After Interview Thank You Email

i am having my superday this friday with this pe shop. i spoke with the hr and they told me that i will be meeting with 10 people (analysts, associates, and vps). do you think there's a point of sending out thank you notes to everyone? if so, how much tailoring needs to be done?

Should you send a thank you email after interviewing?

Yes - regardless of the number of interviews you have - you should send a follow up email to each interviewer.

@iggs99988", an investment banking analyst, best summarizes this:

iggs99988 - Investment Banking Analyst:
Standard practice. Make it short and personalized.

elephantastic:
  1. Keep it short and polite. The long ones wind up sounding douchey. It's impossible to make them sound otherwise. Also, the more you write, the more likely it is you'll make a mistake.
  2. In all likelihood, the recipient will have already submitted his decision on you before he gets your thank you.
  3. Thank you notes are more hazardous than most people realize. They never get you an offer you wouldn't have otherwise have gotten, but a stupid mess-up (typo, grammatical mistake, etc.) can sink you. Once, an interviewer responded to my thank you note criticizing me for a typo and saying I had done well until sending out such an ill-advised, unprofessional e-mail. Yes he was being a serious a$$hole, but he was also a key decision maker and I didn't get an offer.

@WallStreetPlayboys" explains the only downside of sending a thank you note:

WallStreetPlayboys:
The only way it dings you is if you send a long thank you literally 5 minutes after the completion before they have had a chance to make an opinion of you.

When should you send your thank you note?

Your email should be sent within 24 hours. If you are interviewing in a summer analyst - super day setting, decisions are often made about candidates at the end of the day. With this in mind, sending your email before the end of the day is beneficial if you keep it simple and make sure that it is error free.

What should you put in your post interview email?

Your emails should be short and to the point and customized to each interviewer.

@Bankah99" breaks down this structure into three sentences:

Bankah99:
1st sentence: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
2nd sentence: I really enjoyed speaking with you about...
3rd sentence: Our conversation confirmed my strong interest in working at [INSERT FIRM NAME] and I look forward to having the opportunity to speak with you again in the future.

Do not copy and paste the email and send to all interviewers.

@bearing", an equity research vice president, explains this point by recalling an interview story:

bearing - Equity Research Vice President:
I remember one kid we interviewed and he literally sent everyone he interviewed the same 4 sentence email with only the names changed. We weren't going to give him an offer anyways but we had a good laugh about it. Also I recommend writing the email the wait 30 minutes then read it again before you press send. This is to make sure your email is not only typo free but it doesn't sound awkward.

You should be speaking to something that you discussed with each interviewer.

What should the subject line of the after interview email be?

This is important to consider as @WallStreetPlayboys" points out that:

WallStreetPlayboys:

Generally we just read the headline to check off the name of who sent it. That's about it. Thank you letters have landed a total of 0 people jobs in the history of Wall Street, but could ding you in a rare situation when they are "expecting one."

In line with this, the subject line should be something like:

"Jane Doe | School Name | Thank You"
"Jack Doe | Interview Follow Up"

What does it mean if I didn't get a response?

Receiving a response from an interviewer does not generally indicate whether you will be receiving an offer. Receiving a response is usually a function of the interviewers having a free moment away from their actual job to respond.

As one used described:
[quote}I've gotten responses and still gotten rejected and I've had responses and ended up with offers. It means nothing, really (unless they were overly positive in the response - not some standard "It was nice to meet you also" type deal).

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you should send to all 10, but there is no need to customize, they understand it's just a thank you note. You can write something like this:

To Whom It May Concern,

Blah Blah Blah..... etc.

========================================= We are excited to formally extend to you an offer to join Bank of Ameria
 

Don't write To Whom It May Concern in a freaking thank you email. You know who they are, use their names.

It doesn't need to be long. 2 sentences is best. First sentence generic thank you for taking the time blah blah. Second sentence customize to your conversation topic... e.g. I was intrigued by our conversation about yadda...

Keep it brief and sending 10 won't be so ardous.

 

One of my selling points ( which made people forget about me being so nervous I was stuttering all day) was that I sent indivvidual thank you cards to the 7 people I met with. And in each thank you card I mentioned something in particular I had discussed with that person. For example, one of the Associates had just gotten a puppy and mentioned out insane he was. So in her note I wrote "good luck with the puppy, he sounds really adorable". Especially in times like this where there are so many applicants but so few positions, it's important to show that you are attentive and you really want this job.

 

I think the best option here is to send a thank you email to each person. I would never use "To whom it may concern" for thank you notes to anyone, you've met them and they have spent time with you so be nice and send a specific thank you note. I would keep the same email body for all people and just change the name except for the decision makers (VP/Director/MD) where you want to personalize it a little more. On the opposite I would disagree with one previous post about sending some cards, this can be a little "too much": this is the banking world, they don't want loving people and caring persons, they want solid, straightforward individuals who were good during the interview and with a strong personnality. Don't try to be different by wearing strange clothes or sending weird cards.

