Is This Really So Strange?

[katycoo]

Like Margo, I am from the UK and was wondering if this is a US/ non-US thing? I have never heard of sending thank you notes for interviews, and I graduated and have worked in a number if jobs since 1985 - and been both interviewer and interviewee.

In fact, here, a thank you note for an interview would be most odd, and likely seen as sucking up.

I ind this forum very interesting when it flags up differences between the cultures either side of he pond. Should I get a thank you note in the future from a candidate hailing from the US, I will know to view it differently.

Its definitely a USA thing.  Its not done in Australia either adn woudl be considered very odd.  Its more likely to come across as creepy than thoughtful as it is so unexpected.

[MariaE]

Yup this. Here in Denmark it would at best be ineffective, at worst it would actively hurt your chances of getting the job, because it would be seen as sucking up.

[Decimus]

I find it depends.  I will send thank-you note followups to interviews if I can -- usually if it's a one-on-one interview then it's easy.  When it gets more problematic (particularly with academic settings) is when you are being interviewed by a search committee.  Too often I'll be greeted and then told something like "Hi, I'm Jim, this is Bob and Jane."  Or if they do give last names it's "I'm Jim Smith, this is Bob Thudngng and Jane Tszisidmuski" and then I am forced to decide whether to ask them to spell it (breaking up the flow) or try and sort it out later, or what.  I was once interviewed by ten people!  Not "with" ten people -- it was me meeting ten people.  How the heck was I supposed to send every one of them thank-you's?  It bothered (and still bothers) the heck out of me, but sometimes it's just not really feasible. 

And if one is sent, email is probably the best way to go, I'd think.  By the time a letter arrives in the mail a decision will have been made.

[BeagleMommy]

Thanks for the non-US perspective.  If I ever have the opportunity to apply for an overseas position I'll know not to do this.

To clarify:  Friend has never been outside of Northeastern Pennsylvania.  She has a degree in accounting, but has never been able to keep a position.  She's nice, but rather clueless.  She's been let go from two jobs because of "attitude toward customers".  She doesn't see it  .

The cards I sent were not pre-printed thank you cards.  They basically said "Thank You" on the front and were blank inside where I wrote a hand-written note to each interviewer.

[Chickadee]

What did your friend think was odd? Writing a TY note for the interview or the wording itself?

It's pretty common to write TY notes for an interview. In my experience, about 25-50% of candidates I've interviewd do. Once a candidate for a position I was interviewing sat just ourside our office (in the lobby) and wrote out her notes, then asked an admin to deliver them to our desks. Often I get a thank you email.

For me, as an interviewer, it wouldn't really make any difference whether I got that note or not, so I don't know if they really help. But heck, they don't hurt!

Lowspark, I'm curious about the part I bolded. I'm all in favor of thank you notes for interviews, but I found it a little odd that the candidate asked the admin to deliver her TY notes.

I understand the convenience of it, but I seems rather presumptuous on the candidate's part. As the interviewer, did that make a difference in your opinion of her?

[lowspark]

Well, she really had no choice. Our offices are locked and you need key card to get in. It would have been a lot worse for her to somehow regain access to our office space and wonder around trying to figure out where each of our desks was (probably 5-6 people interviewed her).

However, maybe you're saying she should have left and then mailed them. And yeah, I agree. In fact, another interviewer and I commented on it, especially the fact that she was (apparently) sitting there writing out six of these things in our lobby immediately after the interview.

Like I said, though, a TY note (or lack thereof) doesn't make any difference to me as an interviewer. I'm hiring for a professional position. You're either qualified and I feel that you have the ability to do the job or not. If so, then the lack of a TY note isn't going to suddenly make me not want to hire you. And vice versa.

In point of fact, we did not hire her as she turned out not to be the best candidate we interviewed, thank you note notwithstanding.

[Chickadee]

Well, she really had no choice. Our offices are locked and you need key card to get in. It would have been a lot worse for her to somehow regain access to our office space and wonder around trying to figure out where each of our desks was (probably 5-6 people interviewed her).

However, maybe you're saying she should have left and then mailed them. And yeah, I agree. In fact, another interviewer and I commented on it, especially the fact that she was (apparently) sitting there writing out six of these things in our lobby immediately after the interview.

Like I said, though, a TY note (or lack thereof) doesn't make any difference to me as an interviewer. I'm hiring for a professional position. You're either qualified and I feel that you have the ability to do the job or not. If so, then the lack of a TY note isn't going to suddenly make me not want to hire you. And vice versa.

