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Topic: is a thank you email okay?
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| Author | Message |
| re-entry | Posted – 7/28/2005 4:51:54 PM | show profile For an informational interview, that is... And if so, would you set it up like a hard letter you'd mail (with addressee's name at top left, etc.), or should/can you skip the title, etc. at the top? Thanks! |
| ltj201 | Posted – 7/28/2005 4:56:53 PM | show profile Since it was an informational interview and therefore not as time-sensitive as an interview for a specific position, I would send a handwritten note. For job interviews, I send an email or note depending on how imminent the decision is. In my current position, I honestly would not have gotten the job if I'd sent a handwritten note rather than an email. |
| Marie | Posted – 7/28/2005 8:12:00 PM | show profile So few people get to their snail mail in a timely manner that I think e-mail is ok in all instances. It's the way things are done now. I don't use snail mail for anything. |
| sheilamullan | Posted – 7/28/2005 10:23:50 PM | show profile hello Hello Re-Entry: Why not do both? It's not like it's going to cost a lot of time or money (US$0.37 stamp and a buck for the card?). So I'd suggest a very short email and then a nice thank-you card, handwritten & mailed, to follow up. Some people keep these things for years. You'd be amazed at how much it can mean to a person. So to sum up: You do not send a formal biz letter to the person, you don't type it, you just send a thank-you card reiterating why their time was helpful to you ( or whatever.) Good luck, Sheila |
| HudsonValley | Posted – 7/28/2005 11:33:07 PM | show profile Nobody has the right answer on this! I've sent email thanks yous and got offers. I sent hard copy thanks yous and got offers. I've sent both and got ignored! I think it's the message -- the words -- that matters most. Good luck! |
| thera-P | Posted – 7/29/2005 9:19:59 AM | show profile e-mail was a nice way.. ..to outline all the qualifications that would've made me a better candidate. I came through HR, so didn't apply to the position with a cover letter. Here was my chance to sell myself, follow up on things we discussed in the interview, etc. After I was hired, my replacement said it was my thank you e-mail that set me apart and won me the position. I like the handwritten notes when I am just saying thank you for your time, etc. It takes more obvious effort and as noted above, is appreciated. |
| clairezulkey | Posted – 7/29/2005 2:49:44 PM | show profile | email poster I don't think there's ever a time when a thank-you note of any kind is a bad idea. ------ Editor of MBToolBox |
| monicamarie4 | Posted – 7/29/2005 7:28:57 PM | show profile Hudson Valley: What did you mean? ''There's never a right answer to this.'' I agree with Claire and Sheila, there is never a wrong time to send a carefully written, thoughtful sincere, thank you note. And, sure, a quick thanks by email is also appropriate, but do follow up with a hand-written card. Marie, you never read hand-written notes? I hate to sound like my grandmother, but, I treasure them. Who doesn't like to receive actual notes/cards/letters in their inbox? BTW, when someone makes the time to meet you for an informational interview, they are doing you a huge favor. They are taking time away from their hectic schedules to give you advice and pointers on how to get your foot in the door in the industry in which they are working. Often, they will mention you to one of their friends at another firm for job opportunities. If you made a solid impression on them, that is. Informational interviews are often the first step in networking and the second step is a nice thank you. |
| Marie | Posted – 7/29/2005 10:26:34 PM | show profile No MM, when I was in a position to hire people, I couldn't have cared less about handwritten notes (to tell you the truth, it was just more paper to deal with and I'm sure I tossed all of them). You should send a thank-you acknowledgement (not that I would care at all if somebody I interviewed didn't--I probably wouldn't notice), just because everyone does it. But really, they've become so perfuntory...and frankly, I'd find a card kind of hokey (unless it were written on very high-quality stationery and you had gorgeous handwriting)...that's just me. |
| thera-P | Posted – 7/30/2005 9:47:42 AM | show profile Marie... ...couldn't disagree with you more. |
