Cringe worthy follow up Note

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

I recently interviewed someone for a non-nursing clinical position.

At the end, he was told it would be two weeks before I made a decision. He didn't send a thank you note, but did send me a note this week telling me he was still interested. Unfortunately, his note was basically two run on sentences. The clincher was that the entire note was in lower case! My name, his name, first person reference...everything.

This is a college grad that I was on the fence about hiring after interviewing him. However, the literacy of his note was extremely poor. Why would anyone even send such a poorly written e-mail?

The point is, that follow up notes can be a plus, or a huge negative factor. So, remember that every contact or interaction creates an impression.

Make sure it's a good one.

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

Wise advice.

Just wanted to add that you can't undo a bad first impression...you can try to mitigate the damage later on, but there's no guarantee that you can. It's better to avoid making that bad first impression in the first place. That's coming from someone who has been on both sides of that fence :)

[SlyFoxRN, BSN, RN]

Hm, I wonder why that happened. Perhaps he wrote it on a phone or iPad and didn't realize autocap wasn't on? I don't know.

I can't think of an excuse for it, but it always saddens me when people judge people so harshly for something so simple without knowing their life circumstances. The world is simply too hateful - we have too many hoops we force people to jump through and too easily cast them aside if something isn't perfect.

Should mistakenly not capitalizing a few words ruin someones career, perhaps jeopardizing a position they may have been depending on to avoid being evicted or losing power? I do wonder...but perhaps it's because I am the type that prefers to defy convention and not rely on the pasty American way of faux perfection and pleasantries in all that we do.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

I send e-mails & such from my phone all the time. I typed this from my phone, it doesn't mean I had to have horrible grammar. I don't understand why people think just because they text or type on their phone they can type like idiots.

I would've done the same thing.

[CP2013]

Hm, I wonder why that happened. Perhaps he wrote it on a phone or iPad and didn't realize autocap wasn't on? I don't know.

I can't think of an excuse for it, but it always saddens me when people judge people so harshly for something so simple without knowing their life circumstances. The world is simply too hateful - we have too many hoops we force people to jump through and too easily cast them aside if something isn't perfect.

Should mistakenly not capitalizing a few words ruin someones career, perhaps jeopardizing a position they may have been depending on to avoid being evicted or losing power? I do wonder...but perhaps it's because I am the type that prefers to defy convention and not rely on the pasty American way of faux perfection and pleasantries in all that we do.

But he obviously is flawed in other ways since OP was already on the fence about hiring him.

Sure society expects us to "jump through hoops" but if we didn't, why bother interview anyone then? I find interviews with stuffy suits to be the biggest hoop. So lets just give jobs to the first person who applies. Oh, but then we aren't being equal because Sally Jo couldn't hit enter fast enough.

I know it seems like people are jumping through hoops, but honestly, I send a HAND WRITTEN thank you note and triple check my wording and capitalization before putting pen to card and mailing it. I truly take great care when I am writing to someone, because I want them to know their valuable time was appreciated.

Are you saying that my great care shouldn't matter? Saying that my preparation for interviews doesn't matter? Saying using spell check in an EMAIL doesn't matter? Saying that taking the time to brush up on computer skills doesn't matter? Saying that reading over your own email before hitting send doesn't matter?

If anything, this applicant is demonstrating a lack of motivation to do much of anything. OP says this is a non clinical job. What if part of that role requires email communications? Is this someone who shows great care when sending emails?

Everyone these days has a sob story. Believe me. I've got one too. The difference is, I don't EXPECT preferential treatment. I don't expect anyone to look past my flaws if they shine bright. I'm a new grad, so I work hard to do more to show my desire to learn. If you don't have motivation to sell yourself, what sets you apart from every other sob story about no food on the table, power and water shut off, no car that's out there?

Forget about what you can't do, focus on how you plan to improve yourself and set the plan into action!

For OP, if there is another candidate you are more interested in, then proceed with them.

If not, perhaps provide feedback to this applicant about professional correspondence, particularly if that would be in his/her job description!!!! Then proceed with hiring.

