I am currently active in the job market, and have a face-to-face interview coming up next week. I have previously worked in operations and accounting but my interest is in financial services and anything related to financial markets (obviously why I am on this site)
About my upcoming interview, it is with a large bank. I will be interviewing for the position of an economic capital analyst. I have interviewed for 3-4 roles previously but this would be the perfect fit for me and I really want to make an excellent impression next week. I know it is customary to send a thank you email after an interview. I was wondering if it would be OK to maybe send a typed and signed letter in the mail instead? Is this acceptable, a good idea, or too creepy, I am not sure. It is old fashioned but I really want to stand out, be remembered, and land this job. I studied economics, and jobs that actually require economics are very difficult to come by. What do you think about me idea? Thanks!
It’s ok to do a hand written one if you want. But I don’t believe it will add that much value and it won’t be the reason you get the job.
And on the downside, it would likely take at least 2-3 days for the person to get it. Office mail generally is slow and lagged a lot. By then, it’s probably already decided who is making it to the next step, or who is cut.
Nothing wrong with a quick email thank you and follow up with a note.
Notes impress older people more than younger ones. Heck, if the guy who interviewed you is only a year or two older, you might even be able to get away with an email saying “Thx, mtg u was gr8!”
Wait and see what your interviewer(s) are like before deciding what route to go. Either way, I highly doubt that a hard copy thank you will be the deciding factor. HR idiots may fall for that gesture, but they’re not the ones who have the deciding vote on whether you’ll get hired. Also, consider the possibility that if you mess up on the interview the hard copy note will just get you remembered as the screw up who sent a hard copy thank you note. Good luck on the interview, and focus on preparing instead of worrying about the post interview etiquette.
Email works best, even for the seasoned guys who would be interviewing you. Remember, no one wants to go over pieces of paper on their desk and it could get lost in paperwork/files etc…a nicely crafted professional email works best these days! Just make sure you make the content of the email personal vs. just a template Thank You nice to meet you…put some thought into the email…thats what stands out for me when I interview candidates and get follow up thank you emails/letters.
Maybe if I come by and drop off a letter at the front desk the day after? I don’t know. I have hopped around too many times in my professional career (long story…). But if I land this job at a large bank, it is theoretically the last company I will work for in my life, I can just climb the ladder internally (I am 29 years old). So really trying any crazy tactic I can think of, the key to these things is to find a way to stand out, it has served me well in the past.
Handwritten is the way to go – it is personal, shows you took time out of your day to think about the company and shows that you are appreciative of the time they spent interviewing you. I recommend sending it in the mail, not dropping it off because then it just looks like you’re completing an errand.
I got a handwritten thank you note from a person I interviewed once, it was actually the only time I have ever seen it. I was impressed by the gesture and genuinely liked the person, however GPA and overall skill set were not close enough to the rest of the field. However, had this person’s specs been stronger, I would have given them the edge in a tiebreaker situation. Thus, it can’t hurt to try, but don’t expect it to cover up a deficiency in relation to your competition.
I agree it’s a waste of time. But it’s become so common now, that it feels slightly odd if I didn’t get one. Although at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter, because it matters 0 on who gets the job