Yesterday I had an interview for a position and I think the meeting went really well. It was more “converstational” than “interview” and I felt that I had a really good rapport with the person I’d be working directly with. She is also the one making the hiring decision. I know she’s planning on talking to a couple other people at least, and that she wants to make a decision rather quickly as they really need someone in the position soon.
I always send a written thank you card after every interview. I usually write something like “Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. After discussing the position and the company with you, I’m certain that I would be a great asset with your company and that we’d work well together…blah blah blah…” Sometimes I’ll throw in a specific reference to something we discussed in person.
I had a fairly decent e-mail correspondence with the person I interviewed with before we set up the meeting. The industry I work in (advertising) is fairly non-formal when it comes to this sort of thing. For example, it’s perfectly acceptable to use a first name when contacting someone even if you don’t know them directly.
Anyway, my question is this: in my situation, would it be ok to just send a Thank You over e-mail in place of, or in addition to, a handwritten note? I really want her to get it before she makes a decision, and knowing how quickly she wants to get something done I’d rather not risk making her wait for one in the mail.
Any advice on how I should do this? I plan on mailing the card today but should I also send an e-mail?
I know this is of no use and I hope you get the answer you need but if you ever apply for a job in Australia do not send a thank you card. Since I found out about this on the SDMB I have asked other interviewers I know and we are universally creeped out by the idea. In Australia it would cause you to go from good candidate to “forget him/her”.
Wow, really? That’s fascinating to me. Here it seems that if you want any shot at a job, you should send one. Maybe I’m inflating the importance of the Thank You card?
Since it’s a time-sensitive thing, I would go with the email, since you’ve already corresponded that way. However doing both would seem a little desperate, so I would not send the card.
Do not send the card, send the email. I have had people do this in the past, and it comes across as desperate, and a bit creepy to receive. It almost seems that the card signifies a more personal connection than a business connection. If you have been corresponding well through email anyway, keep it in that vein.
I would say the opposite - send a letter but not the e-mail. A business letter, not a thank you note. E-mail is something of which the interviewer gets fifty a day.
You want to stand out in the interviewer’s mind. Both might be overkill.
Shodan- you are right, having received both, a formal letter is a lot less creepy than a note or card, and is more professional. The letter makes you stand out in a positive way, the note or card screams “I am going to be your clingy psychopath, and we are going to be best friends forever!!”. In my experience, you would be the butt of the HR or recruiting team’s jokes for a few days.
that being said, either go with the formal letter, or a well thought out and professional email.
The formal letter over a thank you note is good advice, but with how quickly she’s making the decision, and our previous e-mail rapport, I went ahead and sent a very professional e-mail to her this morning.
I know it’s too late for this case, but in general if you are local she would get the letter in one to two days. Making a decision quickly means in two days, especially if she has other people to see. I do understand why you wouldn’t want to chance it, though.
The way to determain this is simple, IF they give you a business card. If the email is on the business card use it.
DON’T EVER use any kind of extra in the email. Don’t use HTML ('cause many business don’t allow it) don’t use smileys and don’t put the “!” (important) notation on it.
Also make sure you use formal language and explain who you are. “I’d like to thank you for my 2pm appointment on Monday the 3rd”
People who interview are busy they appreciate the thank you but you want to make sure they don’t have to figure out who you are. Or if they do, it doesn’t take up much of their time.