Conflicting advice on thank you notes Forum

[Anonymous User]

I am pretty sure I missed out an offer at my dream firm because of a thank you note. Interviewer had an oddly spelled name which I obviously wasn't intelligent enough to fucking copy and paste his name onto the Dear _____________. Long story short, kicked the interviews ass, sent the thank you note, two weeks later got the ding, I am pretty sure its because of this.

Post hoc ergo propter hoc. Well done.

The human mind craves rationality and explanation in a world that presents as chaos and uncertainty. The overwhelming majority of qualified and capable candidates won't get any given job they apply for. It's just a mathematical truth that so many people are applying for every spot that employers struggle to pick a very small number of people to give offers too, and for most candidates who don't totally shit the bed there isn't any "reason" for not getting an interview or a job from an application other than "somebody else did."

Absolutely this. How well the interviewee feels the interview went isn't remotely an accurate gauge of likelihood of getting the job.

(I mean, misspelling someone's name isn't great, but as someone whose names get misspelled ALL. THE. TIME, I doubt that was definitive.)

Oddly, this makes me feel better. I dont mind being unqualified or screwing up an interview for a job. Shit happens. I was more pissed at myself for making such a stupid mistake and (possibly, i guess) screwing my chances for that job. My thinking was, If it was just that they wanted to hire someone else, so be it. I have other opportunities. If it was the thank you email, though, FML I can't believe i made such a stupid mistake.

So in a way, thanks!

[Citizen Genet]

Update from this week's article: http://abovethelaw.com/2014/04/11-tips- ... rview-day/

My last column focused on recruitment staff pet peeves. Based on the feedback that I received, it appears that there are varying views on the importance of a thank-you note after an interview day. While the note will not tip the scales in favor of a candidate who has not made a connection with his or her interviewers, many firm attorneys wrote to say that that these letters are welcome and that a candidate should send a note if he or she feels a strong desire to do so. There appear to be certain markets — for instance, Washington, D.C. — where thank you notes are more common.

[IAFG]

Update from this week's article: http://abovethelaw.com/2014/04/11-tips- ... rview-day/

My last column focused on recruitment staff pet peeves. Based on the feedback that I received, it appears that there are varying views on the importance of a thank-you note after an interview day. While the note will not tip the scales in favor of a candidate who has not made a connection with his or her interviewers, many firm attorneys wrote to say that that these letters are welcome and that a candidate should send a note if he or she feels a strong desire to do so. There appear to be certain markets — for instance, Washington, D.C. — where thank you notes are more common.

Interesting, thanks for sharing the update.