Thank you letters: email or hard copy?

[Aaliah326]

I just finished a few interviews for a fall internship and I want to send a thank you note but I was wondering if should email my interviewer a thank you note or should I snail mail them a actual letter? I have been googling this question and so far I havent gotten a clear answer to either one. So I was hoping to get everyones opinion on this.

 

[MissMagAddict]

Yes... you definitely should do it & right away. There is nothing more effective than the handwritten word via the US Post Office. I can speak from personal experience about this as once I & one other person had both made it through the final interview for a job & the personal responsible for hiring chose me because I had handwritten & sent a thank you note after the interview.

 

[educo]

ALWAYS hard copy and handwritten. This makes or breaks your interview, seriously.

 

[FashionMaganista]

its odd but i sent an email right afer my interview and i got hired the next morning.. so i would say it depends really ... but usually hand written is the best :]... i think i just got lucky

 

[fashionista-ta]

I work in high-tech, and I would say e-mail for sure. The decision making process can move really quickly, and you want your thank you there (not in the mail) when decisions are being made. Remember that your hardcopy note has not only to make it thru the mail, but thru the interoffice mail system, which may be something far less than efficient. It recently took me weeks to get something via interoffice mail--and it was an internal item. I had given it up for lost when it finally arrived. I was checking for it, but remember that e-mail is so widely used that in offices where people have to check for their mail rather than having it delivered to them (i.e., probably most places), it may take them weeks to find anything you send.

I e-mailed a thank you to the entire team (I guess it was 4 people) where I work now, and I got at least one pretty immediate response, which is nice because it gives you more information about what people are thinking, when they're going to move, etc. You will never get a response like that to a hardcopy thank you.

 

[snickerdoodles]

I agree. As nice as a handwritten note is, it generally does not reach a person in time to affect their decision. In an ideal world handwritten would be the way to go, but like said above in some industries decisions are made quite quickly. Whenever I interview people I usually write my evaluation either later that day or the next morning, so a letter received via post is certainly welcome but won't make a difference in my evaluations. That said, a boilerplate thank you email or letter is kind of meaningless to me when I receive them. Following up on a conversation, asking a question, etc.. are what show me that you were actually paying attention and that you valued me taking time out of my day.

 

[seanutbutter]

I know that sending letters through the mail can occasionally be a timely process, but nothing beats receiving a personal, handwritten thank you note. Emailing makes it fast and easy to say 'thanks,' so many would rather do that, but if you want to let your interviewer know you truly appreciated the interview, sending a letter instead would be best.

You could also do both, writing a longer thank you in the email and then a short note in the letter, but that might look like you're trying too hard to get on their good side.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I agree. As nice as a handwritten note is, it generally does not reach a person in time to affect their decision. In an ideal world handwritten would be the way to go, but like said above in some industries decisions are made quite quickly. Whenever I interview people I usually write my evaluation either later that day or the next morning, so a letter received via post is certainly welcome but won't make a difference in my evaluations. That said, a boilerplate thank you email or letter is kind of meaningless to me when I receive them. Following up on a conversation, asking a question, etc.. are what show me that you were actually paying attention and that you valued me taking time out of my day.

I agree ... you definitely want to tailor the note to the people you're sending it to & the discussion you had. I would also emphasize what you liked & why you want to work there. Go ahead & state all the positives in your mind ... these are all indirect compliments, which work in your favor.

This might not apply to an internship, but for someone with more experience, you could state how your skills & experience could help/add to the team specifically. You don't want to come across as arrogant or disruptive, but just show how you would add a useful dimension to the team, or how you could help meet a current challenge that came up during the interview. If you think of something later you wish you'd said, sometimes you can work it into the thank you note.

 

[Aaliah326]

Thank u everyone for your opinions..

 

[gius]

I've never heard of creating a thank you note for an interview.. For just an interview, not even having been hired yet..

But if I finish an internship, I would send one to the one I worked for

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I'm glad you've heard about it now

 

[BetteT]

It's actually extremely common, gius. That has been taught to job seekers ever since I can remember ... it leaves a positive impression on your interviewer.

If you and another candidate are neck and neck as far as qualifications go ... and they get a note from you, thanking the interviewer for his/her time and reiterating your enthusiasm for wanting the job and the other candidate doesn't ... who do you think they might prefer? It's just one more thing that the experts teach to give you an edge .... along with intervieiwng ettiquette and techniques.

 

[papa_levante]

Don't know where we're at in the convo buuuuuut....

I gotta say that hard copies are the best bet. It means you took the time to write something out BY HAND, mail it/send it, and have it arrive to them timely and not taking the quick and easy way of instant email.

 

[iLoveCouture]

It is the best thing to do after an interview...seals the deal if you ask me. I have interviewed many candidates in past management positions and I must say that those who sent a TY card were considered first over those that did not.

However you must base your decision on e-mailing/hand writing a TY based on the interviewer sometimes. For example; when I interviewed with Intermix, the District Manager was constantly on the go and glued to her black berry phone. At that time, the store location I was interviewing for was not open and since she hops from store to store so much, who knew when she would get my TY card. As soon as I got home I e-mailed her b/c I knew she would get it on her black berry. The next day they offered me the job.

If one is worried about the timing of when the letter would arrive, they could always overnight it to its destination too.

 

[style_expert]

It's actually extremely common, gius.

Not where I live...I had never heard of such a thing!
(and I think it's a bit excessive anyway)

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Maybe it's more a US custom? But I would think if you keep it low key it could help you anywhere ... everyone wants to work with someone who's excited about being there.

 

[masquerade]

I hate to say it, but I really didn't know much about this either. I am slightly embarrassed. Oh well, tomorrow is another day

 

[Aaliah326]

I decided to send thank you emails because most of the internships I applied to sent me a email to schedule a interview. But I am happy I did because I just got offered the internship i wanted so thank you notes really pay offB)

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ That's great, congratulations!!!

 

[writergal28]

I would send both an e-mail and a hardcopy. That way, they'd get both!

C