sending an online thank you after interview

Calixan · Mar 18, 2011

I don't think sending out a Thank You would hurt you at all. It makes you stand out from other candidates if anything in my opinion. I had 2 interviews last June for two different ER positions at different facilities. Not sure if this had anything to do with it or not but the hospital I sent my Thank You e-mail to offered me a job and the other hospital I didn't send a Thank You to did not. Give it a shot! Good Luck!

ExtraShotNoWhip · Mar 18, 2011

Unfortunately that nice, thoughtful, extra little guesture appears to be mandatory, now. Send it :clown: Good luck :)

ikarus01 · Mar 18, 2011

We have done interviews in the past and the directors are always surprised when they get a thank you email, mainly because many people still don't do that. So an email or the card would never be wrong.

RNDude1 · Mar 18, 2011

I always do it. It reinforces your continued interest in the job and establishes yourself as a respectful person--one the interviewer would like to have on their team.

Most importantly, in the text you can also "revisit" some areas of the interview you thought were weak, or that you feel you may not have confronted adequately (we all have those regrets post-interview).

Old.Timer · Mar 18, 2011

I just had an interview today for a nurse extern position that I am thrilled about. I have been in communication with the HR representative from the beginning. She just sent me a quick online thank you for attending (I think it went out to everyone), and that more info would be forthcoming in a week.
I want to show my interest. Would it be appropriate to send a online thank you card? I think she would definitely get it right away versus something in the mail (which is of course the formal way). Would it hurt/help me? This lady is pretty young, and sends lots of emails.

online thank you = good idea

online thank you card = deal breaker

not profesional and targets her e-mail account for major spamming ( I'm assuming by online card you mean sent from one of those free online card sites)

Good luck to you MoriningLight. Sounds like a great opportunity.

RNDude1 · Mar 18, 2011

Despite the saying, a follow-up email "is a second chance to make a first impression!"

thebusynurse · Mar 18, 2011

online thank you = good idea
online thank you card = deal breaker
not profesional and targets her e-mail account for major spamming ( I'm assuming by online card you mean sent from one of those free online card sites)
Good luck to you MoriningLight. Sounds like a great opportunity.

I agree with Old.Timer. Online thank you cards just scream "cutesy" and depending on the image of the card, can also be tacky, juvenile or unprofessional. And, the last thing anyone needs is more potential spam hitting their inbox!

Also, consider that a busy HR person may not even bother to click the link to go to the site just to read your card. Better to send your thanks in a well-written e-mail, and increase the odds that your words are read.

Good luck!

belgarion · Mar 18, 2011

Another thing to consider is that if you send a thank you by snail mail, it will take a couple or three days to get there. That makes the interviewer stop for a second and actually think about you. This serves to put you back in their mind after they probably forgot about you. An e-mail thank you one hour or one day after will be forgotten just as quickly as the interview was.

This isn't me talking. I got this little tidbit a few years back from one of the most succesful job coaches in the country.

llg, PhD, RN · Mar 18, 2011

I recommend a quick e-mail thank you -- to be sure she gets it before any decision is made. Then follow up with a more formal snail mail card to remind her of you when it arrives in 2 or 3 days.

Usually, I would say that the e-mail would be sufficient. But in today's hyper-competitive environment, the follow-up thank you card is worth the investment.

MorningLight · Mar 18, 2011

Yes, I had the same thought about a cutesy online thank you card. Nothing seemed appropriate, so I just wrote an email with a "thank you" picture pasted inside (which is what her email looked like). Thanks for the input! I will keep you posted on how it goes. I know they went through at least 12 applicants during the interview day, as we each had 30 min blocks, and they had the resumes lined up on the table---so here's hoping!

Dalla · Mar 18, 2011

I just had an interview on Monday. Immediately after leaving the interview, I bought a coffee and sat down in the lobby to handwrite a short note in a simple, elegant thank you card. I left it at the front desk to be put into their mail delivery system. I then went home and sat at my computer to type in another thank you letter with proper format and printed on resume quality paper. I hand delivered that the following morning to the front desk at the hospital also. Why wait for snail-mail?