[SaoirseRN]

Hm I wonder why that happened. Perhaps he wrote it on a phone or iPad and didn't realize autocap wasn't on? I don't know. I can't think of an excuse for it, but it always saddens me when people judge people so harshly for something so simple without knowing their life circumstances. The world is simply too hateful - we have too many hoops we force people to jump through and too easily cast them aside if something isn't perfect. Should mistakenly not capitalizing a few words ruin someones career, perhaps jeopardizing a position they may have been depending on to avoid being evicted or losing power? I do wonder...but perhaps it's because I am the type that prefers to defy convention and not rely on the pasty American way of faux perfection and pleasantries in all that we do.[/quote']

And that is why you had to correct another OP on a different thread for a misspelling of "likelihood"?

[CP2013]

I send e-mails & such from my phone all the time. I typed this from my phone, it doesn't mean I had to have horrible grammar. I don't understand why people think just because they text or type on their phone they can type like idiots.

I would've done the same thing.

It's not the phone that makes your grammar or punctuation poor. That's a lack of interest in your professionalism. I think it's a sign of laziness.

Couldn't the applicant have said "Forgive my lack of capitalization, my shift key is broken" or something? It'd be far more forgiving if he/she addressed it at the time the email was sent.

[CP2013]

And that is why you had to correct another OP on a different thread for a misspelling of "likelihood"?

Wowwwwwww. Ultimate pot calling the kettle moment.

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

It's not the phone that makes your grammar or punctuation poor. That's a lack of interest in your professionalism. I think it's a sign of laziness.

Couldn't the applicant have said "Forgive my lack of capitalization, my shift key is broken" or something? It'd be far more forgiving if he/she addressed it at the time the email was sent.

That's what I was trying to get at. It seems as if the interviewee was just careless, sent a half assed thank you e-mail & that was that. I, like a previous poster, send hand written thank you letters. If the interviewee can't even take the time to look over an e-mail for spell/grammar/ect. check then I think that says a lot.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Should mistakenly not capitalizing a few words ruin someones career, perhaps jeopardizing a position they may have been depending on to avoid being evicted or losing power?

I would think they'd have made sure to proofread if their home depended on getting the job. The entire thing was in small letters. No caps at all. A cursory glance is all that is required to catch that. Not even proofreading.

I'm far from perfect. I caught a typo on a resume that I sent out a bunch of times. But this wasn't "a" typo. This was not giving a flying poo about capitalization.

Feel free to hire the guy yourself, I'm sure OP can send you his info since you seem so interested in keeping his power on.

[SlyFoxRN, BSN, RN]

Correcting someone and not hiring them are two completely different things. I fail to see the correlation.

My point is, I'm just sick of this stuck up attitude regarding everything humans have to do in life. Was it unprofessional? Of course. Would I ever do something like that? Never, I'm extremely proficient and always use correct grammar and punctuation when I can. Regardless, it always seems like people just throw others to the curb for the simplest of things. If this potential applicant used correct grammar and communicated well during other written communication, why not give the benefit of the doubt?

I realize my opinion is unpopular here - I'm used to my opinion being unpopular as unlike the other "sheeple" I deal with on a daily basis, I like to think outside the box. I refuse to follow convention simply because "that's how everyone else does it." Having never met this potential applicant, I do not know what other flaws/strengths he had, but if I were impressed otherwise I would not stop considering him for a position because of something as silly as failing to capitalize my name.

[SlyFoxRN, BSN, RN]

Are you saying that my great care shouldn't matter? Saying that my preparation for interviews doesn't matter? Saying using spell check in an EMAIL doesn't matter? Saying that taking the time to brush up on computer skills doesn't matter? Saying that reading over your own email before hitting send doesn't matter?

If anything, this applicant is demonstrating a lack of motivation to do much of anything. OP says this is a non clinical job. What if part of that role requires email communications? Is this someone who shows great care when sending emails?

Now see how you people behave? First, when did I ever say anything about taking care not mattering? Obviously we should all take great care in presenting ourselves professionally, so I would thank you to not attempt to extrapolate things from my words that I clearly did not say.

Furthermore, not capitalizing a few letters in an email should not lead one to the harsh judgement of a "lack of motivation to do anything." Human beings are so quick to lay judgement on others while failing to see their own flaws..