Thank you letter post interview

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Intermediate care.

Had an interview a while ago. I'm a nurse now on a cardiac step down but interviewed for a CCU position in the same hospital. I wrote a thank you letter after my interview (3 weeks ago). I was going through my Junk mail today and deleting them. I had realized that i got the email back (it went to my junk email) saying that the email was unable to be sent.

Will sending one three weeks later hurt my chances? Or the fact that they didnt get a thank you letter from me at all?

I'm really worried about this and can't stop thinking about it.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I try to send a thank you within a day or two of the interview. In your situation, I probably would not resend it, three weeks later. But that doesn't necessarily mean I think it would hurt you if you did.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

I'm so worried it will hurt my chances of getting the job because it looks like i didn't send a thank you letter.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.

Send it anyway, and possibly a funny, quirky comment about how it never got to them. You never know.

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

It shouldn't have been an e-mail anyway.

Should have been a physical card/note sent USPS.

...tacky.

If you haven't had any contact I would send it right away.

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Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.

I always, always send a letter...but a real "live" hand written letter on my monogrammed note cards.

I really would not think of sending an email. As you found out, too many things happen, could go to the address as "spam" and never be read.

and bottom line I have to agree with Emergency Nurse....tacky.

I would send a note now.

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Specializes in CVICU.
It shouldn't have been an e-mail anyway.

Should have been a physical card/note sent USPS.

...tacky.

If you haven't had any contact I would send it right away.

I disagree, as would most of the managers at my facility. Most of them barely get through the paperwork on their desks. We have had this very discussion in many meetings - they are more likely to read it if it's email. They may not even get it, depending on the reliability of the facility's interoffice mail system, if it's on paper. This is 2011. Thank you's via email are just fine, if you have the person's email address, of course.

Having said that, I wouldn't worry about it too much. A thank you can tip the scales in your favor if they're really having trouble deciding between you and another person and it's neck and neck, but I've never not hired someone just because of a lack of a thank you, and if I had a strong preference for another candidate it wouldn't change my mind and make me hire my second choice just because they sent a thank you and the front runner didn't.

It's good etiquette, it's always a good idea, but I wouldn't sweat it at this point.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.
I disagree, as would most of the managers at my facility. Most of them barely get through the paperwork on their desks. We have had this very discussion in many meetings - they are more likely to read it if it's email. They may not even get it, depending on the reliability of the facility's interoffice mail system, if it's on paper. This is 2011. Thank you's via email are just fine, if you have the person's email address, of course.

Having said that, I wouldn't worry about it too much. A thank you can tip the scales in your favor if they're really having trouble deciding between you and another person and it's neck and neck, but I've never not hired someone just because of a lack of a thank you, and if I had a strong preference for another candidate it wouldn't change my mind and make me hire my second choice just because they sent a thank you and the front runner didn't.

It's good etiquette, it's always a good idea, but I wouldn't sweat it at this point.

Thank you!!! That really put me a little more at ease. I know they really liked me. My manager was the one who suggested me. Its not that my manager wants to get rid of me, she sad she would be honored to keep me. However; our hospital is going through some major major changes right now. A new hospital is in the process of being built, so the units are changing, people are moving to different floors etc. So its kind of a house-wide thing. Otherwise i normally wouldnt just stay on a floor for one year.

I kind of think it was a little rude to call my "thank you letter" Tacky. This is the 21st century the way i see it. The managers are busy, its much easier for them to be contacted by email. They contacted me about the job interview via email. I've only received one phone call from them and that was to set up a time. Everything else has been done via email. So the fact they are contacting me through email tells me its fine to let them know back through email. The work places have email for a reason. it's not that its easier on me, becuase a letter is a letter no matter how you send it. I see it has just more convenient for them.

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Specializes in CVICU.

Glad to help. Also, given that it's the same facility and you already know the people, it wouldn't hurt to give the person who interviewed you a call or send an email reiterating your interest and asking what the status of the position is. Now that I'm in a more administrative position in my facility, I realized how damn busy everyone is. They literally forget that there are people waiting to hear if they got hired or if their transfer was approved because there's so many other things vying for their attention.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.
Glad to help. Also, given that it's the same facility and you already know the people, it wouldn't hurt to give the person who interviewed you a call or send an email reiterating your interest and asking what the status of the position is. Now that I'm in a more administrative position in my facility, I realized how damn busy everyone is. They literally forget that there are people waiting to hear if they got hired or if their transfer was approved because there's so many other things vying for their attention.

well its good to hear this from someone on the administrative side of things. I confided in my dad (a physician at the same hospital) and he pretty much was like "HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?" making a huge deal about it, which was making me feel worse. Honest mistake that i have learned a lesson on. Plus they interviewed 20 people (3 spots). I wouldnt think they would keep track of all 20 and who wrote a thank you letter. they have bigger/better things to worry about.

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

I kind of think it was a little rude to call my "thank you letter" Tacky. This is the 21st century the way i see it. The managers are busy, its much easier for them to be contacted by email.

You put your laundry out here for us to comment on and call me rude. You asked and it's not personal...

I'm always amazed at the people that get all bent out of shape by a comment from someone you do not know, that has no influence in your life, that is possibly hundreds of miles away. Tacky? Why yes it is...

But then again the new generation is being brought up devoid of all tact and sense of etiquette.

The world doesn't care about the way you see it. Yours might be of the new generation that likes to cut corners on etiquette and decency but why not be the exception not the rule? Whatever you do please continue with the status quo. Be ordinary... Don't dare attempt to make an impression. Don't stand out. Send those flavorless emails that will ultimately get overlooked, deleted or lost in cyber-space. WTH, it's EASIER, right?

I just made a suggestion. Take it or leave it. It may or may not make the difference with this encounter but down the road you just be the one that made an impression. Something that they remembered about YOU to make you stand out. It's all about networking. This job or the next. You only get the one chance to "wow" them.

Bottom line is that crux of your entire post is how you messed it up in the first place with the email.

Look around at the multiple posts about how I can't find a job, I can't get hired, No work anywhere... There is a common theme there time and time again. They're not getting noticed. It's not the GPA, it's not your affiliation to clubs and professional organizations, it's lack of effective communication. Make the extra effort...send the card...see what positive things are generated by not being the one that took the easier route.

But what do I know? I've never been without a job.

Whatever your decision I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

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Specializes in Intermediate care.

jeez lady.

I wasn't looking for people to call my choices "Tacky." That is completely different than what i was asking. My question wasn't if i should have written a letter through mail or one through email. I know i had the choice to do either. But really...it's the 21st century. No one communicates by mail anymore. yea i could have been the one to "stand out" your right on that. But just because i chose not to do that through a letter does not mean an email was "tacky." let's say she would would have gotten the email... i'm positive she wouldn't have sat at her desk thinking "Jeez i can't believe this girl wrote an email how tacky is that."

Yea, it really sucks it did get lost in cyberspace as you would call it, but it could have happened in the regular mail too....it happens. At least with an email i know about it getting lost.

clearly this a generational gap.

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