In point of fact, we did not hire her as she turned out not to be the best candidate we interviewed, thank you note notwithstanding.

Yes, I think she should have mailed them. Thanks for satisfying my curiosity!

*Now back to your regularly scheduled thread

[veryfluffy]

The cards I sent were not pre-printed thank you cards.  They basically said "Thank You" on the front and were blank inside where I wrote a hand-written note to each interviewer.

I am in the UK, where (as others have already mentioned) thank you notes would actually be detrimental. I can understand if they are the culture where you are, but a hand-written note on a thank you card still strikes me as odd. I had always assumed that when people wrote "thank you notes" that they meant a businesslike, typed and signed follow-up note to the interview. I didn't realise it was an actual thank you note like one might send for a gift.

[Decimus]

I've never heard of sending a thank-you CARD.  I was aways told (and read) that it is best to send a short NOTE, mostly just saying the equivalent of thank you for talking to me, I am still interested, here's some point to indicate I am still thinking about what was discussed.

[chicajojobe]

I guess it is an American thing based on the responses here.

I will say that sending a thank you card seems a bit dated to me, so it might be seen as sucking up too much. I generally send thank you emails.
I've read/been told to send a thank you email from all interview tip sources I've encountered.
It keeps the lines of communication open, and lets them know you're really interested in the job.

The issue of 'sucking up.'
As I've gotten older I tend to feel that saying someone's sucking up is like saying an artist is 'selling out' by being signed by a large record label. There are exceptions, yes, but saying 'thank you for taking the time to meet with me' doesn't seem all that simpering to me, and I don't think there's anything wrong with being nice to show that you and the boss will get along. The reality is that is just as much a criterion as whether you possess the skills to do the job.

[Rosewater]

Your friend doesn't sound very smart or knowledgeable about business etiquette.  No it's not strange, however I find her thinking that a simple "thank you for the interview" note is odd to be strange in and of itself.

A handwritten thank you note or an email is a good idea but I would not send a card.  A handwritten note stands out in everyone's mind when they receive one because they can be rare.

[immadz]

I think its far more common to send thank you emails than thank you cards. It can't hurt to send a card, but I don't think they are that common.

[---]

I'm from the USA and have not heard about sending thank you cards, emails, OR letters for a job interview before. I guess I would find it odd to send one for an interview for a job that I may or may not get and would view it as trying to 'suck up' for the actual postion. I've always thanked the person, or persons, interviewing me at the end of the interview.

[Ceallach]

As a recruiter and hiring manager, I would consider it very old-fashioned to get any type of hardcopy correspondence from a candidate.   And given how tech-savvy all of our employees need to be, it would be a potential black mark against their name in the hiring process for sure.      (If it were a care employee or somebody who doesn't do computer work I might find it endearing, but otherwise it would tell me they were inexperienced in business etiquette).

However, a quick thank you email?   Definitely good.    Just a "Thank you for your time to meet with me today, I look forward to hearing from you" or similar.    It's getting that balance between coming across as pushy versus seeming proactive and organised.  Funnily enough, just a few minutes ago I offered a job to a lovely lady who had in fact sent me a thank you email after her interview!      

[Margo]

The issue of 'sucking up.'
As I've gotten older I tend to feel that saying someone's sucking up is like saying an artist is 'selling out' by being signed by a large record label. There are exceptions, yes, but saying 'thank you for taking the time to meet with me' doesn't seem all that simpering to me, and I don't think there's anything wrong with being nice to show that you and the boss will get along. The reality is that is just as much a criterion as whether you possess the skills to do the job.

I've been thinking about this, too. I wouldn't see a thank you as 'sucking up' necessarily, but i think it could (at least in the UK context, where this isn't normal practice) come over as 'trying too hard',or as being desperate - the interview is a 2 way process, and the candidate is generally the one who has made the greater effort in giving up their time, travelling for the interview, etc. An interview isn't a favour, the employer is interviewing you becuase they think you may be right for the job.I think that, the fact that giving you an interview is not a favour for which you ought to be grateful, is at the root of my feeling that sending a thank you is a bit odd, and could be counter-productive.

That said, if you live/work in an area where is is more usual, then it's probably either neitral or a good thing to do as it won't have those same negative connotations, and may have benefits n showing that you remain interested and that you are courteous. I would however, in those circumstances, go for an e-mail or a short, typed or handwritte note, not a card, as I think a thank you card is less formal and not really suited to a business relationship.