When does it make sense to send a thank you email? Forum

[Anonymous User]

http://www.vault.com/interviews/article ... -interview

http://hls.harvard.edu/dept/opia/job-se ... follow-up/

Not firm websites, but my CDO told us to do this as well. I'm genuinely wondering if the consensus is that Thank You Notes shouldn't be sent?

[rpupkin]

http://www.vault.com/interviews/article ... -interview

http://hls.harvard.edu/dept/opia/job-se ... follow-up/

Not firm websites, but my CDO told us to do this as well.

Yeah, we all know you can find various guides and career-services pages where thank-you notes are recommended. But I was specifically curious about the "firm websites" claim. Apparently, the prior anon had seen pro-thank-you-note advice on the websites of "multiple" firms.

[RaceJudicata]

I thought in one of the Screener/Call-Backs thread it said to always send a Thank You note.

FWIW I've seen multiple firm websites that stress the importance of sending a thank you email after an interview.

How about providing links to just two of those websites?

Curious about this as well.

I'll take one example.

[Anonymous User]

[
Yeah, we all know you can find various guides and career-services pages where thank-you notes are recommended. But I was specifically curious about the "firm websites" claim. Apparently, the prior anon had seen pro-thank-you-note advice on the websites of "multiple" firms.

Oh ok, so I'm guessing you shouldn't send them?

[rpupkin]

I'll take one example.

We all know that it's not going to happen. Seriously, what is the deal with the pro-thank-you-note faction? Why do arguments in favor of thank-you notes so often take the form of anonymous posting, sock-puppeting, and/or making things up?

[Anonymous User]

I thought in one of the Screener/Call-Backs thread it said to always send a Thank You note.

FWIW I've seen multiple firm websites that stress the importance of sending a thank you email after an interview.

How about providing links to just two of those websites?

Curious about this as well.

I'll take one example.

Here's one: http://www.youngconaway.com/summer_asso ... view_tips/ (Look at #6)

Didn't interview or apply to this firm, but I've heard from friends applying to firms that it is common

[rpupkin]

I thought in one of the Screener/Call-Backs thread it said to always send a Thank You note.

FWIW I've seen multiple firm websites that stress the importance of sending a thank you email after an interview.

How about providing links to just two of those websites?

Curious about this as well.

I'll take one example.

Here's one: http://www.youngconaway.com/summer_asso ... view_tips/ (Look at #6)

Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner!

[BigZuck]

Young Conaway Stargatt is EASILY a T5 Dickens character

[Anonymous User]

I received a thank you note from a student I interviewed and found it to be a good idea that she sent it based on the following factors:

1) The networking event that hosted the interview had a variety of firms, and she used her thank you note to indicate that she was very interested in mine. It had a "hey, you're my #1 choice, so if you offer I'll accept" feel to it without being overbearing. She was our #1 choice as well, so it confirmed the mutual feeling of being a good fit and made us feel like she would accept for the right reason instead of "just a jerb."

2) She mentioned parts of the interview that were helpful for her as a law student and thanked me for some specific, tailored advice about what to do in law school to pursue practicing in a particular field. It showed she paid attention, remembered it, and ostensibly at least was appreciative and doesn't think she knows everything.

3) It was well-written and showed she can write something that is sort of inherently awkward without it being awkward. That bodes well for her personality.

In the context of the typical OCI interview where the interviewer and the interviewee are already matched up, and where the firms are fungible in 90% of their characteristics, then I don't think a thank you note makes sense unless there are other compelling reasons to write one.

The irony is that the bolded part makes the student's thankyou letter pointless because with or without it, you would have offered anyway because she was your top choice. If you received the exact same letter and she wasnt your top choice, you wouldnt have offered.

So, the letter did nothing to help her get what she already was grtting. However, if she screwed up in her letter, you would have thought less of her and possibly not offer. So again, it is best not to write a letter.

That's not true. We don't hire an SA every year and won't bring a person on if we don't think they are likely to want to stay here long-term. We have a niche type of practice. Without the follow up by her, it is certainly possible that we would have passed as her resume didn't really scream that she was a good fit.

You're trying too hard.