| beenthere | Posted – 7/30/2005 11:12:52 AM | show profile My sister's last boss would toss anything that came through snail mail in the garbage. He wanted e-mails only and even tossed resumes, including some my sister thought were perfect candidates, because they were not e-mailed. I also think sending a handwritten card is kind of hokey. I mean, we're not dating -- I'm applying for a job. A professional follow-up e-mail also offers the hiring person a chance to respond directly to me with minimum effort, which a handwritten card does not. |
| intraining | Posted – 7/30/2005 11:28:41 AM | show profile No offense to Marie, but I wouldn't let her advice discourage you from sending a hand-written note. I think it's polite, and even though it's a small gesture, it shows that you took time to craft it. One persons nonchalance doesn't translate across the board. |
| intraining | Posted – 7/30/2005 11:33:54 AM | show profile BTW, I doubt ''everyone does it'' because I've heard many many stories where hiring people have said that a major factor in a decision was whether or not someone sent a card. It can't hurt if you do; it may hurt if you don't. |
| Marie | Posted – 7/30/2005 12:37:45 PM | show profile Let me clarify--I would never hold sending a card against someone, it just wouldn't matter to me. Isn't it sort of a girly thing to do, though? Hey, guys out there--do you send cards? Or what do you do when you receive them? Do you receive them from male applicants? Have you ever rejected someone because you thought his/her handwriting was weird? |
| editrix | Posted – 7/30/2005 2:07:12 PM | show profile To be brutally honest: Editors are f**ing busy. The like speed. Send an email thank you, trust me. Chances are, their snail mail rarely gets opened anyway! |
| editrix | Posted – 7/30/2005 2:09:46 PM | show profile before I get trounced upon: I meant to write: THEY like speed. And just for the record, I've spent time choosing a lovely card, writing a message in my best handwriting ever (!) and it doesn't mean diddly squat. Give 'em what they deserve. A hasty email is A-OK! |
| Marie | Posted – 7/30/2005 3:41:08 PM | show profile Editrix touched on something else that I wasn't going to deal with, but now I will. Give the editors the response they deserve. You have better things to do with your time than go to your local card shop and deliberate over various card choices (which will take time because most of these cards are not appropriate), spend money on it, drag the thing home and think up some appropriate message to go with the card, write it neatly in a writing style that hides any psychopathic tendencies, walk to the post office, buy a stamp, paste it on...for someone who is not likely to open it or care, and in any case, respond promptly to you. Instead, send an e-mail in which you thank the person for his/her time, add a sentence or two of intelligent prose relating to your qualifications or something you talked about or some interesting info you've learned since the interview, read it three times for errors, spell check after each change you make (you'd be surprised...), hit send, and be done with it. Then if the person actually wants to respond to you, all he/she has to do is hit reply. You've made life easier for, most important, yourself and the editor. What can beat that? |
| intraining | Posted – 7/30/2005 6:18:11 PM | show profile Congratulations Marie, you sound just like the stereotypical New Yorker! Who has time for pleasantries, right? Heeey, I have an even better idea. Just skip out on the ''Thank You'' period. After all, the very busy editor might not have time for something as trivial as a e-mail from someone who might not even get the position. The 5 seconds that it takes to retrieve an e-mail--coupled with the minute it takes to open and read a card--can be spent on something more important...like morning coffee. The best comment in this topis is that there isn't a ''right'' answer. |
| beenthere | Posted – 7/30/2005 7:10:38 PM | show profile Ten years ago I would've agreed that sending a handwritten thank you was appropriate; however, things have changed. Most snail mail editors receive is crap. Reading a handwritten thank you, trying to figure out who it is from, and then deciding if a response is necessary -- and in what form -- is ridiculous. Would you send a handwritten resume? No. E-mail is professional, concise, and allows for a response. Remember all the newbies BEGGING for responses? Send an e-mail because it IMPROVES your chances of getting that response. And again, some potential hirers see snail mail communication as an example of someone without access to a computer or lacking in basic corporate communication skills. Both leave negative impressions. No