• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

I lost a job on a thank you note

Status
Not open for further replies.
Uh, guys, sending thank you notes is almost mandatory nowadays. Perhaps a follow up call or email can suffice depending on the job, but don't skip out on the note. And I worked at my dad's headhunting firm for awhile so I know.
 
soundscream said:
Ok buddy.

I have been involved in 6 interviews never once given a thank you note and have gotten every job I have ever applied for.
Click to expand...
And someday you'll even be a night manager at the car wash. It doesn't make your advice any less stupid.

Jesus, the responses in this thread explain that the unemployment rate with young people isn't Obama's fault after all.
 
Fonz72 said:
I suppose, but applying for positions your qualified for and letting your resume and experience speak for themselves is a much better approach.

I think this would come off as very shallow and obviously that is why the OP got the response they did.
Click to expand...

A ton of people send in resumes. They weed through those and choose to interview the people that have the resume and experience qualified for the job. After that, it's not based on experience and resumes anymore--you're competing with people who have roughly the same experience and resumes.
 
Fonz72 said:
Those are all things that should be done in the interview, not in a note after the fact. The afternote is like waving and jumping and yelling "look at me!" Anyway sounds like it ended properly, OP just got bad advice and it made him realize the career path was wrong anyway.
Click to expand...

Sure, you do them at both times. And yes, you do need to remind them that you interviewed with them. Interviewers will sometimes interview dozens, even hundreds, of applicants. That follow up letter can help you stand out and get noticed.
 
Amory said:
I don't get why people are so against a simple "thanks for the interview" note. I mean an actual card comes off as rather desperate, but a quick email seems fine.
Click to expand...

People aren't against it. It's extremely common.

We just want to see his note and why he didn't get the job over it.
 
I'm really surprised that people don't know about Thank You note etiquette. Maybe there aren't as many college grads on GAF as I had thought.
 
I interviewed many people over the last 3 weeks for the same job and today (odd timing for this thread) I received a thank you note from one of them. He instantly earned points in my book and might get the job.
 
Thanks for the explanation guys. As I said, never heard of it and seems like a weird practice. Like Fonz72 said, for me it's like "look at me, I'm still here, do i get the job?"

Now I'm curious. Damn you OP, give us the exact thank you note!
 
Heart Attack said:
Is it a good idea to send an interviewer a thank you e-mail after the interview, even if you just thanked them in person?
Click to expand...

Yes. Also, while e-mail may be acceptable to some, others may dislike it. You're best sending an actual letter through snail mail. Also, put it on bond paper (the ones with the hidden watermarks), and in a matching bond envelope.
 
If this fucking thread ruins my night out with the wife because I don't know what you wrote in that note I'll just never get over it.
 
Sye d'Burns said:
You should write a book. In this economy, I'm sure it'll fly off the shelves.



The OP has chosen door number two thus far.
Click to expand...

There is a ton of bullshit people try to pass off as a way to get a job, like the importance of cover letters.
Including a cover letter with your résumé is commonly considered a "golden rule" of job searching. But in this age of online applications and recruiters who need to scan material quickly, is this practice outdated?

Consider the following: For his book "Unbeatable Résumés: America's Top Recruiter Reveals What REALLY Gets You Hired," author Tony Beshara asked hiring authorities from a variety of fields, "How important is a cover letter when you are receiving résumés?" Of the more than 3,000 respondents, 86 percent said "not very important."

So if only 14 percent of the people seeing your résumé consider a cover letter important, is it worth doing?
Click to expand...

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2682-Cover-Letters-Resumes-Do-I-really-need-a-cover-letter/
From experience and knowing people who do the hiring its all about the INTERVIEW if you cant sell yourself you wont get the job no matter how fancy your cover letter is or how many notes you send.
 
Talon said:
I'm really surprised that people don't know about Thank You note etiquette. Maybe there aren't as many college grads on GAF as I had thought.
Click to expand...

Me too. I'm even more surprised at people who describe thank you notes as "desperate" or "kiss ass" or some other phrase that implies that they are anything but common etiquette in the United States.

Just sent a note. Doesn't take much time. Maybe you'll get the job without one. But every single professional recruiter, college counselor, and HR office will tell you to send one.

Hell, outside of work I give people thank you notes for doing nice things for me all the time. It lets them know that you remembered what they did for you and you are grateful.
 
I think we can conclude from this thread that the OP's poor follow through skills cost him his job.
 
ClovingWestbrook said:
Please.
Click to expand...
Then I have no idea what you meant by your last post. The criticism raised against me ("how you post") was in regard my manner of writing. If you simply happen to disagree with me on this topic, that is completely unrelated to those criticisms. Either way, I don't appreciate this ad-hominem pursuit. If you disagree, just disagree and leave whoever/whatever you think I am out of it.
 
