A day late and a note short?

May 10, 2012 5:36 PM

Please help me with post-interview thank-you note timing.

I had a promising first interview on Tuesday afternoon, and was called on Wednesday afternoon to schedule a second interview. Thanks to some phone tag issues, I didn't find out about being selected for a second interview until this afternoon. I got the hiring manager's email from HR today with the intention to send her a quick thank-you note now, but since it's been two days since that interview, should I just wait until after the second interview to send thank you notes to everyone involved? Will sending a note to the hiring manager now (>48 hours after the interview) and then another one after the second interview come across as both disorganized and pushy?

posted by thisjax to Work & Money (11 answers total)

Send the card tomorrow morning. Don't overthink it, don't fill up the card with text (3 sentences or so would be perfect).
posted by arnicae at 5:41 PM on May 10, 2012

Best answer: Don't overthink this, it's too easy to torture yourself with this stuff!

"DATE

Dear Jane, It was great to meet with you on Tuesday and learn more about COMPANY. I'm excited to hear about PROJECT and I look forward to discussing it in more depth when we meet on DAY. Thanks again for meeting with me.

Best, thisjax."
posted by Snarl Furillo at 5:46 PM on May 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Would an email suffice? If I mail a card tomorrow it will arrive after the second interview.
posted by thisjax at 5:53 PM on May 10, 2012

I've always emailed thank you notes.

Mostly, this ensures that they have my actual email in their actual email client.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 6:02 PM on May 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I get email thanks for interviews regularly. I think they are just fine.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 6:03 PM on May 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

When I sent thank you cards, I would drop them in a box five minutes after the interview. Anything else is too late and yes, risks looking disorganized. An e-mail would work just fine for both interviews, though the second thank you (after the second interview) should be more brief and perhaps heavier on content (this might work for you, here's that paper I was talking about, etc.)
posted by michaelh at 6:14 PM on May 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I always get email thanks from interviewees, even for high-level jobs. There's no need to put something physical in the mail. It's a little old-fashioned, like printing your resume on linen paper. Hit Send within 48 hours and you're fine.
posted by bassomatic at 6:50 PM on May 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

jebus. overthinking. just send it, by email if you want. you are not going to get hired or not hired on the basis of the timing or the means of a thank you note.
posted by violetk at 7:33 PM on May 10, 2012

I have interviewed many many folks, and hired dozens. A hand written card is quite a distinguishing action, as it sets you apart from almost everyone else. I recommend writing them. Mind you, I was interviewing and hiring sales people. I can imagine that it could be quite different in other professions, and might even be quaint or outdated. But, for sales, I would highly recommend it. Good luck with your second interview!
posted by jcworth at 8:31 PM on May 10, 2012

I'm old-school (and old) and I used to send a brief thank you note. I'd write them in the car after the first interview, and ask for the second in the note (I used to be in sales, so I'm quite comfortable with pushy)

I had little note cards just for this purpose. Little so I didn't have to say much, just a few lines about how nice it was to meet a person, how intersting the job sounds, how perfectly suited for it I am and oh, when can we next meet?

At my last job, my new boss got my thank-you card on my first day of work, because he didn't check the mail room that often.

Now I do email.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:28 AM on May 11, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks everyone, I sent a thank-you email this morning, here's to hoping it didn't backfire.
posted by thisjax at 12:46 PM on May 11, 2012