Post-Interview Etiquette While on the Job Hunt

Today’s young professional job seeker probably spends more time typing on a computer than using a pen and paper, but old-fashioned etiquette practices — like sending a handwritten thank you note — may just be the way to make an impression on a potential employer and differentiate yourself from the crowd of applicants.
 
YPNation spoke to several etiquette and career search experts for tips on how YPs should communicate with potential employers post-interview, and which of these practices have changed with technology. 
 
Most YP job seekers know that a thank you note should be sent to potential employers soon after an interview. But what about one that is handwritten, or is an e-mail enough in the digital age?
 
The consensus: YPs on the job hunt shouldn't necessarily write off traditional etiquette standards for correspondence, even though modern technology makes communication instant and readily accessible.
 
“You should definitely always send a handwritten note,” Mary Harris, a Princeton, N.J.-based etiquette consultant, said. Harris suggests sending an e-mail immediately following an interview, and then following up with a handwritten note on formal stationery.
 
“People don’t get nice mail anymore,” Harris said. “It does stand out.”
 
An e-mail is an accepted thank you for many companies in today’s market, but one can never go wrong with a handwritten note, Carly Drum, managing director of New York City executive search firm Drum Associates, said.
 
More generally, the thank you note presents the opportunity for a job seeker to reiterate a few points that may have come up in the interview, Drum said. “I find a thank you note to be a great way to recap your meeting,” she said.
 
But in some cases, a note by mail may not make sense. Gary Bergmann, assistant director and senior consultant, MBA Career Services at the Feld Career Center at Boston University’s School of Management, said it is important to consider the “thank you” recipient, and his or her preferred choice of communication when deciding how to deliver the message.
 
“Some hi-tech companies don’t even have mailrooms anymore and a snail-mail note will wind up undelivered,” Bergmann said in an e-mail to YPNation. “Other more traditional industries relish the extra effort of a candidate sending a handwritten note as a show of exceeding the minimum requirements and going above-and-beyond.”
 
Bergmann also pointed out that sending a follow-up handwritten note after an email can make a difference in a crowded employment environment. Plus, the risk is near zero — it will only cost you a 44-cent stamp — and the reward can be a new career, he said.
 
That isn't to say the e-mail can't stand on its own. It too can make an impression on a potential employer — though it may not be positive if the e-mail is sloppy, rushed or too casual.
 
E-mail still needs to be treated as formal correspondence, Harris said. YP job seekers need to get “back to the basics” when communicating with potential employers and an e-mail should be written like a letter, she said. That means using proper names, no slang or abbreviations and no smiley faces.
 
Drum also recommends being sensitive to the tone of an e-mail, which can be interpreted differently, especially when following-up about a job after an interview. “You really have to show [an e-mail] to someone before you send it,” Drum said.
 
Once a well-thought-out thank you has been crafted, it still needs to get to the potential employers. Harris suggests confirming information on business cards before leaving an interview and checking with a receptionist to see if mail is delivered to the office’s street address or to a post office box.
 
It’s also a good idea for YPs to have some inexpensive business cards in hand with name and contact info on them, even if they’re made on your computer, Harris said. Your voicemail greeting on your phone should be professional, too, Harris added.
 
In the digital age, in which communications are often casual and abbreviated, etiquette still matters, especially when job hunting. Drum said all forms of communication will be assessed by a potential employer — even that handwritten thank you note.
 
Read more from YPNation on how your online presence can help, or hurt, your career.
 
(Photo credit: iankmitchell; C.C. 2.0)