Dos and don'ts of thank-you notes

A thank you note is an additional opportunity to sell yourself, your ability to follow up and express appreciation and to clarify your interest in the position. It's another touch to bring your interview to mind. If you bombed, it won't save you, but if you did well, it can show that you are willing to go the extra mile and in many industries, that's what is expected. It certainly can't hurt.

For all jobs I have interviewed for I have sent a personal, hand written thank you note - put it in the mail on the way home!? This way your thoughts are fresh and it will get there pretty quick. Don't forget to ask for the PO aka ask what the next steps are and when should you be hearing from them...super important. I had a friend who interviewed with my then current company and I coached him to send a thank you - either email or snail mail - and he did not send as he was under the weather that day. He did not get the job and the person who did sent a thank you right away. I found out from the hiring manager he actually liked my friend more but the thank you made all the difference!

Andrew Morawski I fully agree with your comments as I have interviewed many senior executive positions and never heard from the candidates again. It should also be expanded so that when individuals reach out to us as senior management we should try and respond even if it’s via LinkedIn or direct mail for individuals looking for a position into an organisation. Never let one slip through you could have had!

I am very surprised by the number of people who do not send thank you notes after interviews.? In a time when it is so important to try and differentiate yourself as a candidate, I would think everyone would do it.?? I see thank you notes as an opportunity to remind the interviewer why you are the best candidate for the role, show you are excited for the opportunity and you are motivated to take the next step in the process.? That being said, the note must be clear, concise and recap any key points you feel you landed in the interview (and potentially cover others you may not have been able to land that you feel are relevant).? Some interviewers may not care and may disregard it, but if I wanted a role I was interviewing for - I wouldn't take that chance.?? (I have also read a few articles recently about candidates being ghosted after interviews, a thank you note gives you something to follow-up on later if you feel that is happening to you)

I'm just not convinced on the value of a hand written or emailed Thank You note, especially when there are articles like this one telling people that they have to do it and by the way, here's the template. Personally I would put much more value on the candidate's natural interactions with everyone in the business - that's as close as you're going to get to see the 'real person' prior to them starting a role. I don't need a cut & paste sycophantic note afterwards telling me how great everything was.?