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

[Anonymous User]

Do not send thankyou letters. Ever.

[rpupkin]

I have no idea what that was about.

[CanadianWolf]

In future interviews with other firms, try to focus on the law firm, its practice areas & your interests. Your mistake, in my opinion, is that you reversed roles & tried to interview them.

[Anonymous User]

In future interviews with other firms, try to focus on the law firm, its practice areas & your interests. Your mistake, in my opinion, is that you reversed roles & tried to interview them.

I asked those questions at the end, after substantive interview was finished. Should I not ask non-law/work related questions? Was trying to connect on a more casual level.

Would it make sense to send an email to say thanks as an alum? It was a long shot and i have no idea why they even interviewed me because i was clearly below the required experience level.

[CanadianWolf]

Not sure which questions you asked at the end of the panel interview, but let them ask the personal interest questions. Why not send a thank you email ? Seems reasonable to me & might be perceived as rude or disinterested not to do so. (Although opinions may vary on this aspect.)

[BigZuck]

I think I might disagree with everything Canadianwolf said here. Better to have the attorneys talk about themselves and thank yous are never the right answer.

HTH

I'm also confused by the OP and what is just generally going on in this thread

Eta: IMO

[1styearlateral]

I'm not surprised the interview didn't seem to go well. I'm just as confused after reading your post as I'm sure partners were after your interview. I'm left wondering: "What did I just read?"

Trying to be personal during an interview only works if you're not aspy. Otherwise it comes off as trying too hard.

[Anonymous User]

Op edited for clarity.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not surprised the interview didn't seem to go well. I'm just as confused after reading your post as I'm sure partners were after your interview. I'm left wondering: "What did I just read?"

Trying to be personal during an interview only works if you're not aspy. Otherwise it comes off as trying too hard.

Im pretty good at picking up social cues and have a pretty laid back personality. I honestly dont think being socially awkward is one of my many flaws. I clarified my OP and hope that can solicit better advice.

I want to send a thank you email to the alum partner to see if I can leave a better impression. I dont think what happened was a dealbreaker but if that partner is still living in the old college glory days, it might make sense to stroke his/her ego.

[1styearlateral]

I'm not surprised the interview didn't seem to go well. I'm just as confused after reading your post as I'm sure partners were after your interview. I'm left wondering: "What did I just read?"

Trying to be personal during an interview only works if you're not aspy. Otherwise it comes off as trying too hard.

Im pretty good at picking up social cues and have a pretty laid back personality. I honestly dont think being socially awkward is one of my many flaws. I clarified my OP and hope that can solicit better advice.

I want to send a thank you email to the alum partner to see if I can leave a better impression. I dont think what happened was a dealbreaker but if that partner is still living in the old college glory days, it might make sense to stroke his/her ego.

After reading your clarified OP, I would not recommend reaching back out in an attempt to "reconnect." It's too desperate and could end up hurting you more. It's likely that they'll forget the supposed "mishap," although I'm a little confused why a partner would ask you where you went to college; are they not looking at your resume while interviewing you? That right there raises some red flags for me, but whatever.

As far as "missing" as to what you emphasize as important information, I would forget about it. Knowing every little detail of the partners interviewing you seems like a non-issue. A law firm interview isn't a fraternity hazing event. I'd worry more about not being able to answer substantive legal questions relevant to your previous position (e.g., what is subrogation) than where a particular partner went to college.

[mjb447]

thank yous are never the right answer . . . I'm also confused by the OP and what is just generally going on in this thread

+1. OP, I didn't understand your question at all until your most recent post (not the clarifying edit). I'm going to assume that it's at least partially because I have no idea how a thank you note would help you in this situation, so much so that it wasn't even on my radar as a potentially curative action.

It sounds to me like you had some awkward moments during the interview. Reminding everyone about them in a thank you, even in an attempt to cure them, is not a good look.

[Anonymous User]

Sounds good. I will keep my mouth shut and fingers away from the email. Thank you.

[pro1100]

Sent a thank you email following an interview for a 1L summer internship with a federal agency, received an offer, accepted. Halfway through the internship, my interviewer told me that I was one of only a few candidates who sent a thank you and that it was pretty important in establishing a good impression with her. She was surprised interviewees didn't send them as a matter of course.

[rpupkin]

Sent a thank you email following an interview for a 1L summer internship with a federal agency, received an offer, accepted. Halfway through the internship, my interviewer told me that I was one of only a few candidates who sent a thank you and that it was pretty important in establishing a good impression with her. She was surprised interviewees didn't send them as a matter of course.

I'm glad you created a TLS account for the purpose of sharing this highly plausible story.

[mjb447]

Sent a thank you email following an interview for a 1L summer internship with a federal agency, received an offer, accepted. Halfway through the internship, my interviewer told me that I was one of only a few candidates who sent a thank you and that it was pretty important in establishing a good impression with her. She was surprised interviewees didn't send them as a matter of course.

I'm sure she's a nice person, but that seems pretty asinine to me, and I hope she doesn't actually hold it against otherwise qualified people.

[A. Nony Mouse]

(boomers)

But srsly, I didn't see the OP, but whatever other justifications there might be for thank yous, I don't think using one to salvage something that you think went wrong in the interview is EVER going to work.

[pro1100]

Sent a thank you email following an interview for a 1L summer internship with a federal agency, received an offer, accepted. Halfway through the internship, my interviewer told me that I was one of only a few candidates who sent a thank you and that it was pretty important in establishing a good impression with her. She was surprised interviewees didn't send them as a matter of course.

I'm sure she's a nice person, but that seems pretty asinine to me, and I hope she doesn't actually hold it against otherwise qualified people.

I'm sure it wasn't ever dispositive in practice, but if two candidates were close enough, it could have factored in.

[Anonymous User]

(boomers)

But srsly, I didn't see the OP, but whatever other justifications there might be for thank yous, I don't think using one to salvage something that you think went wrong in the interview is EVER going to work.

is there ever a justification really?

[A. Nony Mouse]

(boomers)

But srsly, I didn't see the OP, but whatever other justifications there might be for thank yous, I don't think using one to salvage something that you think went wrong in the interview is EVER going to work.

is there ever a justification really?

Oh, probably not - though it's true that some judges/very traditionally-minded folks like them. I meant more that even *if* you think you should write them, trying to fix a mistake in the interview with one is NEVER going to work. (Mostly because either 1) you don't have full information and don't actually know if what you think was a mistake, actually was a mistake, or necessarily how/why, and 2) trying to address what you think was a mistake is just going to draw attention to it and look 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.

[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.

[Anonymous User]

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

[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.

[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?

[bk1]

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.