Question from an associate to law students re: Thank Yous Forum

[Loose Seal]

I'm a junior associate conducting callback interviews at my midsize office of a biglaw firm (the main office is in a different city than I work). When you guys send thank you emails to your callback interviewers, do you expect a response? I've been slammed with work and these thank you emails have been slipping through the cracks. Is it weird to respond after a few days have passed, or are you insulted if you don't hear back from the attorneys you email? I remember sending thank you emails during callbacks and not noticing or caring if anyone responded, but I want to make sure I'm not committing some kind of major faux pas here.

^ Not sarcastic. TYIA.

[Void]

I think getting a response at all, even weeks later, is always exciting. Most places don't respond to thank yous. For that reason, you should perhaps keep in mind that responding to thank yous will make applicants extra hopeful that they'll be hearing good news, so if you think the applicant is going to be rejected you might be better off just not responding. Just my opinion.

[Myself]

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[Gorki]

I think getting a response at all, even weeks later, is always exciting. Most places don't respond to thank yous. For that reason, you should perhaps keep in mind that responding to thank yous will make applicants extra hopeful that they'll be hearing good news, so if you think the applicant is going to be rejected you might be better off just not responding. Just my opinion.

Yeah and to follow-up on this I would be really depressed as an applicant if you sent me a thank-you note a few weeks later (understanding you are busy, and not paying attention to the hiring process) and getting that thank-you after a rejection letter.

Thanks for this post though OP, I appreciate the insight.

[mbison]

As an interviewer, I never respond to thank you's, mainly because I don't want to think about how to carefully word it to avoid giving any false hope when the decision is totally out of my hands.

As a piece of advice, I don't recommend handwritten thank you's for people with terrible handwriting (usually guys in my experience).

[Pokemon]

Do not respond to thank you messages. It just gives false hope to students.

[lolwat]

Generally speaking, if you were going to respond to an unimportant e-mail like a thank you, delays aren't a problem to me since (when I was in law school/during my clerkship) I just assume whoever I'm interviewing is probably infinitely busier than I am.

And I got very few responses when going through this process and don't really expect them, so it's certainly nothing bad if you don't respond. It does also give some false hope in that people think a response to a thank you is a positive for their application. If you know they're not getting hired, I'd skip over it. If you know the firm is going to or has extended an offer to someone, go ahead and send them a response/congratulatory e-mail or something. You could also just take a few minutes to develop some fairly generic response that doesn't tend to suggest one way or another what the result is and send it to everyone. (Although, keep in mind that people read into EVERYTHING, so a simple "good luck" might be viewed as "SHIT, THEY'RE TELLING ME TO LOOK ELSEWHERE.")

[Loose Seal]

Okay, thanks guys, this is helpful. Also, let me add at least my own perspective that thank-you notes are a positive force when sent shortly after a callback. I try to fill out callback evaluations the same day as I meet a candidate, and there have definitely been a handful of situations this recruiting season where I wasn't completely sold on someone (or I outright didn't like someone) but I got a nice thank-you email from them either before or literally while filling out their evaluation and I found myself somewhat tempering any negative tone or adding in a few positive comments. I don't think the thank-you emails hurt and they can definitely help on the margins, just make sure you send them soon enough for them to have an impact.

[Anonymous User]

Okay, thanks guys, this is helpful. Also, let me add at least my own perspective that thank-you notes are a positive force when sent shortly after a callback. I try to fill out callback evaluations the same day as I meet a candidate, and there have definitely been a handful of situations this recruiting season where I wasn't completely sold on someone (or I outright didn't like someone) but I got a nice thank-you email from them either before or literally while filling out their evaluation and I found myself somewhat tempering any negative tone or adding in a few positive comments. I don't think the thank-you emails hurt and they can definitely help on the margins, just make sure you send them soon enough for them to have an impact.

Glad to hear it - I try to send mine on the same day in hopes of this!

As an applicant, I don't expect a response. However, I do really appreciate the response, particularly since it opens the dialogue with some attorneys (though I am waiting until after hearing back from the firm of course). I've had some tell me to feel free to contact them in the future with any questions - about law school, their career, the firm, or anything else.

I don't read much (if anything) into a response, especially if it is from someone who isn't the hiring partner or recruiting contact. (The only exception is where I got an email from the hiring partner a while later that mentioned seeing me again soon - and about an hour later, I got a call.) I think people that do will probably read into anything related to the process - hope keeps us going in the job search!

Overall, I would say that if you have time to and would like to, go ahead and send them. You are definitely in the norm not replying, but replies would be appreciated.

[Anonymous User]

Hey thanks for posting. I don't expect a response. But I do have a question for you: if an associate writes back "good luck with everything" does that mean anything? When I read it it sounds like "[hey you aren't getting a job here but it was nice meeting you so] goodluck with everything!"

[Anonymous User]

Hey thanks for posting. I don't expect a response. But I do have a question for you: if an associate writes back "good luck with everything" does that mean anything? When I read it it sounds like "[hey you aren't getting a job here but it was nice meeting you so] goodluck with everything!"

It means that the associate probably liked you enough.

[Loose Seal]

Hey thanks for posting. I don't expect a response. But I do have a question for you: if an associate writes back "good luck with everything" does that mean anything? When I read it it sounds like "[hey you aren't getting a job here but it was nice meeting you so] goodluck with everything!"

FWIW, it doesn't mean anything when I say it. I don't know what the recruiting committee's decision will be at the time I write responses (if I write them) so it's just a standard closer and not a hint that we are passing on you.