Should I Send a Thank-You Email After an Interview?

Email or snail mail?

Traditional Notes Are More Professional

Some experts discourage emails in favor of traditional handwritten paper thank-you notes. "Typed notes or letters feel like office mail, and emails are discarded and forgotten almost immediately. Handwritten notes ... are a personal communication," says career coach Robin Ryan.

Email Is Faster

An email note will reach the employer faster than one sent by regular mail--which may be an important consideration when the employer's decision is imminent.

Bottom Line

Employers themselves seem to have no clear preference. Rosemary Haefner of Career Builder quotes a survey that her organization conducted, saying, "One in four hiring managers prefer to receive a thank-you note in email form only; 19 percent want the email followed up with a hard copy; 21 percent want a typed hard copy only, and 23 percent prefer just a handwritten note."

While there may be no consensus on format, the important thing, Haefner stresses, is to send something: "Nearly 15 percent of hiring managers say they would not hire someone who failed to send a thank-you letter after the interview."

References

• Job Dig: Interview Etiquette
• Best Job Interview: Interview Thank-You Letters
• Career Builder: No Thank You Could Mean No Job