Thank you notes question

[yankeeyosh]

I have to write thank you notes for yesterday's interview. I got back home from N. Y. late last night and was out tonight...and I'm in no mood to right them this minute. I will take care of them tomorrow. However, I don't know how to handle them (four people interviewed me, so I assume I need to write four letters). Should I mail them, knowing they will not arrive in N. Y. until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week...at the earliest, or should I just e-mail it to them. I mailed out the last two sets of letters since they were local. In the past, I always e-mailed them, but I get a funny feeling based on some posts that maybe mailing them by snail mail is the only really appropriate way to do it.

[sondra_finchley]

I have a similar question- I had a horrendous interview yesterday with a variety of people, yet I am positive I would not entertain an offer at this place should it be extended. I usually try and get (or am offered) people's business cards so I can mail a thank you card along, but this is the first instance where I forgot/wasnt offered a card and had more than one person interviewing me at a time AND the fit/position was completely wrong. I want to do right- so how do I handle this?

[TinyDancer]

In the past, I always e-mailed them, but I get a funny feeling based on some posts that maybe mailing them by snail mail is the only really appropriate way to do it.
Eh, whatevs.

Sometimes, I get letters via mail. . . sometimes, notes via e-mail. . . usually, I get no notes. Really, this does nothing to affect our hiring decision. It's just a nice gesture.

Email is fine. I rarely get cards anymore. . . and if you were under the assumption that the note actually affects the decision, the faster it would get to the person, the better.

Sondra, you're under no obligation to send a note. . . so I wouldn't stress over this.

[old_school_soul]

I never send thank you notes unless it's been a week and I'm hinting to them that I want to know what the deal is. Sending 4 of them sounds a little much. Send it to the HR person you spoke with, and mention the other people.

[yankeeyosh]

I never send thank you notes unless it's been a week and I'm hinting to them that I want to know what the deal is. Sending 4 of them sounds a little much. Send it to the HR person you spoke with, and mention the other people.

I never actually dealt with HR.

And I honestly thought the rule was that everyone you interview with gets a "personal" thank you note that is written differently from everyone else's (usually I just start from scratch and rewrite what I have to say...and the sentence structures comes out differently in that regard). So if you had eight interviews...you send out eight thank you notes (and I have done that plenty of times...believe me).

Funny thing is that despite what I read here and elsewhere, I don't think they help. But I am paranoid about it, so I do it. I would put writing thank you notes as my least favorite part of the interviewing process.

[grneyedmustang]

I think email is fine, also.

Thank you notes can get you noticed and make you stand out from other candidates. When I first interviewed with the company I work for now, one of the interviewers told me after I was hired that was one of the things that made me really stand out. As an interviewer myself, it can influence if I hire someone or not, especially if that individual and another candidate are running neck and neck.

I say send them!

[yankeeyosh]

I already sent out three of the four...

One of the main reasons I hate writing thank you notes is that I get a panic attack if I think I might have used awkward grammar, was redundant, etc. If you make an error in your cover letter...it's not the end of the world because you didn't invest that much time in that opportunity up to that point. Yeah, you probably wasted a half hour, but at least you know you were just one of a million candidates at that point anyway. But if you do it in the thank you note, even if you have a spotless interview, it could kill you...and all the work you have done...the time you invested, will be for naught. In my opinion, it's like a final "trial".

[yankeeyosh]

Well, I might not be leaving boston or my current job for that matter after all. After writing the thank you notes, I got a message back from the hiring manager saying that he's going to interview a few others. Since I was told I was the only one being interviewed, I guess they found something wrong with me...not saying I won't get it, but the chances went from nearly 100% to something substantially less...espeically since I'm in a "pool" now. *sigh* I should have known.

[wordsmith]

I had an interview on Wed. that was a group interview, with five people; the president, the program director, and three people in the same position that the fourth, the one I interviewed for, is being added to. I sent a single thank you card, and mentioned each of the people in the one. It's a small office, they'll all see it.

Oh, and I mailed it. I personally find an actual paper card to be a nicer gesture than an e-mail, so I tend to go with what I'd find to be more tasteful.

[sondra_finchley]

I agree with words with the paper card thing- too much is done electronically these days, so I figure a nice card will always stand out, BUT since they can be pricey and add up, I try to be prudent with who I am sending them to. The hiring manager of the position I really want? Yes. This last group of yahoos I interviewed with? Email to the HR gal mentioning the others (as suggested above).

Mark- dont worry about it. Maybe their needs for the position changed, maybe they got a last resume submitted that fit them better, who knows. It could be any number of things. Dont "jinx" things by obsessing over this one that you just interviewed for- let it go and keep moving forward. Youve done all you could and now its up to them, but if you continuously keep seeking then it wont feel a let down if they decide to go with someone else.

[yankeeyosh]

Mark- dont worry about it. Maybe their needs for the position changed, maybe they got a last resume submitted that fit them better, who knows. It could be any number of things. Dont "jinx" things by obsessing over this one that you just interviewed for- let it go and keep moving forward. Youve done all you could and now its up to them, but if you continuously keep seeking then it wont feel a let down if they decide to go with someone else.

I mentioned this before, but I never get a job that I was in competition with others. Every job that I ever got was either a cold call or I was the only one being considered. I am nearly 29 years old, and never have been able to land a job where there was more than one candidate. This is why I have so much trouble relating to many people here, that's why despite all my education and experience I'm still entry level, that's why I am so negative, and that's why I continually wonder why I am still posting here. My mom called me tonight because I haven't called home in two weeks since I was afraid to say anything about my job hunt. Needless to say, I was very depressed talking to her. And as usual, she told me I should go back to school for accounting and get a government job (like that will magically appear). Of course, I didn't dare say a word to my dad, since he is really disappointed in me, and I don't want to make him even more unhappy.

I think it might be unintentional discrimination. I don't know what else it could be. Problem is I can't prove it, and therefore, don't have a case. Or it could just be a crapshoot...seems that in this town, there are a lot of incredibly qualified people who for some reason can't get ahead. So it's not just me...which in some ways makes me feel better, but in some way makes me feel worse since I know I might be stuck for a while.

I sent fourteen resumes out today. So I haven't given up yet, but I just don't know the formula of how to get a decent job yet. I really don't.

I am sorry this sounds negative...I'm just having a really down day today, and I know I'm getting back into my old habits with this thread, which for the last two weeks until today, I think I did a good job avoiding. I know I need help...believe me...I know I need help.