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? :starsmile:

any advice gladly accepted :fingerscrossed:

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

I am not sure it is "the way it's done here". I have never done it and never known anyone else to do it.

I will be interested in the experience of others.

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.

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.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

When I conduct interviews for my team I get follow-up emails from 30%-50% of interviewees. Most applicants are internal, so I am not sure if that makes a difference.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

Not sure what you mean by that? :unsure:

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! :eek: ..... Which is precisely why I ignore any emails I get from interviewees. :nod:

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.

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.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

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.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

this is a really good website for job related stuff
Ask a Manager

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

At one time in US employment history, it was the norm to send a polite note after an interview. That has changed and a note will be trashed or deleted from the computer once received. Too many applicants for the one position that is open and thus, if you were invited for an interview then you know that you are a contender for the position.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

Thanks all. i think you have given me evidence that its NOT a 100% expected thing, AND in the scenario described is likely pretty superfluous.

Much appreciated!:thumbup:

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

For my first job in the US, my in-laws told me I should send one (typed out and sent via regular mail). I didn't get the job, but I got another interview at the same company a few months later and they said they were very impressed by the letter. I have no idea what I wrote in it. I was offered the new job and took it. This company hires based on personality type as well as ability, so it had a very pleasant atmosphere to work in.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

That reminds me that my first ever job out of Uni, I got by just writing letters to companies on spec. This was pre-internet.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

I moved here on an L1 visa and was sponsored for GC. I put my feet into the water of the job hunting world and found the following

It is completely organization specific.

I went through the mill for a certain company with a "fruit" name. I didn't get the first job I went for - however, the hiring manager said that I was a close second and that his manager was interested in me - and that I should reach out.

I did - I thanked him for the opportunity of interviewing, for him flying across country to interview me and that if was an opportunity in the future, I'd still be interested. 5 months later, I was in front of him again after he phoned me to gauge my interest. Similar position - different location...same interview routine - 9 months later...we're in that different location in a job that I love.

In IT it is seen as mandatory to sent a brief thank you note to your contacts (usually interviewers - not HR) for the opportunity.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

Not for the company I work for. So it may be manager specific. The job I'm in they basically told me at the interview that I had the job. Quite often you do not necessarily get given the interviewers personal details. Would it be seen as rude to send someone a message without being given their details? Again depends.

Also maybe it depends at what level you are interviewing at.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

Please note, when you live in the states it is best to adjust to it, I have had multiple interviews, the most important thing is to show the value that you can bring to the company. Secondly, the ability to bond with people is equally important, not every one has been outside of their country or even experience the same experiences of an expat, so listening and responding accordingly is very important.

So, when asked tell me about yourself, that really means they are trying to find out if you are worth spending time with, after the interview is done. A thank you note helps but really depend on the rank, or industry. Making people not forget you is the key, so say something interesting by that I mean listen attentively people tend to give away more about themselves if the interview is a two way one rather than a one way.

Finally, if a company is more interested in your skills then that is a clear sign that the job is not a good one.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

Joke of the day? Made me laugh.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

To be honest, when I interviewed candidates when I was in the US, not everyone contacted me (company policy to give the interviewee our business cards). Those that did, I noticed that the poorer job they did at interview then the more lengthy and florid their emails.

We took no notice whatsoever of any post-interview contact on deciding whether they were successful or not.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

From the breadth of answers given so far - some good some ....I think it is pretty clear its a personal choice whether to send a thank you. For me it has always been about living my life a certain way and being true to myself. Thanking people is a natural thing to do. How they choose to take it is up to them.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

I think interviewers are looking for personality as well as technical skills at interview. Try to bring that across and smile when you greet the person and thank them on the way out and possible express how you feel about the company/environment. Maybe a letter is good if the job involves a lot of writing.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

I think a quick "thank you for your time, pleasure to meet you" type e-mail is fine.

Anything more and it gets to be begging and as an interviewer I don't like it.

I'd say if in doubt on what to send, nothing is ok.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

I ponder to understand why this is so funny, especially for another whom is looking for a career and not just a job.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

Perhaps it was just your user name ...

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

I agree with you that this was not funny. It is plainly absurd to suggest that a potential employer's interest in your skills means the job is a no-no.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

I trained in the US. I have never written one. I can't remember if I was told to write one as a student or not. When I interview prospective hires, I very seldom get a thank-you note. When I do, it makes not one lick of difference in getting the position or not, and on occasion I am annoyed by it since the reason it's being sent is pretty transparent.

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

+1

Re: US post interview etiquette
 

That's great everyone! :)