Thank you emails after biglaw callback Forum

[Anonymous User]

This is an entry level position for a recent graduate, if that matters.

Edit: The position is in DC, and its a DC based-firm.

[ymmv]

Doesn't matter.

[FKASunny]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/search-f ... 49&sa.y=13

[mu13ski]

How many times can this question be discussed?

[Anonymous User]

Short answer: yes, send

Long answer: every callback I've had included associates at lunch reminding me that short, well drafted, personal thank you notes matter. They have to stay an extra 30 minutes after work because they spent time with you; the least you could do is acknowledge their efforts

[brazleton]

.

[Anonymous User]

By the time they receive your thank you, they have already submitted their review.

[Anonymous User]

I did a Thank You after every callback and went 8/8 on CB's...it will never ever make or break you, but I think it's the right thing to do. If you don't want to email everyone, email either your main recruiting contact or any attorney you really hit it off with and ask them to extend your thanks to the other interviewers.

[Anonymous User]

I did a Thank You after every callback and went 8/8 on CB's...it will never ever make or break you, but I think it's the right thing to do. If you don't want to email everyone, email either your main recruiting contact or any attorney you really hit it off with and ask them to extend your thanks to the other interviewers.

Just to give the other side, I'm 7/9 without sending a single thank you.

[Anonymous User]

I did a Thank You after every callback and went 8/8 on CB's...it will never ever make or break you, but I think it's the right thing to do. If you don't want to email everyone, email either your main recruiting contact or any attorney you really hit it off with and ask them to extend your thanks to the other interviewers.

Just to give the other side, I'm 7/9 without sending a single thank you.

Another voice for the opposition: 13/18 without a single thank-you. Although I did send thank-you's after offers were extended in response to those congratulations/nudge-to-come-here emails from the people I met with.

I can see sending personalized thank-you's after every CB if you only have a couple CBs, but if you have a lot it's frankly an exhausting use of time that could be better spent recovering or preparing for the next CB. As others have pointed out time and time again, they don't make a difference since your interviewers will have already filled out their evaluations by the time they get the thank-you's anyway.

[Anonymous User]

I did a Thank You after every callback and went 8/8 on CB's...it will never ever make or break you, but I think it's the right thing to do. If you don't want to email everyone, email either your main recruiting contact or any attorney you really hit it off with and ask them to extend your thanks to the other interviewers.

Just to give the other side, I'm 7/9 without sending a single thank you.

Another voice for the opposition: 13/18 without a single thank-you. Although I did send thank-you's after offers were extended in response to those congratulations/nudge-to-come-here emails from the people I met with.

I can see sending personalized thank-you's after every CB if you only have a couple CBs, but if you have a lot it's frankly an exhausting use of time that could be better spent recovering or preparing for the next CB. As others have pointed out time and time again, they don't make a difference since your interviewers will have already filled out their evaluations by the time they get the thank-you's anyway.

8/8 guy here....well played, gentlemen. Touche.

[jlk411]

I am a recruiting coordinator at a major law firm. I think yes it's true that sometimes evals are already submitted before the thank you email arrives BUT sometimes there are stragglers in terms of attorneys getting evals submitted so it may help. I think, also, if you are strongly interested in a firm it's a best practice. Just classier in my opinion and can't hurt.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I sent individualized thank you notes to everyone (6 people).... it was a pain in the ass. I did it only because I'm kicking myself for not seeming more enthusiastic about moving to DC, and I'm afraid my lack of ties might be a problem. Just wanted to show a little extra enthusiasm for the firm. Thanks for all of your advice!!!!

[XxSpyKEx]

I'm surprised that the poll is 50/50. What kind of an asshat doesn't send a thank you note after a callback? It doesn't matter if it doesn't make a difference in terms of receiving an offer. It's just the professional thing to do. Also, you don't have to send a thank you note to everyone--just send it to one of the partners you interviewed with and ask him/her to extend your thanks to the others.

[First Offense]

I'm surprised that the poll is 50/50. What kind of an asshat doesn't send a thank you note after a callback? It doesn't matter if it doesn't make a difference in terms of receiving an offer. It's just the professional thing to do. Also, you don't have to send a thank you note to everyone--just send it to one of the partners you interviewed with and ask him/her to extend your thanks to the others.

To the final point - I don't think that's a good look. If you're going to send to one, send to all (especially since the Partner may have little to no contact with other people you have interviewed on a regular basis). To the larger point, I think thank-yous are a nice gesture, but considering some of the scheduling pressures a lot of us are under (multiple CBs/travel/catching up for class), if you don't have time to do it right and make it personal, I would not do it at all.

