job search

Culture and etiquette can change from country to country, state to state and even household to household. There's no hard rule one what's acceptable and what isn't outside of universal niceties that are likely to be appreciated by anyone, such as holding the door open for a stranger when their hands are full. But still, there are a few things that are fairly common areas of etiquette that can trip up someone who has never heard of that information.

One of those areas are going the extra mile to make yourself stand out during the job interview process by sending a note after the interview. Before email became popular, people would drop a prewritten note in the mail on their way to or from the interview. But this practice is something that is taught by someone close to you or even a job coach.

While this thoughtful gesture may seem like a common practice to some, not everyone does it and others simply aren't aware that it's an option. One person took to the internet to yell into the void about not knowing that writing a note could help them secure a job.

"OH MY GOD whyyyy did no one tell me you’re supposed to send thank-yous after interviews?? Why would I do that???

'Thank you for this incredibly stressful 30 minutes that I have had to re-structure my entire day around and which will give me anxiety poos for the next 24 hours.'

I HATE ETIQUETTE IT’S THE MOST IMPOSSIBLE THING FOR ME TO LEARN WITHOUT SOMEONE DIRECTLY TELLING ME THIS SH*T," the person shares on a since deleted Tumblr post.

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The old post has recently resurfaced after screenshots of the thread were shared on Facebook by Happy Crispy. On the original post commenters jumped in to rescue the poster, not only sharing their experience with writing notes after job interviews, but one person even created a template for the frustrated job seeker.

The template reads:

"Dear ______: Thank you so much for the opportunity to sit down with you (&________) to discuss the [insert job position]. I am grateful to be considered for the position. I think I will be a great fit at [company name], especially given my experience in __________. [insert possible reference to something you talked about, something that excited you.] I look forward to hearing from you [and if you are feeling super confident: and working together in the future]. Sincerely, @mellivorinae."

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One person shares how their brother was able to get a paid internship after sending in a quick thank you note after the interview. It turns out the note was the deciding factor according to the commenter. Another advises to send the email within a couple of hours of the interview and not to rely on snail mail. This technique allows the interviewee to still be on the minds of the interviewers when they receive the email.

"As a former professional recruiter and recruiting manager, I can confirm, especially for entry level positions, where you're competing with oodles of people. This little thing can make a difference," someone chimes in with their professional experience.

Someone suggests going further than just sending the note via email by also publicly thanking the company on LinkedIn, being sure to tag them so it piques the interest of Human Resources, ending their comment with, "flattery will get you everywhere...and public flattery might make its way back to their manager, doubly so."

While people were very kind and helpful, some couldn't help but to show frustration at the process around getting a job, with someone writing, "The amount of effort required to get a job that barely pays the bills is friggin ridiculous." Though everyone didn't agree with the idea of needing a thank you note to stand out during your job hunt, others took the time to explain why it can be the deciding factor.

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"Yes its a thing. And those who don't agree can easily lose a great opportunity to an average candidate who does this. My father was an executive recruiter for 35 years. He would often say that interviews are only offered to candidates who they already know can do the job. The interview is all about seeing if you are a decent person to work with, or if you're a jerk. Little niceties like thank you notes never hurt and can be the deciding factor between 2 equally qualified candidates," someone writes.

Sending a thank you note after an interview is totally personal, but it's common enough that many people see the benefit of doing so. There's no follow up on if the original poster got the job they were seeking, but the amount of positive energy being put forward in the comments to help them out is beyond wholesome. Maybe all the advice given will help out other job seekers who may not know about this little courtesy.