Thank you after interview absolutely necessary? Forum

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april_ludgate

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Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by april_ludgate » Sun Dec 10, 2017 6:28 am

I was pretty nervous during my Harvard interview, totally blanked on my interviewer's name and didn't get any contact info. So I don't know if it's possibly for me to send a thank-you email (interview was on Friday). Should I just let it go? Or is it going to seem rude or something?

Hand

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by Hand » Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:18 am

Absolutely necessary. This will also help prepare you for a lifetime of sending thank you notes after other interviews. Be sure to throw in a typo or two.

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JamesBlahDeBlah

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by JamesBlahDeBlah » Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:21 am

I've interviewed people in the past and always thought it weird when people would send thank you emails. My feedback usually had to go in immediately and so it wouldn't matter if I saw it as a positive or a negative anyway. I'd say don't stress too much, especially if the interviewer was not an admissions person (meaning their job was to just get through the interview, provide feedback, and move on with their life). If it was an admissions person, eh, probably a very small chance they'd care one way or the other.
Last edited by JamesBlahDeBlah on Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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cavalier1138

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by cavalier1138 » Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:54 am

100% unnecessary, especially if this was an adcomm and not an alumnus.

Some people have a weird fetish about sending thank-you notes, but I promise that you're fine. Literally no one in the history of ever has given a flying fuck.

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april_ludgate

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by april_ludgate » Sun Dec 10, 2017 2:40 pm

Great to know guys! Thanks!

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driggsbedford

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by driggsbedford » Mon Dec 25, 2017 1:38 am

JamesBlahDeBlah wrote:I've interviewed people in the past and always thought it weird when people would send thank you emails. My feedback usually had to go in immediately and so it wouldn't matter if I saw it as a positive or a negative anyway. I'd say don't stress too much, especially if the interviewer was not an admissions person (meaning their job was to just get through the interview, provide feedback, and move on with their life). If it was an admissions person, eh, probably a very small chance they'd care one way or the other.
In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.

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cavalier1138

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by cavalier1138 » Mon Dec 25, 2017 1:47 am

driggsbedford wrote:In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.
It doesn't come off as pretentious as much as it comes off as douchey and unnecessary. And it absolutely is not the standard for admissions interviews (or any legal job interviews, for that matter).

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by mcmand » Mon Dec 25, 2017 1:49 am

Unclear if necessary but it's a polite thing to do. Don't use it as an opportunity to restate your resume and why you're awesome. Just thank them for their time, short and sweet. There is nothing untoward about expressing gratitude for someone's time, and it makes the world a nicer place to be in.
Last edited by mcmand on Mon Jan 29, 2018 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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rpupkin

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by rpupkin » Mon Dec 25, 2017 2:49 am

driggsbedford wrote:In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.

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JamesBlahDeBlah

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by JamesBlahDeBlah » Mon Dec 25, 2017 10:13 am

driggsbedford wrote:In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. Thank you notes are silly to me, but I understand it's likely a personality type difference. I would never consider passing on someone who can do their job well simply because they failed to meet some checklist I made in advance.
Last edited by JamesBlahDeBlah on Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

driggsbedford

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by driggsbedford » Mon Dec 25, 2017 10:20 am

cavalier1138 wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.
It doesn't come off as pretentious as much as it comes off as douchey and unnecessary. And it absolutely is not the standard for admissions interviews (or any legal job interviews, for that matter).
It’s douchey to thank someone for their time?

Curious how many roles you’ve interviewed people for in your life or what your professional background is. Assuming you’re a student, as that is what your post reads as.

Good luck with that disposition of yours. I’m a hiring manager at a top 5 global investment bank. If you don’t write a thank you email, you are seen as douchey - not the opposite.

If I take an hour plus out of my day to consider you for a six-figure+++ role and you don’t have the common sense to follow the basic etiquette of the interview process, I’m not hiring you.

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by lowyo » Mon Dec 25, 2017 10:56 am

driggsbedford wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.
It doesn't come off as pretentious as much as it comes off as douchey and unnecessary. And it absolutely is not the standard for admissions interviews (or any legal job interviews, for that matter).
It’s douchey to thank someone for their time?

Curious how many roles you’ve interviewed people for in your life or what your professional background is. Assuming you’re a student, as that is what your post reads as.

Good luck with that disposition of yours. I’m a hiring manager at a top 5 global investment bank. If you don’t write a thank you email, you are seen as douchey - not the opposite.

If I take an hour plus out of my day to consider you for a six-figure+++ role and you don’t have the common sense to follow the basic etiquette of the interview process, I’m not hiring you.
Do you thank them for taking an hour plus out of their day (and possibly a day off from work) to consider your organization?

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A. Nony Mouse

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:43 am

I mean, the people already in the organization aren't the ones trying to get a job.

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driggsbedford

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by driggsbedford » Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:47 am

lowyo wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.
It doesn't come off as pretentious as much as it comes off as douchey and unnecessary. And it absolutely is not the standard for admissions interviews (or any legal job interviews, for that matter).
It’s douchey to thank someone for their time?

