Thank you! No, Thank YOU!

By Gretchen Stanford, Senior Manager, Recruiting
As McKinley Marketing Partner’s Senior Manager of Recruiting, Gretchen Stanford builds and develops the recruitment team while also sourcing and screening talented marketing professionals herself to support the business development team.

As a recruiter, I don’t necessarily expect each candidate I meet to send a thank you note. But for those who do, the gesture certainly doesn’t go unappreciated. Who wouldn’t want acknowledgment for their time and professional expertise – especially if that expertise results in getting someone not only an interview, but a job?

But even though I don’t expect candidates to send me a thank you note, I do expect them to send notes to my (our) clients’ hiring managers, the people they interview with. This is a simple and expected courtesy.

According to Career Builder, 22 percent of hiring managers are less likely to offer a job to a candidate who doesn’t send a thank you note. TheLadders job search expert Amanda Augustine further attests to this when she shares, “Failure to follow up can be the deciding factor in rejecting a candidate who is otherwise a great fit.” And in case there’s any lingering doubt, I also have worked with a number of hiring managers who’ve refused to move forward with a candidate for this very reason. I remember one simply saying, “No thank you, no follow through, no job!”

And in case there’s any lingering doubt, I also have worked with a number of hiring managers who’ve refused to move forward with a candidate for this very reason. I remember one simply saying, “No thank you, no follow through, no job!”

To email, or not to email

Though I strongly prefer (and recommend) a handwritten note, I recognize that technology has significantly changed the way our society communicates. Hiring managers recognize this as well, and in a recent survey, 87 percent said that they consider email as an acceptable follow-up after a job interview. This is certainly good news for those whose handwriting wouldn’t win any penmanship awards, but if you decide to send an email, just keep in mind that hiring managers are getting hundreds of messages each day and an electronic thank you could get lost in the cyber shuffle.

Quick tips

Since most hiring managers have already made up their minds before receiving a thank you, there’s no need to continue the hard sell if you had a great interview, but the note can still be a key to tipping the scales in your favor. Here are a few quick tips to writing a winning thank you note:

• Reiterate interest in a sincere, yet concise, way.
• Stay away from the generic and show some personality – I’ve personally used my mom’s beautiful photo cards as stationery in the past to help myself stand out amongst the crowd.
• Remind the hiring manager of your key qualifications.
• Vary the content from note to note if you interview with multiple people, as they may compare.
• Close by reiterating your appreciation for their time and consideration.
• Send the note within 24 hours of an interview so the hiring managers are still thinking about the interview when they receive your notes.
• Avoid communicating through social media or text.

It IS rocket science!

I’m not one for cliches, but I often find myself saying, “It’s not rocket science.” So that got me thinking… what if it was? What would a rocket scientist’s interview thank you note say? Incorporating the tips above, I’m thinking it would read something like this:

“Hello Dr. Simonson –

Thank you for taking time to meet and discuss the rocket scientist opportunity at Aerospace Invaders today. I enjoyed learning more about your work in the area of aerodynamic drag and certainly agree when you say we have come a long way since the Wright brothers (rocket scientist humor)!

I am confident that my years of compressible flow research would be a great asset to the direction Aerospace Invaders is taking in its New Technologies Department. As a team, it also would enable us to make an immediate impact in the areas of turbulence and boundary layers that have become increasingly computational in nature.

Again, thank you for your time and consideration. If there are any questions I can answer about my research, please let me know. I humbly look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Marvin Johnson”

As McKinley Marketing Partner’s Senior Manager of Recruiting, Gretchen Stanford builds and develops the recruitment team while also sourcing and screening talented marketing professionals herself to support the business development team. She is a strong advocate for McKinley’s talent, and encourages her team to build good relationships all of their applicants. She enjoys mentoring recruiters based on her eight years of experience and ten plus years marketing and advertising, ultimately creating success for the company. Gretchen graduated from Moorhead State University with a degree in political science, and now lives in Alexandria, VA. One of her favorite things to do outside of work is write her Resume RANTS blog, where she provides job seekers and professionals with career advice.

Gretchen graduated from Moorhead State University with a degree in political science, and now lives in Alexandria, VA. One of her favorite things to do outside of work is write her Resume RANTS blog, where she provides job seekers and professionals with career advice.