# Do you interview people at your work for a job? Do you expect a "Thank you" email? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 2, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076 "2019-08-02T18:20:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076/61 "2019-08-06T22:04:29Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > A: It’s not a business position. Those experts are talking to business people. > > B. A lot of what business experts say is nonsense. > > … > > Business experts don’t have a clue about this, or any other, world. Sure, fine. But that’s not the issue. The issue is that a applicant follows the advice given by “experts” and you shitcan their application based upon your biases. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076/62 "2019-08-06T23:11:20Z")
1996 - Didn’t send one because I walked out of the interview with the job 1999 - Didn’t send one, got the job with a telephone interview 2001 - Didn’t send one because I walked out of the interview with the job 2012 - Sent one, didn’t get the job 2014 - Sent one, didn’t get the job 2015 - Sent one, didn’t get the job 2016 - Sent one, didn’t get the job 2018 - Didn’t send one because I walked out of the interview with the job Based on my experience, I wouldn’t recommend sending it. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076/63 "2019-08-07T02:40:06Z")
It always seems weird when I get one, but I don’t hold it against the person who sent it - unless there’s something wrong with the note. It can hurt you if you misspell a word or there’s a grammar mistake or there’s something else just slightly off. I don’t see a way for it to help you. LinkedIn seems like a horrible idea unless your interviewer initiates it. It seems presumptive. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076/64 "2019-08-07T12:17:24Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sure, fine. But that’s not the issue. The issue is that a applicant follows the advice given by “experts” and you shitcan their application based upon your biases. Like I said, I never had to _opportunity_ to chuck anything since no one actually followed the so-called universal advice of experts. If this is such an incredibly common/standard thing then why did I _never_ see it happen??? You can’t actually be biased against 2 headed ducks if you’ve never seen one! Ignoring the advice of “experts” on 2 headed ducks is hardly bad behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076/65 "2019-08-07T15:53:51Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > The one thing I’ve learned from this thread is that it’s a huge red flag if you’re being interviewed by a member of the Straight Dope Message Board. > > Try to get a peek at the interviewer’s computer monitor. If you see the SDMB, leave immediately. Don’t bother being polite about it—the interviewer was probably about to kick you out anyway. 😃 Only if you fail the spelling test. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076/66 "2019-08-07T17:55:01Z")
I’ve done some interviews. I wouldn’t hold it against somebody to get a thank you email but it wouldn’t help, either. If I need to be reminded who you are, you probably didn’t make much of an impression in the first place. And I’ve never seen the hypothetical situation where everybody in a group of candidates were all equally qualified with only a thank you email to differentiate them. People just aren’t that generic. That said, there’s one situation where I’d say it absolutely hurts. For the most part, I have gone out of my way to make sure the only contact information I provide is for a generic HR email address and telephone number. So, any thank you notes or calls to me personally (and I have gotten a few of these over the years) would mean that person has gone out of their way to get my personal information in order to do so. It may be as simple as guessing my corporate email address (and it’s not very difficult to do so if you know my name), but that’s still a red flag when it wasn’t offered in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076/67 "2019-08-07T18:50:29Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > If I need to be reminded who you are, you probably didn’t make much of an impression in the first place I think this is kind of the crux of it. I’ve found that most job seeking advice given is targeted at junior level employees/interns/college students without a lot of job history who are applying for entry level positions. For those positions, interviewers are looking more for professionalism and work ethic than they are for skills and experience, so the niceties help. At mid level and senior positions where candidates will have some work history, skills and experience are more what drives the decision. Professionalism still matters, but it is unlikely that a single thank-you email will be a deciding factor. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076/68 "2019-08-07T19:43:40Z")
I’m adding this just for completeness. If you’re applying for a government job, you’re probably going to be interviewed by a panel. Each member of the panel will have an evaluation sheet with a list of evaluation criteria, with a maximum number of points that can be awarded for each item. As soon as you leave the room, the panel will fill out the sheet, assigning a number to each item and making notes to support that number. The sheets will be collected before the next interviewee is invited in. The panelists have access to you application. It’s possible that a thank you note will let you start your new position on a positive note, assuming someone in the panel: 1) is going to be working with you and 2) gives you contact information. But the structure of the process prevents almost anything you do after the interview from changing your numbers. Sometimes it’s a two-step process in which a first interview, and your application, is used to create a graded candidates list for a job category. Departments either make an offer to one of the top three candidates or they can re-interview the top three candidates. The formality of the second interview varies a lot, but the folks on that panel are more likely to be people you’re going to be working for or with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-interview-people-at-your-work-for-a-job-do-you-expect-a-thank-you-email/838076.md?page=3)