Curious how many roles you’ve interviewed people for in your life or what your professional background is. Assuming you’re a student, as that is what your post reads as.

Good luck with that disposition of yours. I’m a hiring manager at a top 5 global investment bank. If you don’t write a thank you email, you are seen as douchey - not the opposite.

If I take an hour plus out of my day to consider you for a six-figure+++ role and you don’t have the common sense to follow the basic etiquette of the interview process, I’m not hiring you.
Do you thank them for taking an hour plus out of their day (and possibly a day off from work) to consider your organization?
I’m just telling you how the real world works. If you want to take the advice of a 1L on Holiday break over someone who is a hiring manager at an investment bank that’s on you.

My thank you to them is offering them a job with a six-figure salary and six-figure bonus. Is that fair?

I absolutely thank them for coming in, but they’re the ones wanting to work for me - not vice versa. If you think I’m wrong, come to our next super day and see if you get called back after failing to send a thank you note.

I’m telling you it’s 100% expected to send thank you notes after job interviews. This is not an opinion. This is basic corporate etiquette. Feel free to disregard and do as you please.

I have no knowledge of the expectations after law school interviews but from the standpoint of an actual job interview, send a thank you note.

It takes you 5 minutes to do so and gives you a final opportunity to highlight something from your interview and solidify a positive impression. Not sending a note makes no sense whatsoever. Don’t listen to this Cavs guy, he hasn’t no basis of real world knowledge whatsoever.

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by flowering » Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:58 am

.
Last edited by flowering on Mon Dec 25, 2017 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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A. Nony Mouse

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by A. Nony Mouse » Mon Dec 25, 2017 11:59 am

To be fair, many people who hire law students through OCI have commented here to say that thank you notes after such interviews are a waste of time.

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JamesBlahDeBlah

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by JamesBlahDeBlah » Mon Dec 25, 2017 12:21 pm

driggsbedford wrote:
I’m just telling you how the real world works. If you want to take the advice of a 1L on Holiday break over someone who is a hiring manager at an investment bank that’s on you.

I absolutely thank them for coming in, but they’re the ones
I’m telling you it’s 100% expected to send thank you notes after job interviews. This is not an opinion. This is basic corporate etiquette. Feel free to disregard and do as you please.
I stated above that I do interviews as well and think it weird to receive thank you notes. I work for one of the most corporate of corporate Fortune 50 companies and never thanked an interviewer to get my job nor hired someone that's sent me a thank you note.

This is highly dependent on the individual and has nothing to do with "the real world". You have a weird (to me) reliance on what you consider to be traditions and norms(?).

If you would not hire me for something as silly as a thank you note, I don't want to work for you because it's very likely you are going to be pain to work for in other ways as well (for me). Interviews aren't just them interviewing for a job, it's you interviewing to be their employer. If they are good enough for a six figure job with you, they are certainly qualified for that somewhere else as well.
Last edited by JamesBlahDeBlah on Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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driggsbedford

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by driggsbedford » Mon Dec 25, 2017 12:31 pm

I am definitely tough to work for but everyone who works for me will make 250K plus this year. Trade offs 8)

I’m surprised that you never receive thank you notes but maybe it’s an industry thing. My industry tends to be much more uptight than others.

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by JamesBlahDeBlah » Mon Dec 25, 2017 12:48 pm

driggsbedford wrote:I am definitely tough to work for but everyone who works for me will make 250K plus this year. Trade offs 8)

I’m surprised that you never receive thank you notes but maybe it’s an industry thing. My industry tends to be much more uptight than others.
Paying people isn't some sort of kindness on your part. You pay them because THEY are valuable. THEY create the value that makes your job necessary. Without the people under you, you are useless. You have a distorted view of the situation and unfortunately there is power that can be abused that creates this skewed system.

You don't have to be "tough" to work for in order to be good at your job. Most of my bosses have been a delight and I work in positions that are just as profitable.

It's not an industry thing, it's a you thing we're talking about. You are perpetuating this "etiquette" by imposing this strict no hire policy because why? Because you were forced to do it so everyone else should have to as well?
Last edited by JamesBlahDeBlah on Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by kdev1203 » Mon Dec 25, 2017 1:04 pm

driggsbedford wrote:
lowyo wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.
It doesn't come off as pretentious as much as it comes off as douchey and unnecessary. And it absolutely is not the standard for admissions interviews (or any legal job interviews, for that matter).
It’s douchey to thank someone for their time?

Curious how many roles you’ve interviewed people for in your life or what your professional background is. Assuming you’re a student, as that is what your post reads as.

Good luck with that disposition of yours. I’m a hiring manager at a top 5 global investment bank. If you don’t write a thank you email, you are seen as douchey - not the opposite.

If I take an hour plus out of my day to consider you for a six-figure+++ role and you don’t have the common sense to follow the basic etiquette of the interview process, I’m not hiring you.
Do you thank them for taking an hour plus out of their day (and possibly a day off from work) to consider your organization?
I’m just telling you how the real world works. If you want to take the advice of a 1L on Holiday break over someone who is a hiring manager at an investment bank that’s on you.

