Thank you emails for interviews involving multiple attorneys
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2014 5:50 pm
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Individually.nickb285 wrote:Everyone collectively or individually?
Not sure why you would get flak. I didn't send thank you emails either and still was fine. But sounds like OP wants to send them.zweitbester wrote:I know I'm going to get flack for this, but you could also just not send thank you emails. I don't know if different markets are more sensitive to this than others, but for the major markets I interviewed in (and secondary markets), I never sent thank you emails and still got offers from all those callbacks.
I'll provide the flack. I think its always a mistake not to send a thank you for two reasons:zweitbester wrote:I know I'm going to get flack for this, but you could also just not send thank you emails. I don't know if different markets are more sensitive to this than others, but for the major markets I interviewed in (and secondary markets), I never sent thank you emails and still got offers from all those callbacks.
I'll respond to point 1: Most people don't get if they don't get one, but a typo or other sort of mistake could hurt you. Doing no harm could also be not sending a thank you note.SemperLegal wrote:I'll provide the flack. I think its always a mistake not to send a thank you for two reasons:zweitbester wrote:I know I'm going to get flack for this, but you could also just not send thank you emails. I don't know if different markets are more sensitive to this than others, but for the major markets I interviewed in (and secondary markets), I never sent thank you emails and still got offers from all those callbacks.
1. Some people get pissy if they don't get one, no one gets pissy for getting one. Its best to do no harm.
2. Very infrequently, but occasionally, a thank you letter will be returned by an actual substantive response that can help keep the lines of communication open. Two of my interviewers replied back with a pretty lengthy response about the firm, market, and practice area. Even if that didn't help with hiring (since they probally were sold on me already, or have too much time on their hands), they ended up being a helpful resource for the X months between hiring and starting work. They helped me pick classes, gave some background on where in the city I should live, and set me up with people from my planned practice areas to give me a pretty good idea of the workflow there.
Agreed. I send to everyone at the firm (individually) that I met with that day. I just send a short, simple email along the lines of above, though I do typically include something specific that we discussed. I worry about them being too similar sometimes, so I just rearrange/change words to make them a little bit different/not look like a form. But in reality, you are thanking them for their time and not writing a book to them, so there are only so many ways of putting it.gdane wrote:Send it to everyone. Be genuine though. A simple "it was great meeting with you today. Thank you for the opportunity. I hope we can meet again some time in the future." Something to that extent.
This happened to me as well. I like emailing thank yous for this reason - it opens a line of communication. There have been numerous who have replied including something about contacting them in the future, giving advice, keep them updated on x that we discussed, etc.SemperLegal wrote:2. Very infrequently, but occasionally, a thank you letter will be returned by an actual substantive response that can help keep the lines of communication open. Two of my interviewers replied back with a pretty lengthy response about the firm, market, and practice area. Even if that didn't help with hiring (since they probally were sold on me already, or have too much time on their hands), they ended up being a helpful resource for the X months between hiring and starting work. They helped me pick classes, gave some background on where in the city I should live, and set me up with people from my planned practice areas to give me a pretty good idea of the workflow there.
Every (biglaw) interviewer I've talked to has told me that they do not expect thank you emails, and most even advised against it. I agree with PH that you won't harm yourself by not sending one, but you run the risk of typos or just flat out sounding awkward or insincere in your email. Just about every interviewer has a story about the time they received a terrible thank you email that torpedoed the applicant's chances.ph14 wrote:I'll respond to point 1: Most people don't get if they don't get one, but a typo or other sort of mistake could hurt you. Doing no harm could also be not sending a thank you note.SemperLegal wrote:I'll provide the flack. I think its always a mistake not to send a thank you for two reasons:zweitbester wrote:I know I'm going to get flack for this, but you could also just not send thank you emails. I don't know if different markets are more sensitive to this than others, but for the major markets I interviewed in (and secondary markets), I never sent thank you emails and still got offers from all those callbacks.
1. Some people get pissy if they don't get one, no one gets pissy for getting one. Its best to do no harm.
2. Very infrequently, but occasionally, a thank you letter will be returned by an actual substantive response that can help keep the lines of communication open. Two of my interviewers replied back with a pretty lengthy response about the firm, market, and practice area. Even if that didn't help with hiring (since they probally were sold on me already, or have too much time on their hands), they ended up being a helpful resource for the X months between hiring and starting work. They helped me pick classes, gave some background on where in the city I should live, and set me up with people from my planned practice areas to give me a pretty good idea of the workflow there.