His(?) profile says his last activity was when he made this thread. Sounds like he hasn't even read a reply in this thread yet.
 
U2NUMB said:
I interviewed many people over the last 3 weeks for the same job and today (odd timing for this thread) I received a thank you note from one of them. He instantly earned points in my book and might get the job.
Click to expand...

Could you tell me in which line you are in? How did you receive the note? As a physical letter or an e-mail? How long after the interview (if you still remember). Thanks.
 
SnakeswithLasers said:
And someday you'll even be a night manager at the car wash. It doesn't make your advice any less stupid.

Jesus, the responses in this thread explain that the unemployment rate with young people isn't Obama's fault after all.
Click to expand...

Like WTF is your problem, you dont know me or what I do.

And before you look down on me some more I have a college degree.
 
soundscream said:
From experience and knowing people who do the hiring its all about the INTERVIEW if you cant sell yourself you wont get the job no matter how fancy your cover letter is or how many notes you send.
Click to expand...

The interview is of course very important, but what if there are 4 interviewers out of 20 that did about equally well?
 
U2NUMB said:
I interviewed many people over the last 3 weeks for the same job and today (odd timing for this thread) I received a thank you note from one of them. He instantly earned points in my book and might get the job.
Click to expand...

Since the OP isn't coming back, what did THAT thank you note say?
 
My girlfriend interviewed someone last week and they said, as the interview was finishing up, "Do I have to write a thank you letter? I don't like writing."

It was for a 70k/year HR job.
 
Dice said:
Then I have no idea what you meant by your last post. The criticism raised against me ("how you post") was in regard my manner of writing. If simply you happen to disagree with me on this topic, that is completely unrelated to those criticisms. Either way, I don't appreciate this ad-hominem pursuit. If you disagree, just disagree and leave whoever/whatever you think I am out of it.
Click to expand...

Oh stop with the victim mentality again, the martyrdom. You're a big boy. You seem to look for points of division when there aren't any. A thank you note is no more about class separation than thanking someone for opening the door for you is about class separatoin. It's called being appreciative. Get off your throne.
 
soundscream said:
What?

If anything it comes off as weak, like you cant stand on your resume or experience alone. If they want you they want you, no note is going to make the difference.
Click to expand...

This is terrible advice. Come off as weak? It is just common courtesy to do a thank you note. While yes, it isn't required, it certainly doesn't hurt you in any way to send one after an interview.
 
ClovingWestbrook said:
Oh stop with the victim mentality again, the martyrdom.
Click to expand...
Again, the criticisms were about my manner of writing. I am not complaining about the criticism, I am only explaining the fact of their nature as you brought up the topic but I didn't understand the relevance to your disagreement.

You're a big boy. You seem to look for points of division when there aren't any. A thank you note is no more about class separation than thanking someone for opening the door for you. It's called being appreciative. Get off your throne.
Click to expand...
Then we simply disagree on this matter. I've done too much study on social injustice and the nature of class separation to believe it didn't play some role in these sort of things developing as standard expectations.
 
Rok said:
Could you tell me in which line you are in? How did you receive the note? As a physical letter or an e-mail? How long after the interview (if you still remember). Thanks.
Click to expand...

In any kind of professional job this is a common practice. Whether it's business, medical, law, etc. It's a good practice to do as a job candidate.

As a candidate you have your interview, and then that night you should put together a brief thank you letter and send it in the mail the following day. Simple.
 
Miletius said:
Just sent a note. Doesn't take much time. Maybe you'll get the job without one. But every single professional recruiter, college counselor, and HR office will tell you to send one.
Click to expand...

It's easy to repeat this sort of advice over and over, but just because some advice is common doesn't make it wise.

It's the same with the advice about always wearing a suit to an interview. It's easy to just give out the same flat advice for every occasion, but the more intelligent thing to do is to consider such things in the context of the company culture, the competitiveness of the position, and how easily one can demonstrate their true value through the interview process.
 
Maybe OP hit up a bar after the and passed out somewhere, crying tears of shame over the mysterious note.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Poll
If you found a Death Note, would you use it?
2
55
966
Lambogenie replied
Is a 60hz display on a laptop bad? I
22
451
deriks replied
Burger King will use AI to check if employees say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’
2
92
1K
Svalr93 replied
ROSE OF NEVADA | Official Trailer | A Lost Ship Returns to a Fading Fishing Village
7
256
near replied
I felt a transformation
24
298
calico replied
Top Bottom