September 01st, 2016

A Simple ‘Thank You?’

​Okay, your ‘marketing masterpiece’ of a resume has earned you the interview whether it is with the DM (hiring Decision-Maker), someone in Human Resources, or a third-party recruiter. You believe that the interview went well. I’m sure that you shook hands and said “thank you” as you departed.

A typed and mailed ‘thank you?’ A hand-written card, mailed saying ‘thank you?’

​An email to the interviewer(s) saying ‘thank you?’ Is this a male, or female thing?
 
I’ve received comments from a recent posting from mostly HR people and recruiters. The majority say that it really doesn’t add anything to their perception of the candidate (but unless you are an HR employee, no one in that department can hire you anyhow, but CAN deny your hire for whatever his/her reasoning may be).
 
One head of a recruiting firm said “…if a candidate has something more to add, of course, it's welcomed.”
 
DMs, on the other hand, do not interview nearly the number of people that HR does; perhaps a handful for any position they wish to fill. As a former VP/GM that viewed more than 30,000 resumes and interviewed more than 8,000 candidates for virtually all position levels, I find that a nice ‘thank you’ IS welcomed, especially if it reinforces a couple of the ‘hot’ topics (to me, not to you) because it is easy to forget the names, faces, and conversations rather quickly. There IS a business to run after the interview(s)! It is also thoughtful, if written well, and polite. I like that in an age when most people fail to acknowledge, or wave ‘thanks’ for letting them enter the traffic, or holding a door open.
 
These days an email is typical, but also sufficient since I spend quite a large amount of time with a keyboard. That said, an ‘older Baby-Boomer,’ especially female, might really notice and appreciate a nice card with a nicely-written note within, hand addressed with a postage stamp. (Someone took the extra effort to buy a card, hand-write it, buy a stamp, and mail it?!)
 
The typed letter with a postage stamp will get tossed by my Admin, so I’ll never see it.
 
I would think that most candidates believe that it is the ‘big things’ that earn, or lose The Offer, or the next interview. I suggest that most people do a good job with the ‘big things’ and do an absolutely terrible job with the ‘small things’…the minutiae! I have an article on this site within “The Interview” section (“ADVICE” tab) about that exact subject.
 
At sunset, I suppose that most DMs would rather receive a nicely written follow-up, than not. How much time and effort does it take? Could it cause someone to take another look at your resume and their notes? Personally, I wouldn’t risk losing an Offer by a millimeter if I thought a ‘thank you’ MIGHT make a small difference. The accumulation of positive ‘small things’ is often enough to choose one candidate over another!
 
Your thoughts?

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