[bk1]

Maybe I'm weird but I just don't get the world where thank you notes for job interviews is a normal thing. It's part of their job to interview you. Like a normal human being I extend niceties in person after an interview (e.g. "it was nice meeting you," "thanks for your time," etc), but I just don't get thank you notes as a standard form of interview courtesy that should go above and beyond in person niceties. You don't mail in a thank you note to the server who serves you your food, you just say something nice to their face.

These people aren't getting you some gift out of the kindness of their heart. That's the sort of thing that you send thank you notes for. They're doing their job, whether of their own volition or because their employer explicitly/implicitly requires it. That's not the kind of thing that you send thank you notes for. I'm not saying you can't or that it won't help you (though my opinion is that its helpfulness is marginal at best), I'm just saying that I don't see how people think this is something that people are obligated to do or that it is somehow uncourteous not to do.

[84651846190]

no thank you emails >>> canned thank you emails

[XxSpyKEx]

To the larger point, I think thank-yous are a nice gesture, but considering some of the scheduling pressures a lot of us are under (multiple CBs/travel/catching up for class),

Oh, the way things have changed. I graduated in 2011 (from a t10), and when my class did OCI in 2009, most of us were lucky to have 1-2 CBs (there were a very, very small number of people who had more than 4 CBs), and firms took their time getting offers out because they assumed every offer would result in an acceptance (i.e. they knew how bad the market was), so getting a thank you note in wasn't very difficult. In 2009 firms were just looking for reasons to ding people. My school really emphasized that not sending a thank you note, or even having a typo in a thank you note (despite an otherwise great interview) was sufficient to get you a ding, and it wouldn't surprised me if people got dinged for those reasons.

if you don't have time to do it right and make it personal, I would not do it at all.

I agree.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. What do you mean personal? No two people got exactly the same note, but I only wrote something very specific for one person (we had a common interest which we spoke about). For everyone else it was pretty generic, although I varied exactly what I said.

[XxSpyKEx]

OP here. What do you mean personal? No two people got exactly the same note, but I only wrote something very specific for one person (we had a common interest which we spoke about). For everyone else it was pretty generic, although I varied exactly what I said.

You want to include something specific in each one, so it doesn't appear to be a generic thank you note (e.g. common interest you discussed, something that you enjoyed (or at least you're pretending to have enjoyed) learning about the attorney's practice or the firm, etc.). A generic thank you note is kind of pointless. You'd be better off not sending anything.

[ymmv]

OP here. What do you mean personal? No two people got exactly the same note, but I only wrote something very specific for one person (we had a common interest which we spoke about). For everyone else it was pretty generic, although I varied exactly what I said.

You want to include something specific in each one, so it doesn't appear to be a generic thank you note (e.g. common interest you discussed, something that you enjoyed (or at least you're pretending to have enjoyed) learning about the attorney's practice or the firm, etc.). A generic thank you note is kind of pointless. You'd be better off not sending anything.

This is why it's an inefficient use of time. Canned emails are awful, and taking the time to write a personal one for each interviewer would be an enormous investment of that time.
Also, as bk pointed out it is just kinda weird to send someone a thank-you letter for doing their job. It's not a favor and it's certainly not a gift.

[First Offense]

OP here. What do you mean personal? No two people got exactly the same note, but I only wrote something very specific for one person (we had a common interest which we spoke about). For everyone else it was pretty generic, although I varied exactly what I said.

You want to include something specific in each one, so it doesn't appear to be a generic thank you note (e.g. common interest you discussed, something that you enjoyed (or at least you're pretending to have enjoyed) learning about the attorney's practice or the firm, etc.). A generic thank you note is kind of pointless. You'd be better off not sending anything.

This is why it's an inefficient use of time. Canned emails are awful, and taking the time to write a personal one for each interviewer would be an enormous investment of that time.
Also, as bk pointed out it is just kinda weird to send someone a thank-you letter for doing their job. It's not a favor and it's certainly not a gift.

TBF, it's also weird to give someone a gratuity for doing their job, yet it's still accepted practice. Just because it's odd doesn't mean it's not expected.

[ymmv]

Except "gratuity" is their livelihood. It's not weird to pay someone to do their job.

[bk1]

Except "gratuity" is their livelihood. It's not weird to pay someone to do their job.

That's not what First Offense is saying. He's saying that it would generally be weird to constantly pay more than you are asked to pay for something (i.e. tipping). But our society says that this is normal and expected, thus if you don't do it then you look bad.

But I disagree with his premise that thank you notes for interviewers is the societal expectation (comparing it to tipping). I could be wrong, but I really don't see it.

[wildcatatpenn]

Except "gratuity" is their livelihood.

egregious anti-LeSean McCoy trolling

they are guaranteed minimum wage from their employer even if tips dont cover it