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What's the consensus on thank you notes after a callback interview??

Anonymous User wrote:What's the consensus on thank you notes after a callback interview??

Some folks say that it's plays a major role, other folks say that if its not from physical mail it hurts the application. It's really hard say. But if you really connected with a partner during an interview and want to sincerely thank them for their time and meeting them, then by all means.

This has been debated heavily on TLS. Some people think it helps, some people view it as unnecessary and possibly harmful. The search function can give you insight here.

Here we go!!!

Thank you note threads during callback season are TLS's swallows returning to Capistrano.

mjb447 wrote:Thank you note threads during callback season are TLS's swallows returning to Capistrano.

Comment best when read in Dr. Frazier Crane's radio voice.

Obligatory: A thank you email/letter will never make you go from a "no" to a "yes"--only from a "yes/maybe" to a "no."

I don't really have a position but I could see a thoughtful one getting me from a maybe to a yes, personally.

From someone who did thank you notes in a regional market last year (because I'm neurotic), I would say don't fucking do them. The one time you make a grammar error (which you will) you will absolutely feel like shit and in the scheme of things "good" TYs don't matter. Imagine thinking about not putting a period after a sentence for ~8hours. Not fun.

My firm had a "how to conduct callback interviews" training for junior associates last week. Our recruiting staff could not have been more dismissive of the importance of thank you notes. For whatever that's worth.

This forum's search function is great for finding the answer to this question.

Time is a flat thank you note.

please, for the love of god, do not do it; people see right through that type of stuff.

if will not affect your odds of getting hired, and, if anything, could just make them worse.

does the "do not send a thank you note" opinion also extend to small firms?

I think it depends.

If you are just going through the motions and sending a template "It was a pleasure to meet you today. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hear from you soon. /s/" etc then I don't see it making any meaningful difference and can come off fake. But if you do it tactfully (e.g. bringing up a common experience you had with the interviewer that you bonded over, great advice or insight the interviewer imparted, whatever) or follow-up with a reference/writing sample/transcript etc that they requested during the interview, I think it can reinforce a good rapport. I cannot count the number of times a firm asked for the standard resume/cover letter before the interview and then the transcript to be sent after the interview. So as a tangental issue, never even think about inflating the GPA even a little on the resume. I think the sequencing there is very intentional.

I just received a thank you email thirty seconds after I submitted my interview evaluation. Lucky for this person because the thank you email is formulaic and bad.

Porkypots wrote:does the "do not send a thank you note" opinion also extend to small firms?

I'd lean towards it not extending to small firms, but it likely depends on the market.

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They aren't necessary. Everyone on here always says that they "could" hurt you, but honestly that's only true if you're a real moron about it (e.g. saying something vulgar, gross typos, saying the wrong firm name in an obvious cut-and-paste). My view is they neither help nor hurt.

If you're fretting about not sending one because mommy taught you to always send thank you notes, send an email. Just be human about it (I always chuckle when I have a nice, casual conversation with someone roughly my age mostly about sports and hobbies and get a stilted, "Dear Mr. FXB3, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your busy day" email, but even that doesn't hurt them).

I write up my evaluation of a candidate immediately after interviewing them so it would have no bearing on me. Also, they are incredibly rare to receive these days.

What about a thank you e-mail to a screener interviewer that I connected well with.

Can that hurt?

KijiStewart wrote:What about a thank you e-mail to a screener interviewer that I connected well with.

Can that hurt?

Yes, it can hurt, and it cannot help.

PeanutsNJam wrote:

KijiStewart wrote:What about a thank you e-mail to a screener interviewer that I connected well with.

Can that hurt?

Yes, it can hurt, and it cannot help.

It can help, although I still wouldn't recommend them.

sublime wrote:

PeanutsNJam wrote:

KijiStewart wrote:What about a thank you e-mail to a screener interviewer that I connected well with.

Can that hurt?

Yes, it can hurt, and it cannot help.

It can help, although I still wouldn't recommend them.

To the extent it can help, should it be e-mail or handwritten note.

KijiStewart wrote:

sublime wrote:

PeanutsNJam wrote:

KijiStewart wrote:What about a thank you e-mail to a screener interviewer that I connected well with.

Can that hurt?

Yes, it can hurt, and it cannot help.

It can help, although I still wouldn't recommend them.

To the extent it can help, should it be e-mail or handwritten note.

I'm ny biglaw, and a well written, thoughtful thank you note could get me from maybe to yes, but the practical problem with handwritten notes is that my evaluation will be in before I get a handwritten note.

And depending on work, it may be too late for an email thank you note too.

Honestly, for me, generic thank you notes are not worth it. Ones that thoughtfully address what we talked about may be helpful. This is my personal opinion as an interviewer though.