My thank you to them is offering them a job with a six-figure salary and six-figure bonus. Is that fair?

I absolutely thank them for coming in, but they’re the ones wanting to work for me - not vice versa. If you think I’m wrong, come to our next super day and see if you get called back after failing to send a thank you note.

I’m telling you it’s 100% expected to send thank you notes after job interviews. This is not an opinion. This is basic corporate etiquette. Feel free to disregard and do as you please.

I have no knowledge of the expectations after law school interviews but from the standpoint of an actual job interview, send a thank you note.

It takes you 5 minutes to do so and gives you a final opportunity to highlight something from your interview and solidify a positive impression. Not sending a note makes no sense whatsoever. Don’t listen to this Cavs guy, he hasn’t no basis of real world knowledge whatsoever.
I'm not sure how you can say it's "100% expected" when many people on here (including others who interview/hire) and those in the "corporate world" disagree. You expect thank you notes. That is fine, you can set whatever standards you want for your own personal hiring policies. But you just sound silly saying something is an industry universal when it clearly is not. If the question was "Do I need to wear a suit to my interview?" I would agree with you - that is "100% expected." It is just not true that everyone shares your opinion on the thank you note debate, and I am not entirely clear why you are so passionately trying to convince the board that they do.

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JamesBlahDeBlah

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by JamesBlahDeBlah » Mon Dec 25, 2017 1:32 pm

kdev1203 wrote: If the question was "Do I need to wear a suit to my interview?" I would agree with you - that is "100% expected."
Also never worn a full suit to an interview before (I'll wear nice shirt pants shoes, but never a jacket+tie), but I'm willing to grant this one is likely more on me than others :-p
Last edited by JamesBlahDeBlah on Fri Jan 26, 2018 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by driggsbedford » Mon Dec 25, 2017 1:49 pm

JamesBlahDeBlah wrote:
kdev1203 wrote: If the question was "Do I need to wear a suit to my interview?" I would agree with you - that is "100% expected."
Also never worn a full suit to an interview before (I'll wear nice shirt pants shoes, but never a jacket+tie), but I'm willing to grant this one is likely more on me than others :-p
Ok well that explains it. Are you a tech guy? I wear a full suit to work every day. Not wearing a full suit to an interview would be LOLworthy.

driggsbedford

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Re: Thank you after interview absolutely necessary?

Post by driggsbedford » Mon Dec 25, 2017 1:51 pm

kdev1203 wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:
lowyo wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:
cavalier1138 wrote:
driggsbedford wrote:In the corporate world it’s expected to send a thank you note to anyone you interview with. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people in my life and I can tell you that I have passed on candidates who failed to send a thank you email. That may come off as pretentious but it’s just a corporate faux pas and demonstrates that the candidate lacks some of the basic knowledge of corporate etiquette or worse, doesn’t care.

It may be different for law school, I’m not some admissions officer but I have hired dozens of people at a BB investment bank.
It doesn't come off as pretentious as much as it comes off as douchey and unnecessary. And it absolutely is not the standard for admissions interviews (or any legal job interviews, for that matter).
It’s douchey to thank someone for their time?

Curious how many roles you’ve interviewed people for in your life or what your professional background is. Assuming you’re a student, as that is what your post reads as.

Good luck with that disposition of yours. I’m a hiring manager at a top 5 global investment bank. If you don’t write a thank you email, you are seen as douchey - not the opposite.

If I take an hour plus out of my day to consider you for a six-figure+++ role and you don’t have the common sense to follow the basic etiquette of the interview process, I’m not hiring you.
Do you thank them for taking an hour plus out of their day (and possibly a day off from work) to consider your organization?
I’m just telling you how the real world works. If you want to take the advice of a 1L on Holiday break over someone who is a hiring manager at an investment bank that’s on you.

My thank you to them is offering them a job with a six-figure salary and six-figure bonus. Is that fair?

I absolutely thank them for coming in, but they’re the ones wanting to work for me - not vice versa. If you think I’m wrong, come to our next super day and see if you get called back after failing to send a thank you note.

I’m telling you it’s 100% expected to send thank you notes after job interviews. This is not an opinion. This is basic corporate etiquette. Feel free to disregard and do as you please.

I have no knowledge of the expectations after law school interviews but from the standpoint of an actual job interview, send a thank you note.

It takes you 5 minutes to do so and gives you a final opportunity to highlight something from your interview and solidify a positive impression. Not sending a note makes no sense whatsoever. Don’t listen to this Cavs guy, he hasn’t no basis of real world knowledge whatsoever.
I'm not sure how you can say it's "100% expected" when many people on here (including others who interview/hire) and those in the "corporate world" disagree. You expect thank you notes. That is fine, you can set whatever standards you want for your own personal hiring policies. But you just sound silly saying something is an industry universal when it clearly is not. If the question was "Do I need to wear a suit to my interview?" I would agree with you - that is "100% expected." It is just not true that everyone shares your opinion on the thank you note debate, and I am not entirely clear why you are so passionately trying to convince the board that they do.
It’s not really a debate:

https://www.google.com/search?q=sending ... ent=safari

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