Sending thank you letters following an interview

[bhchao]

How many of you send thank you letters (or email) to an interviewer or each interviewer you spoke with during a job interview?

It seems like here in the States, the importance of sending thank you letters after an interview has grown, especially given the tight job market. With so many applicants having similar abilities, a thank you letter can give one an edge over a fellow applicant. Yet many applicants still overlook and ignore this etiquette. If I was an employer and had to choose between two equally qualified and likeable candidates, I would probably hire the candidate who sent a thank you letter over the candidate who did not send one.

Is this of equal importance to employers/employees in China? It is true that a thank you letter will not necessarily make or break one's job candidacy. If you did horrible in an interview, then there is no point in sending a thank you letter. But do people still send them anyway for the sake of common courtesy?

I admit that I used to not send thank you letters, right after I graduated from college many years ago and was job-hunting. But after working in my industry for a couple years, I realized how important they were.

[skylee]

I have never heard of this "etiquette".

I would think that if I were an employer and had to choose between two equally qualified and likeable candidates, I would choose the one who is better-looking and likely to work longer for me. I don't think I would care much about thank-you letters, which would unlikely be sincere.

[bhchao]

I don't think I would care much about thank-you letters, which would unlikely be sincere.

That's true. People would say anything to get hired. I'm not suggesting that everyone should write thank you letters, but depending on the situation, I think it could be a useful tool to clarify any misunderstandings during the interview, or bring up certain points discussed during the meeting.

There were times when I sent a thank you letter and got hired, another time when I didn't send one and still got hired, as well as a time when I sent one and didn't get hired. So it probably depends on the kind of person your interviewer is, and how well you did during the interview.

[39degN]

thats a little bit artificial, tho many career consultant books suggest to do so.

who is better-looking and likely

wow~~~

i have no chance to work for you then!

[bhchao]

who is better-looking and likely

wow

i have no chance to work for you then

I would fail on that one too.

[39degN]

I would fail on that one too.

全世界无"色"者联合起来! 哎, 还是无"男色"! 哈哈哈~~~

but to be frank, the appearance discrimination does exist!

[Lorenzo]

This seems similar to another thread I saw, where someone was contrasting the American habit of over-using "thank you" to what is typical in China. They were pointing out that Americans will thank the employees in a store for helping them, or thank the server in a restaurant for bringing the food or pouring a beverage, then thank the employees again when they leave the store or restaurant. Basically, you say "thank you" to everyone, even if he or she is only doing their normal job. This person said that Chinese may interpret too many thank-yous as insincere (which, of course, it is, as it's just a custom in America, and everyone knows it's not meant to be sincere). Perhaps the same cultural difference applies to thank-you letters to prospective employers? By the way, the habit of over-thanking everyone does seem to be very American, as I have not noticed it in Europe.

[bhchao]

They were pointing out that Americans will thank the employees in a store for helping them, or thank the server in a restaurant for bringing the food or pouring a beverage, then thank the employees again when they leave the store or restaurant

I agree that's overdoing it. When I'm in a restaurant, all I care is that the waiter/waitress bring the food and leave my entourage and myself alone. My way of saying thank you is just leaving a good tip depending on the service you get. One thing I hate waiter or waitresses doing is continuously asking "Everything doing ok?" even after you already said 'Yes'.

[gato]

Basically, you say "thank you" to everyone, even if he or she is only doing their normal job.

Perhaps the same cultural difference applies to thank-you letters to prospective employers?

No, it's not a cultural difference but a difference between career consultants. I'm not sure when this "thank you" letter practice came about because I think it's quite useless. If you send you "thank yous" by snail mail, many times the hiring decision will have been made already by the time the letter is received. If you send it by email, it may be deleted without being read.

Plus, why is a "thank you" letter necessary when you've already thanked them in person (which I always do)? If I get a form "thank you" letter from someone I just interviewed, I'd tend to think less of them because of the insincerity instead of more.

[carrefour_fr]

yeah, I quitly agree with you guys!

If the "thank you"email is just for thank you, maybe it's useless, and also cost employer to read, can can not change anything about the failed interview. But anyway, if you can use "thank you" email to explain some small mistakes or misunderstanding during the interview, it really works!