need to get snippy on Marie. E-mail is THE form of communcation in the editorial world. Get used to it and use it to your advantage. <<Congratulations Marie, you sound just like the stereotypical New Yorker! Who has time for pleasantries, right? Heeey, I have an even better idea. Just skip out on the ''Thank You'' period. After all, the very busy editor might not have time for something as trivial as a e-mail from someone who might not even get the position. The 5 seconds that it takes to retrieve an e-mail--coupled with the minute it takes to open and read a card--can be spent on something more important...like morning coffee. The best comment in this topis is that there isn't a ''right'' answer.>> |
| Marie | Posted – 7/30/2005 7:26:56 PM | show profile It has nothing to do with time...I just don't want to face the predicament of where I'm supposed to file this thing. And I think it's hokey and unbusinesslike. And frankly, I wish people would skip the thank-you note (thank you for that suggestion), because it's become so perfunctory that it's devoid of any meaning. Just thank me in person. That's all I ask. Please. |
| Marie | Posted – 7/30/2005 7:29:18 PM | show profile It's the card idea that I find hokey and girly...and it has nothing to do with time. |
| Marie | Posted – 7/30/2005 7:36:52 PM | show profile And I wish more people would read more carefully on this board before zipping off a response. My advice about the card being too much trouble is on the side of the applicant or the query writer, not the editor, who I don't think is worth all that trouble. Give the editor the response he/she deserves means respond in a way that's easiest for you because all the effort with the card is likely wasted on the editor. Got it? |
| postcard | Posted – 7/31/2005 1:15:23 AM | show profile It's funny, I don't remember ever seeing people discouraging sending handwritten thank you cards on the board before. Obviously, some people are more likely to appreciate it than others. You're the one who's met the folks who interviewed you. It shouldn't be too hard to tell whether they're the type that would like a card or an email, or both. Then again, it sounds like the consensus, even from those who don't find cards that impressive, is that it can't hurt you. My instinct is card right away, email follow-up after an appropriate amount of time. But I think the best thing you can do is trust the vibe you get from each individual interview. |
| yesvirginia | Posted – 7/31/2005 11:36:51 AM | show profile Thank you all very much! It seems awful to me that a hand-written thank you doesn't impact the recipient at all. If you are too busy to read a note, organize your work time better. That's my motto. And, can't emailed thank you messages be deleted just as quickly than those that come via snail mail? Sure, the thought that thank you notes can be done by rote doesn't take away from the import of saying thanks! And, writing it -- to me -- at least means a heck of a lot more than a quick thanks in person, or by phone. I've heard dozens of stories of people who have gotten jobs because the decision was down to two candidates and the thank you note they wrote clinched the deal. It happened to me once, too. Perfunctory thank you notes are still polite. But, better than that, a thank you note is an opportunity to really show you are made of the ''write'' stuff. So, write one -- and, sure, email one, too. If the editor or person doing the hiring isn't impacted by the gesture, it's her/his loss, not yours. And, we're talking notes here. Not girly, frilly Hallmark cards. Buy some nice note paper and write. And if someone takes the time to analyze your handwriting and look for character flaws, hopefully you won't be hired by such a psycho. |
| beenthere | Posted – 7/31/2005 12:00:02 PM | show profile I fail to understand why people are getting so defensive. Send an e-mail -- it's professional and allows for a response. Why is this point of view so difficult to understand?? Again, this is for a job, not a thank you after attending a dinner party. Times have changed. E-mail is the more appropriate route to use. <<Sure, the thought that thank you notes can be done by rote doesn't take away from the import of saying thanks! And, writing it -- to me -- at least means a heck of a lot more than a quick thanks in person, or by phone. I've heard dozens of stories of people who have gotten jobs because the decision was down to two candidates and the thank you note they wrote clinched the deal. It happened to me once, too.>> |
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