Thank you letter after interview?

jbbonce

For christmas I got this book 'What colour is your parachute?' (although i keep referring to it as 'how clean is your parachute?') and it has some interesting advice about job hunting.

One of the major points is that after you have a job interview, you send thank you emails and letters to everyone you met saying 'thank you for seeing me, nice meeting you, look forward to hearing from you'

Has anyone tried this and it worked, or would you find this slightly creepy? (as I do)

also it suggests sending proactive letters to places you want to work 'Hi my name is Fred, I love your company and want to work for you. Call me.'
I can see myself doing this, but I am worried that employers would think it was just junk mail.

Any advice greatly appreciated.
jbbonce

bristol_pilot

Sending thank-you letters following interviews - don't know whether that works or not, more likely to cost you the job than win it IMO.

Speculative letters with CV and phone calls - definitely does work for those with an established track record. I know someone who secured a job in a particular field by getting a list of firms in that industry from their professional association then sitting down with a phone and calling each of them in turn. Eventually hit on one Company that was just about to compose a job ad for a post that suited him. They hired him after interview without advertising the post.

competitionscafe

A thank you letter as suggested would be a bit creepy../grovelling

Wait till they decide who gets the job - if it's you then brilliant, if not then write a brief letter saying although you were dissapointed at not getting the job you appreciate being given the opportunity of an interview and would like to be kept in mind should future positions arise....etc also maybe ask them if there are any aspects of your interview technique they think you should work on - you have nothing to lose as you didn't get the job and it could be very helpful to know the good and bad points regarding how you come across to potential employees in an interview situation (from their perspective).

Spec letters work well - but try to think of a unique angle and don't make it sound like you sent the identical letter to hundreds of companies. Eg: I once wrote to a restaurant after the local paper mentioned them winning an award in a food guide - I congratulated them on winning the award and asked them wether the increase in business resulting from it would require them to take on any more staff. They phoned back and said they were very impressed with my unique approach and although they were sufficiently well-staffed at present should any vacancies arise I would be contacted and also that they may need staff in a few months time so to get back to them in 3 months or so to check

jbbonce

Well it is an american book, so that explains the cheesy factor (my inlaws are american so I feel I can say this without being told off) I was quite impressed with the book until I saw the final chapter 'How god can help you find a job':eek:

Bossyboots

As someone who sifts CVs and conducts interviews, I despise those letters that arrive saying "Hello my name is whoever and I would love to work for your company". How can they know that. They bleat on about wanting to work in a prestigious firm (yeah right), yadda, yadda yadda. Usually, the contents of the letter are enough to make it clear that they have not in fact researched the firm or the sort of work we do and they just end up in the shredder.

firesidemaid

working in the public sector, there are rules and regs to follow with the recruitment + selection process - so no kind of letters emails could/would make a difference.

what i would do though is, if you are interested in applying for a job, ring up and introduce yourself and have a quick chat and ask any questions you may have in advance (you could be clever, ask the right questions and make yourself look good). this may help during the interview selection process, especially if there are too many applicants and they need a reason to call you to interview.

Bossyboots

sazzacat wrote:

working in the public sector, there are rules and regs to follow with the recruitment + selection process - so no kind of letters emails could/would make a difference.

what i would do though is, if you are interested in applying for a job, ring up and introduce yourself and have a quick chat and ask any questions you may have in advance (you could be clever, ask the right questions and make yourself look good). this may help during the interview selection process, especially if there are too many applicants and they need a reason to call you to interview.

I had 200 applicants for the last vacancy we had. Imagine if they had all started calling.

For me, this would define someone as pushy and impatient rather than keen and unable to follow the simple instructions in the ad to forward a CV by e-mail.

The best tip I can give if you really want a job, is to make your CV stand out from the norm without going over the top.

Debt_Free_Chick

I've done "thank you" letters for jobs I really wanted - but they were specific to the job and reinforced why I thought I would be an asset to them e.g.

Dear Fred

I appreciated the time you took on Thursday to discuss the Manager's position. As we agreed at the time, this would be a challenging role and one I would look forward to taking on. My previous experience at xyz, where I deputised for my manager during an extended absence, could be very valuable to you and I hope we have an opportunity to take this forward.

Or something like that ....

I think a simple thank you letter of the kind you would send in return for a gift could be a bit creepy. But a positive letter to keep YOUR name in front of the person making the appointment is not a bad idea ... if you really want the job. But make sure that the letter follows on from the specifics discussed at the interview and is not just a "thank you".

Cheers

Becles

I used to work in an admin job, sifting out the junk CV's before passing on the suitable ones to the directors.

The following went straight into the bin:

ones that were folded umpteen times, and squashed into a tiny envelope.

pshychedelic nightmares on hideous coloured paper or with lots of coloured inks on

ones with loads of cheesy clip art pics to bulk them out

handwritten ones that were full of spelling mistakes and crossings out

in-depth ones that went on for pages and pages. I had a 20 page booklet once as a CV!

ones with qualifications that were not relevant to the job - mainly obscure certificates obtained from home learning colleges that nobody had heard of before


So from that, make sure you have the proper qualifications needed for the jobs you are applying for. Keep your CV brief (2-3 sheets at most), laid out neatly and printed in black ink on white paper. Bullet points work, so people can see at a glance what you can do, rather than reading through a huge paragraph.

Post it in a large envelope so it arrives flat (remember you'll need a 44p stamp for this!). Enclose a brief covering letter highlighting your most relevant skills and stating why you'd be perfect for the job.

A friend is recruiting for admin staff and some ladies have sent him pics of themselves in skimpy underwear :eek: Don't do this either!

Astaroth

As others have said speculative CVs can work but companies do receive thousands of them and standing out can be an issue.

I have never received or sent a thankyou email after an interview.... to be honest I dont think it is that bad an idea as long as it is more or less only "thanks, look forward to hearing from you". I dont think that it would change someones opinion of you but it would bring you back to the forefront of their memory again.

Savvy_Sue

Becles wrote:

A friend is recruiting for admin staff and some ladies have sent him pics of themselves in skimpy underwear :eek: Don't do this either!

I don't think it would help me, anyway! :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: