Do you send a thank-you note after an interview? (Insp. by Interview Help thread)

[grlpwrd]

Well, it depends on the industry and protocol. I always sent or hand-delivered a thank you card on personalized business stationery. Yes, it's common courtesy.

Yet my dh who is a senior design engineer who works by contract (as opposed to salaried) gets headhunters for him to do the initial legwork and he gets his resume/CV regularly posted in a database. He has never sent thank you cards for those who interview him, but that is normal protocol in his field and level of expertise. I guess the company calls him and tracks him down because they want him, not the other way around - he doesn't go out to seek work. If it was vice versa he would certainly send thank you cards as he did so when he first started in his field.

Whoa, I sure make him seem like a big wig in his field which he is, but I treat him like everyone else. LOL

 

[Pin Wizard]

The other I went in for testing and my app is being forwarded to where it needs to go.

Woooooooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooo!!! Had a call on this one this afternoon. I now have an interview next Wednesday! Yahoooooooooooooooo!!!

 

[lulu71]

Woooooooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooo!!! Had a call on this one this afternoon. I now have an interview next Wednesday! Yahoooooooooooooooo!!!

Congratulations!! From what you've shared here, I think you handle everything perfectly and it obviously paid off for you. Please keep us updated and good luck on the interview!!!

 

[Tasha+Scott]

I didn't used to until I was advised to during Business school. Well, I am not in the market for a job anymore, but when I was I did start sending thank-you notes to those positions I was very interested in. If I went to an interview and found that the job wasn't something I would want after all then I didn't.

 

[totalia]

Nope, I don't. Then again, I havent tried for any professional job yet.

I've found that thank you notes don't mean much.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Congratulations!! From what you've shared here, I think you handle everything perfectly and it obviously paid off for you. Please keep us updated and good luck on the interview!!!

Thanks, lulu! I'm excited about this one!!!!

 

[disney4us2002]

I've honestly not heard of this. Granted I graduated college, started working at one job for 12 years and quit after my last son. Now, I'm again looking but have never heard of this. What do you write in this thank you note?

 

[Cyndiu]

what's up with HR departments that don't acknowledge resumes and interviews anymore? My DH saw alot of that this spring while applying for professional jobs. It's truly disheartening not to be acknowledged after having an interview and sending a thank you note. A simple....."The position has been filled at this time" type note doesn't seem to be too much to ask. Yet....alot of places didn't bother....

In these days of high unemployment rates, you can get 200 to 300 resumes for a job you posted for one day in a Sunday paper. With HR departments very thinly staffed as is typical, frequently there isn't anyone available to send out that kind of response unless you have the automated capability to do so. Especially when you're recruiting for 3 or 4 positions at once.

For us, I have an email that goes out to on-line applicants and preprinted postcards for those resumes that we receive via snail-mail, but even then our receptionist has to address them, because I don't have the staff. I wish I did though, it would sure be more polite.

 

[Cyndiu]

What do you write in this thank you note?

BTW, even an email will work. I always try to get the persons business card. What I write? Something along the lines of: Thank you for your time this afternoon. I really enjoyed speaking with you about the _______ position. As we discussed, I feel that my experience in ____________ would be an asset to (company name). If there are any further questions that I may answer for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

[Pin Wizard]

BTW, even an email will work. I always try to get the persons business card. What I write? Something along the lines of: Thank you for your time this afternoon. I really enjoyed speaking with you about the _______ position. As we discussed, I feel that my experience in ____________ would be an asset to (company name). If there are any further questions that I may answer for you, please do not hesitate to contact me.

A paper here recently said that the unemployment rate in this area has been the lowest since May. In the single digits. So if there are very few openings, you're going to have a lot of people applying for one job. It's tough on those of us looking. I've been working on and off for a temp agency the last few months. The placement person there says she has a ton of admin people to place, but where are the jobs?!

 

[Cyndiu]

:but where are the jobs?!