[rpupkin]

I received a thank you note from a student I interviewed and found it to be a good idea that she sent it based on the following factors:

1) The networking event that hosted the interview had a variety of firms, and she used her thank you note to indicate that she was very interested in mine. It had a "hey, you're my #1 choice, so if you offer I'll accept" feel to it without being overbearing. She was our #1 choice as well, so it confirmed the mutual feeling of being a good fit and made us feel like she would accept for the right reason instead of "just a jerb."

2) She mentioned parts of the interview that were helpful for her as a law student and thanked me for some specific, tailored advice about what to do in law school to pursue practicing in a particular field. It showed she paid attention, remembered it, and ostensibly at least was appreciative and doesn't think she knows everything.

3) It was well-written and showed she can write something that is sort of inherently awkward without it being awkward. That bodes well for her personality.

In the context of the typical OCI interview where the interviewer and the interviewee are already matched up, and where the firms are fungible in 90% of their characteristics, then I don't think a thank you note makes sense unless there are other compelling reasons to write one.

The irony is that the bolded part makes the student's thankyou letter pointless because with or without it, you would have offered anyway because she was your top choice. If you received the exact same letter and she wasnt your top choice, you wouldnt have offered.

So, the letter did nothing to help her get what she already was grtting. However, if she screwed up in her letter, you would have thought less of her and possibly not offer. So again, it is best not to write a letter.

That's not true. We don't hire an SA every year and won't bring a person on if we don't think they are likely to want to stay here long-term. We have a niche type of practice. Without the follow up by her, it is certainly possible that we would have passed as her resume didn't really scream that she was a good fit.

You're trying too hard.

What? In your initial post, you wrote that "she was our #1 choice as well, so it confirmed the mutual feeling of being a good fit." So you already had a "mutual feeling of being a good fit" before receiving the thank-you note, right? I suppose your response is that the feeling of being a good fit didn't scream until you got that thank-you note.

Like I suggested upthread, you pro-thank-you-note folks are just weird.

[Anonymous User]

I received a thank you note from a student I interviewed and found it to be a good idea that she sent it based on the following factors:

1) The networking event that hosted the interview had a variety of firms, and she used her thank you note to indicate that she was very interested in mine. It had a "hey, you're my #1 choice, so if you offer I'll accept" feel to it without being overbearing. She was our #1 choice as well, so it confirmed the mutual feeling of being a good fit and made us feel like she would accept for the right reason instead of "just a jerb."

2) She mentioned parts of the interview that were helpful for her as a law student and thanked me for some specific, tailored advice about what to do in law school to pursue practicing in a particular field. It showed she paid attention, remembered it, and ostensibly at least was appreciative and doesn't think she knows everything.

3) It was well-written and showed she can write something that is sort of inherently awkward without it being awkward. That bodes well for her personality.

In the context of the typical OCI interview where the interviewer and the interviewee are already matched up, and where the firms are fungible in 90% of their characteristics, then I don't think a thank you note makes sense unless there are other compelling reasons to write one.

The irony is that the bolded part makes the student's thankyou letter pointless because with or without it, you would have offered anyway because she was your top choice. If you received the exact same letter and she wasnt your top choice, you wouldnt have offered.

So, the letter did nothing to help her get what she already was grtting. However, if she screwed up in her letter, you would have thought less of her and possibly not offer. So again, it is best not to write a letter.

That's not true. We don't hire an SA every year and won't bring a person on if we don't think they are likely to want to stay here long-term. We have a niche type of practice. Without the follow up by her, it is certainly possible that we would have passed as her resume didn't really scream that she was a good fit.

You're trying too hard.

That must've been some thank-you note.

I'm not particularly against thank-you notes if the applicant can achieve at least 2 and 3 (1 is pretty contextual). Usually if someone on TLS is asking about them, though, it's because they feel obligated to send one but they really don't want to and don't have much to say, which means they won't do 2) and often 3). Like you said, a thank-you note doesn't make sense in that situation, which is one reason that the advice on TLS is usually not to send them.

[mjb447]

^ accidental anon

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I didn't have the best interview but the idea that i really want to practice in the niche field that the firm practiced in was communicated. i told the interviewers that i interviewed for position X because I enjoyed X law, but that I ended up not being offered for that position and ended up in Y practice group. I said when I saw this interviewing firm's X job posting, I applied because I wanted to do X law still.

Then the potentially awkward social talk happened where I got the interviewers mixed up because 1 of them didn't show up. I feel like if I sent another email thanking them and how I want to do X law, I am going to have to register as an X offender.

