US post interview etiquette
#1
L2, GC, Surrey, OH, TX!
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: Surrey to Dallas (via Ohio)!
Posts: 6,363
US post interview etiquette
Asking for a friend :P
I know the way its done here is to send a thank you note after a job interview, but man o man i struggle with this concept. NOT the Brit way at all.
what do you guys normally say?
Also in 'the friends particular case' they do not have direct contact details of the two interviewers - only the recruiter who organized the interview. Do you send it via the recruiter in that kind of scenario.
Also - 2nd interview was late yesterday (first interview was by phone earlier this week). Before anything can be sent today - the recruiter has already been in touch to book the third and final interview with these people's boss/director. Should they send in an email to the 2 people anyway - even though the 3rd interview is booked?
any advice gladly accepted
I know the way its done here is to send a thank you note after a job interview, but man o man i struggle with this concept. NOT the Brit way at all.
what do you guys normally say?
Also in 'the friends particular case' they do not have direct contact details of the two interviewers - only the recruiter who organized the interview. Do you send it via the recruiter in that kind of scenario.
Also - 2nd interview was late yesterday (first interview was by phone earlier this week). Before anything can be sent today - the recruiter has already been in touch to book the third and final interview with these people's boss/director. Should they send in an email to the 2 people anyway - even though the 3rd interview is booked?
any advice gladly accepted
#2
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2013
Location: Athens GA
Posts: 2,134
Re: US post interview etiquette
I will be interested in the experience of others.
#3
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: US post interview etiquette
I've never done this. I have received a number of such notes when on the interviewer side of the fence and I just binned them. They certainly made zero difference to my thoughts on the candidates.
#4
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2016
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 239
Re: US post interview etiquette
Over the last 12 months I done on average 5 interviews a week (so seems like a good sample set) I get thank you emails occasionally (less than 5%), often passed on by the recruiter as the candidate raley knows my email. These are high tech sales roles. So my experience, it's not that common. I will say I like getting them, seems professional and courteous.
#5
Re: US post interview etiquette
Anyway, I ignore all the e-mails, often not even opening them. I can't imagine when it would ever make a difference, though I suppose there's no harm in sending one.
#6
Re: US post interview etiquette
I remember getting one email from a candidate. He was a potential candidate before I got this begging email. He did not get the job. With the possibility to make cultural mistakes, I would probably not send a follow up letter/email.
Last edited by mrken30; Sep 29th 2017 at 5:15 pm.
#7
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Re: US post interview etiquette
In my experience this is not common at all.
Over the years I have received a very small handful of notes like this out of many hundreds of interviews. IMHO it is neither necessary or expected.
Over the years I have received a very small handful of notes like this out of many hundreds of interviews. IMHO it is neither necessary or expected.
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 251
Re: US post interview etiquette
I guess it is not as common as I thought it was. Going to college and grad school here and from reading professional advice, it is usually suggested. Just a simple thank you for taking out the time to interview me and maybe a sentence indicating your continued interest. That's it. I mean, most of the interviewers have been trained in the US right so I'll discount what most people say on here.
Just google for examples.
Just google for examples.
Last edited by fbf2006; Sep 29th 2017 at 5:25 pm.
#9
Re: US post interview etiquette
I would only expect a thank you after I've told the person they're not getting the job, anything before the decision can and will be held against them as I don't like kiss arses, I need people that will tell me I'm wrong if I'm wrong (working on the theory that me being wrong is a possibility).
#10
Living the NYC dream
Joined: May 2016
Location: New York
Posts: 151
Re: US post interview etiquette
I hire for my company and after an interview I would expect an email thanking me for my time and expressing further interest in the position. Almost all candidates do send a short email.
#11
Re: US post interview etiquette
I never had hire-and-fire authority in the UK, and I have been trained on my employer's hiring procedures by HR here in the US - which means strictly using information from the resume and interview, when I am given a fixed list of questions to ask. If HR thought that an email had influenced my decision on who to hire they'd come down on me like a ton of bricks! ..... Which is precisely why I ignore any emails I get from interviewees.
#12
Re: US post interview etiquette
My boss who trained me came from MA. Maybe it's an industry thing. People are hired on their merits, not what they put in an email. Most hiring managers have a very busy inbox and probably don't have time to read the emails.
I received one email from a total of about 15 candidates. Most of those candidates were US natives.
I received one email from a total of about 15 candidates. Most of those candidates were US natives.
#13
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 251
Re: US post interview etiquette
You're not hired based on the email. it is what it is. That's the professional advice I've mostly been given. I had an interview a couple of months ago and the recruiter (an external one) reminded me to send a thank you note.
I have a very busy inbox but loathe unread emails. I somehow manage to skim each and every one of them.
I have a very busy inbox but loathe unread emails. I somehow manage to skim each and every one of them.
Last edited by fbf2006; Sep 29th 2017 at 5:45 pm.
#14
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 251
Re: US post interview etiquette
Not sure what you mean by that?
I never had hire-and-fire authority in the UK, and I have been trained on my employer's hiring procedures by HR here in the US - which means strictly using information from the resume and interview, when I am given a fixed list of questions to ask. If HR thought that an email had influenced my decision on who to hire they'd come down on me like a ton of bricks! ..... Which is precisely why I ignore any emails I get from interviewees.
I never had hire-and-fire authority in the UK, and I have been trained on my employer's hiring procedures by HR here in the US - which means strictly using information from the resume and interview, when I am given a fixed list of questions to ask. If HR thought that an email had influenced my decision on who to hire they'd come down on me like a ton of bricks! ..... Which is precisely why I ignore any emails I get from interviewees.
I just mean that since we're in the US, most of the interviewers are from the US and might thus expect thank you emails. It might be industry based, location based, who knows. Your hiring decision would obviously not be based solely on the note. What 'they' sometimes say is that you might be on par with a couple of other candidates and the courtesy of the thank you email could nudge you forward.