Interviewing: The Importance of Thank You
September 17, 2012
Manners: We all learned them growing up, right? You call things you don’t like “interesting.” You say please and you say thank you.
The more hectic our world gets, the more valuable people’s time is – especially at an expansion-stage company. I’ve been shocked lately by the number of hiring managers informing me that they never received a thank you email/note/call after interviewing a candidate for a role.
Let me make this crystal clear, when you are interviewing for a job, regardless of whether the job description was written practically for you, regardless of whether you are not going to be a fit, regardless of everything – you should always thank someone for their time.
No, I’m not talking about at the end of the call or in-person interview when you say “thanks!” I am talking about taking five minutes (or less!) out of your day to send a thank you follow up email to your interviewer. In my opinion, sending a thank you note is not a differentiator, but it’s the norm – at least it should be.
A hiring manager can and absolutely will pass on your candidacy due to a lack of a thank you note. I’m actually more interested in figuring out why some candidates don’t take the time to send one. I have been a recruiter for my entire professional career and this act comes to me as second nature – but isn’t it something we all learned in childhood?
For a great thank you note, recap the interview. Explain what you like best about the position and provide some specific reasons why you find yourself to be a good fit for the role. However, don’t go overboard! Even if you’ve finished up the best possible interview, never assume you’ve got it in the bag.
Not only is it common courtesy, sending a thank you note is the perfect way to follow up with your interview and gain insight into the interviewer’s feedback and the next steps.