2013 13825 posts
Wed Mar-08-17 09:37 AM
65. "fair, but maybe sometimes the decision to hire needs a tie breaker?" In response to Reply # 54
like maybe they had two candidates they couldn't really distinguish between when it came down to the ability to do the job. If one submits a letter and one doesn't maybe the one with the letter gets it?
67. "Its possible. I'm sure people use all types of criteria as tiebreakers" In response to Reply # 65
when it comes down to it.Could be the style of tie you had on or what your hair looked like. *shrug*
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
auragin_boi Member since Aug 01st 2003 20939 posts
Tue Mar-07-17 03:41 PM
56. "As an HR gate keeper, I can tell you" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Mar-07-17 03:42 PM by auragin_boi
they really don't matter much. Neither the thank you or the cover letter.
Decisions are being made on important factors. Not if you electronically said "thank you". Personally, I feel saying "thank you" after the interview goes further.
As for cover letters, recruiters 'might' care as they go through hundreds of those a day. And it might just be "did they send one? Yes, advance to screening resume. No, send to trash." So I guess they matter there.
I personally don't read them much as most people fluff them up and they kinda all blend together after a while. I only pay attention if it's something very unique (different tone/voice/subject matter/color scheme). A good structured resume which is effectively designed works a lot better imo.
57. "yeah i can see the reasoning behind did they send a cover letter" In response to Reply # 56
being all that matters.
Any job i'm really interested in, I take the 10 minutes to tailor a distinct letter. If I'm just applying to apply, I ain't sending a CL.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
62. "I think it matters in companies where formality matters" In response to Reply # 0
Most companies just care about what you can do but some others care about how you do things because they're trying to portray a certain image of formality and/or class. I'd expect this kind of things to matter at like Goldman Sachs or some big law firm so they can weed out the people that weren't raised like them.
66. "maybe it's just chance, but..." In response to Reply # 0 Wed Mar-08-17 09:56 AM by Flash80
in my professional career, for every full interview process i've ever completed where i didn't send a follow-up thank you, i got an offer.
for every process where i did send a thank you, i did not get an offer. (i knew it was a B- interview effort and had to compensate a bit with the gesture)
typically if you're the top candidate, the recruiter is calling your ass back so fast after every interview round to schedule the next one/expedite the process, so intuition and the vibe tells you the job's yours to lose at that point. even moreso if you they know you're interviewing at more than one company and don't wanna lose you to competition.
finding the right people is hard? that's typically the people's job...that's like me feeling inconvenienced i have to fix computers...im getting paid for it
i get the communication aspect you brought up but i think the overall practice is just another example of us placing more emphasis on making employers' life easier
Let me sport my Air Hyperbole 2010s in peace. (c) ansomble
80. "agreed..they aren't doing charity work looking to help out the employee" In response to Reply # 79 Fri Mar-24-17 01:25 PM by Cenario
they are trying to find individuals that better their product and company.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
69. "I just had an interview where the manager liked me a lot but told" In response to Reply # 0
the recruiter that I was going to be looking to leave in 2-3 years...wtf...how long they want people to stay???
Anyway, I sent him a thank you email highlighting that i was looking for a professional home and was impressed with the longevity of many of the folks at the firm...smh.
what BS.
What i really wanted to say was if you treat me right, I'll stay forever.
Another interviewer told my homegirl that they are worried she'll leave once she finishes her education(which is at least 2 years down the line) I swear these companies be shooting themselves in the foot. Why would you want an employee that isn't looking for long term growth?
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
74. "but i've worked for 2 jobs for 16 years." In response to Reply # 72
13 at my first gig and 3 at the current.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
76. "but they didn't ask anything lol" In response to Reply # 75
they took something i said about wanting to grow and develop professionally to mean that i'll bounce after a few years.
and to look at someone staying at a company *only* 3 years after staying at another one 13 years is a bit ridic. Especially since I said my current role has decreased do to my company downsizing and closing offices.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
77. "they didn't need to! it's on your CV. lol" In response to Reply # 76
>they took something i said about wanting to grow and develop >professionally to mean that i'll bounce after a few years. > >and to look at someone staying at a company *only* 3 years >after staying at another one 13 years is a bit ridic. >Especially since I said my current role has decreased do to my >company downsizing and closing offices.
word. i might steal this "downsizing" answer actually.
78. "dont...it ain't work for me. I should go down with the ship apparently l..." In response to Reply # 77
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
81. "RE: "job-hopping" millennials ? Not just them I'm an "X"" In response to Reply # 72
and have moved like the wind whenever I chose to. Too much bread to be made when you're hopping the right way.
Now, I'm at a spot that has a nice 401k match and also offers a pension. So, I'm sitting right here until my daughter finishes college in four years at the very least. I may just ride this one out for as long as I can so I can benefit nicely. Plus, it's the first place I've been that has me believing this could be a long-term deal.
I've been at places that didn't want folks who've been sitting with one company for years because those folks usually are behind the curve skill-wise.
84. "i'm X also, but it's a real, macro caveat for hiring managers..." In response to Reply # 81
if someone's gonna bounce in two years. gallup said 60% of gen y are open to a new job opportunity at any point in time after they're hired.
it's also no secret they also demand a higher frequency of praise and validation of good work (see: technology and having things quickly), and put a higher premium on job titles than previous generations.
(if i never read another "CRM evangelist" or "python ninja" title again, i'll retire somewhat sane)
there's shit written it about all over the place.
i'm not saying be like our (retired) boomer parents and be pissed off and stay at a job for 30 years and hate your life. i'm just saying perceived flightiness is a bigger part of HR/hiring culture nowadays than it's ever been
83. "that's not a millennial thing." In response to Reply # 72
folks been knowing you can't stay at a job/company forever. technology and industry shifts have driven this.
I've never had a job for more than 5 years. might not be in my current for much longer. companies change more quickly and I can't sit around waiting to see how things shake out.
82. "Yup! OKPs need career counseling this much? DAYUM!" In response to Reply # 70 Fri Mar-24-17 02:01 PM by Creole
I don't do cover letters but I will send a "Thank You" email after that interview especially if it's an opportunity I really want. Those emails have taken me over the top per some of the recruiters I've dealt with.
In the almost 20 years since I left the military, I've been out of work for no longer than three weeks at a time. When there are mouths to feed, you write them damned "Thank You" letters.
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