In Connecticut the job shortage seems to be in Information Systems, Human Resources and Marketing. I know people in each of those areas who have been looking for far too long and can't find anything or can only find things that would be massive steps backwards in their careers. I know that the news says the job market in loosening up, but frankly I haven't seen that here.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I believe it! I've heard a couple people say...don't go into IS! Marketing is one I'm tossing around to major in. Love the field, but I know it's a "fluff" area when "restructuring" takes place. Years ago I worked as an admin asst in a marketing dept. for a real estate developer. Restructured out of my job along with another in the dept. Then when I was with the hospital 8 years and they restructured, the marketing dept. went from three people to one. HR problems also? Ack! That's the other area I'm thinking about!! I took a career assessment test at the college earlier this year. No matter how many times I took the thing, it kept coming up with admin assist/secretarial each time, although other careers would fluctuate. Ha! I do enjoy the work, but I need a career with a decent salary. Admin asst/secretarial STINKS when you're a single parent!!!!!!! So the career counselor mentioned HR. Yup, worked a temp job there years ago also. Liked it!! So I started thinking about it. Don't know where else to look if these three areas are feeling a crunch also.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I think I'm getting great practice at the thank-you notes.

Had one interview this past week, sent out FIVE thank yous! One for each of the three people I met with at once...talk about nerve wracking. One for the admin asst who was wonderful pulling their schedules together to find a time...not easy...and gave me perfect directions. I didn't get lost at all. And the fifth one to the person I met with when I took their testing.

I think I need to start my own business doing people's resumes, thank yous, etc., etc., etc. I certainly get enough practice.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh...this week I think I'll be applying for a job doing credentialing...yup! The field I ran away from that I was in 8 years.

 

[Cyndiu]

Congratulations on the recent activity! I'm sure you'll find something soon.

 

[Mary Anne]

In Connecticut the job shortage seems to be in Information Systems, Human Resources and Marketing. I know people in each of those areas who have been looking for far too long and can't find anything or can only find things that would be massive steps backwards in their careers. I know that the news says the job market in loosening up, but frankly I haven't seen that here.

HR is deader then dead in NY, I've been looking for close to5 years and all that I get is entry level interviews and then they don't even want to talk to me when then realize I have 20 years plus experience. Hello, didn't you read my resume before you called me.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Congratulations on the recent activity! I'm sure you'll find something soon.

Thanks! I hope so. This is getting discouraging.

Mary Ann...Ugh! Good luck to you. I'm just a couple years under your experience. No, I won't take an entry level receptionist position. I NEVER worked as a receptionist in my life! I do have SOME education. It's really unsettling out there.

 

[Mary Anne]

I am very seriously thingking of Medical Billing coding. I've even called a few schools and am checking into it. I'm thinking I need a second career and don't want a 9 to 5 job and figure that if I can get into one or two different Dr's offices I can pretty much work just 4 days a week, I don't even care if one of them is a Saturday. The pay is better then an entry level receptionist position, not a thing wrong with that if you are entry level in the business world, but at this stage of my life, they don't want me for it and I don't want to do that for the last 10 years of my worklife.

Have to say, who would have thought being a middle age person with over 20 years experience and excellent references would make you unemployable. Very, very sad out there.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I have a friend who has been doing medical transcription from home for years! She's even worked in docs offices but gave it up and went back to transcription because she makes much more money. No surprise there!! Docs' offices don't pay well. My sis-in-law also found that out. She says for the money she spent on a course for medical office, and then finding out what they would pay her, she looked for another field.

I agree with you on your last paragraph. And I couldn't help it this week when I was waiting to meet with these people and I was sitting by the admin asst's desk. She was very friendly, pleasant to talk with. She's quite a bit older and has this job. What's the problem here???? I don't know how long she's been with the company, but she did mention that her husband is military, so I'm assuming they're some place a few years tops and out somewhere else. I don't get it.

 

[Pin Wizard]

I GOT THE JOB!!!!! Woooooooooo hoooooooooooo!!! Start next Monday!!

And the VP told me how he appreciated the thank-you note.

 

[Mary Anne]

I just want to wish you the very best. It truly gives hope to the rest of us out banging down the doors.