Some time ago I read an article on the Internet which stated that sending a thank you note could have considerable power and influence. I decided to conduct my own informal survey of hiring managers and posted a question to LinkedIn under the category "Hiring and Human Resources," asking readers if they agreed with the comment on thank you notes.
Of the 32 respondents, 26 (81 percent) responded "yes," but many noted considerable power and influence may be overstating it a bit. Here are a couple comments in favor of thank you notes:
"As someone (who) has worked on the corporate side for many years, I have had many hiring managers that expect thank you notes. I have seen many candidates passed on because they did not send a thank you note when the other candidates vying for the position did."
"A thank you note does make a difference. It shows the candidate is appreciative of the interviewer's time and that the candidate has taken the initiative to go above and beyond some other candidates."
While 81% were advocates of thank you notes, four respondents (13 percent) replied "no," that thank you notes didn't make any difference and two (6 percent) were note sure. One who responded "no" stated:
"... the decision is pretty much made during the interview, and very little, if anything can change the minds that have already been made."
His comment was refuted by another individual who stated, "(name of person) made a good point...However, he fails to think about what would happen if there were 2-3 solid candidates in play and the manager was having a hard time choosing between the few. This is when something like a handwritten note would help set yourself apart."
My recommendation to clients: Send a thank you. It will not hurt you; in fact, it could help you. Whereas, not sending a thank you could hurt you.
Although most decisions are made during the interview, a thank you note is a candidate’s last chance to reiterate their strengths. It’s also a chance to fix whatever may have gone south during an interview.
ReplyDeleteI once had a candidate who was asked to sell a desk at an interview. He chocked, he prepared for all the technical questions but never that one. He went home and wrote a fantastic thank you note addressing that one question in detail and got the job the next day.