[vacation1]

Funny how job advice is always all over the map. I've seen people say a follow-up/thank you letter or email is essential or the hiring manager will spit on your resume and also seen people say that it's crazy and stupid and if you send one, the hiring manager will assume you're a stalker.

Personally, I sent followup letters, using resume paper and envelopes, whole 9 yards, to anyone who gave me their time. Which, when you interview at one of those deranged companies that makes you interview with 20 freaking people (I actually interviewed with EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE at one tiny company, like 8 people), is a bit - challenging.

[PaintedHunter]

Absolutely! As everyone said, email if time is tight, or a letter/note if its not. Show enthusiasm for the job.

I took people out of the running, all things equal, for NoT sending a thank-you note, a to me it showed lack of interest. And I'm no old fogey- I'm 33!

[cowboymom]

TY notes have gotten me the job several times. Even handwritten on a plain notecard TY's! lol I've been told three times that I was the only one that sent them and that a part of the reason I was hired. I am not at all in the professional world-the jobs were as an administrative assistant, vet clinic receptionist, and recently an EPA position (that I turned down). In my notes I just thanked them for their consideration and followed up on a point made in the interview.

[BoldChance]

I had an interview this fall for a job I really, really wanted. The interview went phenomenally well, and took 2.5 hrs. Decided a couple days later to shoot a quick "thank you and I am definitely very interested in this position" email.. A week later they contacted me for the 2nd interview.

Sadly, They did reference checks two days before putting a hiring freeze on all 3 corporate finance positions they had open, due to some major problems within one of their many companies. I was told that if/when the freeze was removed (when the situation they were dealing with was sorted out) I'd be contacted to see if I was/am still interested. Basically, I had the job, until they decided it didn't exist at current time

And that is definitely the way MY luck runs.

But yes, I would definitely send out a well worded email again, should such a situation arise. Because I'm sure it helped essentially land me that job, before circumstances twisted it all up.

[FineAlready]

Handwritten thank you cards or typed thank you letters are appropriate, as are e-mails. I have all three varieties from people I interviewed, and I did not find the format of the thank you to be of consequence. But make sure you spell the person's name correctly and don't put your foot in your mouth or reference something you never actually talked about during the interview - because that does more harm than good!

I'm a lawyer who occasionally interviews other lawyers or law students, FWIW.

[Alibhai's Alibar]

After a recent round of interviews, I was amazed by how few people did any follow-up whatsoever.

There is some great advice on this thread. I think there is some variation based on how formal the job is and what type of job it is, but follow-up/thank you is always a good thing, in one form or another.

[ponymom64]

An email sent out within 24 hours to everyone you interviewed with is the way to go, in my profession, at least. IMO, a snail mail note takes too long when hiring managers are making quick decisions regarding who they are bringing back for additional rounds....

[Heinz 57]

It apparently varies from industry to industry.

In the hiring that has taken place in my office, thank you letters/notes/cards didn't make a difference and frequently weren't even read by the person doing the hiring, just added to the application materials.

[wendy]

In the hiring that has taken place in my office, thank you letters/notes/cards didn't make a difference and frequently weren't even read by the person doing the hiring, just added to the application materials.

They wouldn't make any difference in most places, I would think. When we do interviews the decision is made on the same day the person comes in for the interview- after the person leaves, the people interviewing get together and vote yes/ no, or if there are several candidates, a "ranking score" would be assigned to that person, to be kept to be compared to the other candidate's scores later. A thank you letter would just be tossed; it certainly wouldn't be considered at all in the decision making process. Most candidates don't send anything.

[BigBayHanoMare]

Thank you for the link. I'll store that in my favorites.

When you say a follow up note - Handwritten or a note printed off my printer? Unfortunately, I do not have her email address.

The company is only one town north of me, so I can get it out tomorrow and it should be received before the end of the week.

You're welcome! It's a fabulous blog, and it truly helped me in my latest job search (which thankfully ended 3 weeks ago yesterday!).

I'm a graphic designer, so when I send a follow-up, I do a handwritten one on my own brand's stationery.

[Gloria]

You want the job, right? Then yes, send in your card. I actually sent not a card but a letter to everybody I interviewed (normally 3~5 people for each interview from direct supervisor, colleagues, and senior managers/executives), directly to their offices (not to HR), typed and signed on heavy paper. In the letter, I thanked them for taking the time to talk with me, expressing my interest in the company, and re-iterating my most relevant skills for the job.

Some jobs obviously won't need such formality, but for the jobs I interviewed, I wouldn't dream of omitting them.

[Heinz 57]

They wouldn't make any difference in most places, I would think. When we do interviews the decision is made on the same day the person comes in for the interview- after the person leaves, the people interviewing get together and vote yes/ no, or if there are several candidates, a "ranking score" would be assigned to that person, to be kept to be compared to the other candidate's scores later. A thank you letter would just be tossed; it certainly wouldn't be considered at all in the decision making process. Most candidates don't send anything.

Exactly. Our interviews are scored live, scores added up at the end of the day and the top 4-6 invited back for a second interview, but our process is also very standardized.

[HillnDale]

I'm curious, genuinely, where the DH got that information. I would think there would be practically nil situations where a professionally toned note would actually count against you. I can see it might not help in a very large, anonymous corporation, but know for a fact it is why I was hired at my current job.

Good luck OP!

[SarahKing]

I sent a thank you note after the interview AND after my working interviews (I initially went on a Friday and asked to come back on Monday to see more specialists at work). Got the job!

[vxf111]

Look at it this way, sending a thank you cannot possibly HURT (unless you say something hugely inappropriate) and it might help... so why not?

I would think very strangely of someone who didn't send a thank you. Even when I interview undergrad students for unpaid internships, they send thank yous (usually by email, which is fine).