The Importance of a Thank You Note

There's a newsletter that gets passed around our office that recently quoted the following:

According to a CareerBuilder survey, 58% of employers said it's important to send a "thank you" after an interview; 24% said it's very important.

We've discussed this issue a lot in the past. Here are some highlights:

• Another Plug for the Thank-You Note 
• Do You Send a Thank You Note After a Job Interview?
• And Yet Another Recommendation for the Lowly Thank-You Note
• Thank You and Follow-up
• An HR Professional Recommends Thank You Notes

Here are a few thoughts from me in case you've missed them throughout the years:

• I'm a believer in thank you notes. I used them in my most recent job search (to get my current job), so I actually put my own advice into action.
• I use them primarily because I think sending them is the right thing to do. Someone took time to talk with me about a job opportunity. Doesn't that warrant a simple 10 minutes to write a note?
• And if you're opposed to writing a note because it's the "right" thing to do, how about this reason: it can separate you from the pack of other candidates. And when you get down to the interview process, anything and everything you can do that separates you (in a positive way) from the group is a very good thing.
• I personally go old school and send a hand-written note via snail mail. But I'm personally ok if people use email. However, a paper note is classier and carries more weight IMO.
• I also send hand-written notes (as well as email) for many simple things that some people might ignore. But my personal opinion is that you can never say "thanks" enough, even for simple kindnesses.

Those are my thoughts. What's your take on the issue?

Comments

[elb]

Depends on employer timeframe. If they are looking to hire quickly, e-mail is good to maintain momentum.

[K D]

I couldn't agree more. As people use the USPS less and less the more you stand out when you take the time to thank prople for things. I occasionally use email for thank yous but I also send quite a few notes snail mail (about the only things I send snail mail are thank yous, birthday cards, holiday cards, and sympathy cards).

[JV (name redacted for obvious reasons!)]

Had a disastrous interview the other week. Sent a thank-you note anyway to say thanks for the opportunity to interview, to wish them the best in finding a candidate (and to explain something which I felt didn't come across very well in the interview). Pitched it very much as a "I respectfully disagree but thank you for the interview anyway".

...they didn't bother to even acknowledge receipt.

I suppose I should have realised they were a *tad* unprofessional when I noticed their website hadn't been updated since 2002. Oh well.

[FMF]

JV --

You're probably better off NOT getting the job...