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It’s important to say thank you to your interviewers, whether interviewing for a job, grad school, or anything else.  You probably already knew that, but my guess is you’re still struggling with whether you should send a thank you through snail mail or email.  Even if you are sure of your answer, this article might make you question everything you’ve been told.

The Great Debate 

With the fast-paced environments of businesses and the amount of technology available, email should be embraced as a common communication tool that is here to stay.  Email is the newest and most common way of communicating in corporate organizations, but the boundary of when email becomes too casual or overused is still up for debate.

Why Email Is Better 

Because of the speed at which hiring decisions are made, many career experts say email is the way to go with thank you letters.  The biggest advantage to sending an e-mail is same-day delivery.  Some companies interview in the morning and discuss the hiring decision that afternoon.  Turnaround is fast for competitive companies, so same-day delivery is essential if you want to make any impression with your thank you.

A Stronger Argument for Sending a Card 

I said same-day delivery is the biggest advantage of sending a thank you through email, but the truth is I couldn’t think of any other reasons someone would be compelled to do so.  Email is usually an acceptable form of sending thanks, but is it an effective one?  Here are some reasons I think sending a card is a better option:

• Nothing says personal like handwriting - personal is effective and stands out, while email is… just email.  We get email all day every day, but aside from birthdays and holidays, we rarely get cards.
• Cards get opened, Emails go unread - People love mail.  People don’t love extra stuff in their inbox when it’s already overflowing with requests and fires to put out.  What is the likelihood your email will make it past the flames?
• Emails are easy to forward… to half the company - you think I’m kidding, but I’ve had some pretty funny ones forwarded to me.  Write a lame thank you email and lessen your chances of interviewing with any other managers in the company.  Write a lame card, and… at least the packaging is nice.

Best of Both Worlds - prepare your thank you cards ahead of time.

The recruiter conducting your interview can usually give you the names of the interviewers.  Write these out on envelopes ahead of time, and while you’re at it, write the first halves of your thank you cards too.  After the interviews, ask the recruiter how to deliver the thank you cards later that day.  Then find a nice bench or cafe and finish your thank you cards right then, refering to conversation points for each interviewer to personalize the notes.  When completed, take your cards back to the company and leave them with the front desk assistant or the recruiter.

This way, you get the same benefits of timely delivery while also outshining all your competition and reiterating your interest in the job.

 What do you think?  Do you prefer email or snail mail when sending/receiving thank you notes?  I’m interested to hear other’s viewpoints on this matter.

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Categories: Careerist, Interview Rockstar
Tags: Etiquette, Interviews

Monica O'Brien is the founder of Twenty Set, a website about personal and professional growth and development for the Millennial generation. She has been a blogger since 1998 when blogging was still in its “Dear Diary” form and in May 2007 began blogging for personal branding and profit.
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