Having said all that, I wish I can come back to update this thread that I got the job offer despite the no thank you email. We shall see in the coming days.

[Anonymous User]

What? In your initial post, you wrote that "she was our #1 choice as well, so it confirmed the mutual feeling of being a good fit." So you already had a "mutual feeling of being a good fit" before receiving the thank-you note, right? I suppose your response is that the feeling of being a good fit didn't scream until you got that thank-you note.

Confirmed mutual fit vs unilateral good fit. It's really not that hard to understand if you read the post like a normal person instead of someone who is going to argue with it.

ETA: I'm not a pro thank-you note guy. I even said they wouldn't make sense in many circumstances including typical OCI where the student and firm already picked each other once during bidding. The level of reading comprehension around this place seems to have declined recently and DeVos WAS ONLY CONFIRMED YESTERDAY.

ETA: I can't spell today.

[JenDarby]

I'll take one example.

We all know that it's not going to happen. Seriously, what is the deal with the pro-thank-you-note faction? Why do arguments in favor of thank-you notes so often take the form of anonymous posting, sock-puppeting, and/or making things up?

I hate the concept of sending thank you emails and never did for firm interviews. It's seems desperate and awkward when you're ideally looking to be a professional equal in the office.

That being said I sent them for my current in-house fund position, though they were less "thank you" and more "it was great talking to you, I'll definitely check out [random shared hobby], etc." I received immediate responses from the managing partners that led to a few back and forths, and a second interview and offer later that week.

Basically I wouldn't and didn't send thank you emails for generic interviewing tons of people to fill a basic position scenarios. If I look to move to a smaller, fit oriented office setting again I would send follow up emails if I had anything personal to say.

[lavarman84]

I'll take one example.

We all know that it's not going to happen. Seriously, what is the deal with the pro-thank-you-note faction? Why do arguments in favor of thank-you notes so often take the form of anonymous posting, sock-puppeting, and/or making things up?

I'm in favor of sending thank you notes. I do it because I don't see it hurting me at all. The chances of it helping depend on the person. Down here in the South, it probably means more than it does in the North.(especially for small and mid law firms)

You can doubt my stories, but I've had more than one successful partner talk about how much it irritates them that people don't send thank you notes anymore.

I'd be less inclined to send a thank you note if I were interviewing with a large law firm in New York. But if I were interviewing with a mid-sized law firm in the South? Yep, I'm sending thank you notes.

[Anonymous User]

Maybe it's because I am southern as well but it just seems like common etiquette and good manners to thank people for their time. I mean you're meeting with busy partners and associates to just talk about yourself. I don't think they are necessary but I also don't think they can hurt you.

[BigZuck]

Maybe it's because I am southern as well but it just seems like common etiquette and good manners to thank people for their time. I mean you're meeting with busy partners and associates to just talk about yourself. I don't think they are necessary but I also don't think they can hurt you.

I assume this one is rpumpkin making a hilarious abuse of anon joke

[Anonymous User]

Sending a thank you letter to a small firm in the south is not even like relevant here. That is a completely different story.

[velvet-lou]

I am a 0L so I'm probably uninformed but I'm wondering why thank you notes are a bad thing? Like why is this even an argument?

[BigZuck]

I am a 0L so I'm probably uninformed but I'm wondering why thank you notes are a bad thing? Like why is this even an argument?

190

[bk1]

Basically I wouldn't and didn't send thank you emails for generic interviewing tons of people to fill a basic position scenarios. If I look to move to a smaller, fit oriented office setting again I would send follow up emails if I had anything personal to say.

This makes sense to me.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Basically I wouldn't and didn't send thank you emails for generic interviewing tons of people to fill a basic position scenarios. If I look to move to a smaller, fit oriented office setting again I would send follow up emails if I had anything personal to say.

This makes sense to me.

Yeah, ditto. I have sent them, for more specialized jobs, when what to say flowed naturally out of the conversations I'd had during the interview. (Also only after a final interview.) If you're really struggling to find something to say beyond "thank you PLEASE HIRE ME" it's not worth it (and probably a generic basic position).

[Anonymous User]

Op here. Do u guys ever follow up for a decision? It has been about a week.

[mjb447]

I don't remember your situation exactly, but that's usually not a particularly long wait, OP. Make that laid back personality work for you!