But the employer is not doing the employee a favor by “giving them time to ask for a job,” which was the original claim. Both parties are gambling a certain amount of time in hopes of finding something that will help them.
I mean, if you interviewed somewhere and the interviewer gave you the impression that they considered even talking to you to be basically a favor they were doing for you, wouldn’t that be a huge red flag? That’s not a job I’d take if I had other options.
I’ve sent them, and used them to bring up a point that was mentioned in the interview. I find it helps me stick in their mind. That’s why I always ask for a business card.
If I receive one, great, that MAY be enough to nudge you to the top. If not, it’s not going to hurt you.
Bottom line, it won’t hurt and may help.
Holy cow. Maybe I’m an outlier, but if you did that, while it wouldn’t be a deal breaker, it’s definitely negative. I don’t even do linked in for anyone I currently work with. I tell people that, I won’t accept your linked in if we work together. Once one of us leaves, then we can connect.
I have to hire a new person every couple of years because I need someone to work a job that is boring as heck for 30-40 hrs a week (full benefits), no upward mobility possible and also need that person to be an anal-retentive archivist. I give out my cards to all of the candidates, the ones who send me a thank you email get bonus points because of the whole checking off the list thing. Anyone who took the time to get my personal email would be put on the stalker list. Thankfully, that has never happened.
In the areas where I’ve worked, I would expect candidates to google, read papers, reach out to contacts etc before interviewing, not after.
Connecting on LinkedIn after an interview is a special kind of thing. Our sales/marketing guys would do it, because making connections is both their job, and the kind of person they are. Some of our technical and management people would do it some of the time, because the industries I’ve worked in have been small enough that someone with the same interests is worth connecting to even if there isn’t a job.
FWIW, I didn’t get the job whose interview inspired this thread. But I still think tracking down email addresses of people who didn’t give them to you is neutral to slightly bad in my situation.
It’s a pointless and empty gesture. I’m not going to stop or start liking someone for a job based on the presence or absence of a note.
I don’t expect a thank you letter and receiving one has never altered my opinion about a candidate on a conscious level. By the time I’ve finished an interview I’ve already determined whether or not a candidate is in the running and by the time I’ve received the letter I’ve already made my decision.
I’d rather not tell you my industry. But I’ve hired for IS/IT, customer service, accounting, procurement, and several other positions. But I handle entry level and slightly higher positions rather than management or executives. I would expect a thank you note from someone applying for a more senior position. I also send thank you notes when I interview for positions. I am not convinced they help my case but I send them on the outside chance it might be beneficial.
Well, I’m not looking for an employer. I’m looking for a customer. And if you call me, you need me more than I need you. Knowing this comes in very handy when I get stuff such as someone who offers:
4-month contracts,
where the vendor/consultant is expected to change locations every week,
the situation is technically complicated,
and the vendor will be supervised by someone who doesn’t understand either the business needs or the technical aspects,
and they can’t understand why the previous consultant declined to renew their own contract.
That one was a “sometimes ‘no’ is spelled ‘oh Hell no’” on my part.
I’d consider it a gamble. As someone who conducts interviews often, I would find it annoying, especially if it becomes a trend.
OTOH for some roles, it’s hard for individuals to stand out.
So I think it’s a tactic that could either harm or boost your chances.
Personally I don’t like throwing in a random factor, but if I were a candidate for a job where I know a bajillion people are applying, it may be worth a punt.
Wow, when numerous experts say you should do so? How would that be “clueless”?
Are those the same experts who still expect any woman to turn up for an interview for any position in a blue pencil-skirted suit and white blouse, with pantyhose and navy pumps?
A: It’s not a business position. Those experts are talking to business people.
B. A lot of what business experts say is nonsense.
A lot of faculty, and Computer Science ones in particular, would drive business experts crazy. Tie and such? Pffft.
I had one outisde person suggest to me once that I should dress more formally for work. (I wore a dress shirt, blue jeans and athletic shoes.) The next day I found myself walking behind the chair of the Physics department. He was wearing worn out old Hush Puppies with the rear seams starting to split. At least I wore shoes in good condition.
Look, we’re all former grad students. I knew people who would wear t-shirts and sweatpants.
Business experts don’t have a clue about this, or any other, world.
I haven’t interviewed anyone else for a while, but I have been interviewed. And I made it a point to follow up the interviews for the job I wanted with a typed letter, not an email. And not boilerplate - mention something specific that would make you the obvious candidate for the job. “I think my experience with blah blah would be valuable in helping you with blah blah project work that you mentioned.”
The fact that it is not expected works IME in my favor. Because I want them to remember me.
“So, we had six people we interviewed. Five other guys, and that guy Shodan. He sent a follow up letter that mentioned he had experience with blah blah.”
“Hmmm… Who should we hire - one of the faceless five I hardly remember, or the eager beaver?”
Regards,
Shodan
PS - Currently at a job I wanted, for which I sent a follow up letter after the interview as described above. No idea if it helped.
Numerous ‘experts’ often give really bad advice, especially older business ‘experts’. I’ve seen ‘expert’ job advice like ‘show up and refuse to leave until they interview you’ that would get you put on the ‘call the cops if this guy shows up’ list before.
That kind of followup is the kind I mentioned as being useful. But typed letter? The last places I’ve worked, odds are that your letter would sit in a mail slot for a couple of months before anyone would think to look for it.
One professor I knew, 15 years ago, had his students send paper resumes. They did not go far, since our processes had no standard way of dealing with them, and being a Silicon Valley company sending a paper resume showed a massive level of cluelessness. Like sending a ham sandwich as a thank you for being interviewed at a Yeshiva.
I agree with that, everywhere I’ve worked odds are that I or a manager wouldn’t even see a typed letter for weeks or months, long after the decision is made. Paper letters from outside generally end up in a mailbox that someone checks every few months when the secretary bugs them about junk mail accumulating, they’re not something that business-related messages use, other than maybe billing (which would be addressed to someone in finance).
This is one of the problems with job hunting- bizarre, senseless personal peccadillos picking the candidate instead of actual qualifications. I remember a discussion with some HR and Hiring managers about the resume copy one brings to the interview. One person said it had to be on nice bond paper, otherwise it was clear you didnt care about the job, thus shitcan pile. Another person said it had to be on ordinary copy paper, otherwise it was clear you were a suckup and thus shitcan pile. Neither one mentioned qualifications. Both were willing and able to shit can a application over bizarre, senseless personal peccadillos .
Manager, post-production. I’ve done maybe 50 interviews over the last 5 years. I’m 40sF.
A thank-you card isn’t a reliable indicator of one’s follow-up – people typically get this advice on some interview tips site or thread. Anyone can follow up if instructions are laid out like that. It might tell me you were paying attention to what we discussed, but this should have been made apparent during the interview, too. The same with a candidate’s professionalism. I should have gotten a sense of that based on how you carried yourself throughout the interview.
There’s nothing *wrong *with sending a thank you. Just don’t expect too much from it.
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. 