In my opinion the best is to send the thank you emails and then follow up with a few people to contact (obviously at different levels) and to spread the emails/calls depending on how much time you have before the selection process ends. By doing this nobody will feel harassed by you but at the same time your profile/name will be known....

 
Best Response

1st sentence: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.

2nd sentence: I really enjoyed speaking with you about...

3rd sentence: Our conversation confirmed my strong interest in working at [INSERT FIRM NAME] and I look forward to having the opportunity to speak with you again in the future.

 

Sorry to bump an old thread but how soon should you send this thank you email after an interview?

And should you send a thank you email for phone interviews too (even if all of the interviews will be phone only).

 
  1. Keep it short and polite. The long ones wind up sounding douchey. It's impossible to make them sound otherwise. Also, the more you write, the more likely it is you'll make a mistake.

  2. In all likelihood, the recipient will have already submitted his decision on you before he gets your thank you.

  3. Thank you notes are more hazardous than most people realize. They never get you an offer you wouldn't have otherwise have gotten, but a stupid mess-up (typo, grammatical mistake, etc.) can sink you. Once, an interviewer responded to my thank you note criticizing me for a typo and saying I had done well until sending out such an ill-advised, unprofessional e-mail. Yes he was being a serious a$$hole, but he was also a key decision maker and I didn't get an offer.

 

Send it the same day because that's when we are making decisions. Tailor each email individually. I remember one kid we interviewed and he literally sent everyone he interviewed the same 4 sentence email with only the names changed. We weren't going to give him an offer anyways but we had a good laugh about it. Also I recommend writing the email the wait 30 minutes then read it again before you press send. This is to make sure your email is not only typo free but it doesn't sound awkward.

 
bearing:
Send it the same day because that's when we are making decisions. Tailor each email individually. I remember one kid we interviewed and he literally sent everyone he interviewed the same 4 sentence email with only the names changed. We weren't going to give him an offer anyways but we had a good laugh about it. Also I recommend writing the email the wait 30 minutes then read it again before you press send. This is to make sure your email is not only typo free but it doesn't sound awkward.

That's gret advice bearing. Something I learned to do after screwing a few e-mails up in the beginning of my cold emailing.

 

I've sent pretty long thank you notes. However, as you say, the difference between the first and the later was not simply a soliloquy about why you should hire 'me' but instead some insight into what they thought. Either something interesting that was brought up or something else; in order to show you are keen, analytic, and can add-value.

I mean, imagine yourself as a team member already on the desk. What would your views be? Be casual, add comments, be a cool guy -- and in this business this means when you're on the desk you will be asking thoughtful questions. Perhaps they won't respond, but they'll treat as rhetorical and as a piece of analysis and which leaves a question that is, probably, unanswerable given the fact that you aren't actually on the team. But the fact that you're attempting to be is a clear indicator that you're suited to the role .

So, perhaps if you want us to judge you... post an example of your thank you note. We can give you pointers then.

Ignore the guy above. IBD is rather different -- everyone is so busy that no one gives a shit. But in other roles like Ops, Research, PE, etc. longer and more interesting ty notes and thoughtful follow-ups certainly help your candidacy.

Hope this helps.

 

If there was a specific topic of discussion where the interviewer talked for a bit and explained the topic a bit more to you then you could include something like, "Thank you for the insight on X topic, I was just reading in the news today about X financial event and I can see the relationship between X topic and it". Or something like that, just to show that you took away something from what the interviewer said.

 

Always try to include in a thank you note some shared interests or stuff like that that may have come along during the interview. And also try to keep it BRIEF (2-3 sentences). Otherwise, as you said, you might appear to be desperate or pushy.

Thanks & regards
 

The extra email isn't going to annoy them. The fact is that in all likelihood a thank you email isn't going to determine if you get an offer or not, but it is one of those things that you have to do.

MM IB -> Corporate Development -> Strategic Finance
 

Just send one 1 day after the interview.

The only way it dings you is if you send a long thank you literally 5 minutes after the completion before they have had a chance to make an opinion of you.

Generally we jut read the headline check off the name of who sent it. That's about it. Thank you letters have landed a total of 0 people jobs in the history of Wall Street, but could ding you in a rare situation where they "expect one"

No harm just send a generic 3-4 sentence one that drops a line about what you learned from the interview, or about the bank and send that out after 24 hours and you're good to go.

 

I've had responses and still gotten dinged and I've had responses and ended up with offers. It means nothing, really (unless they were overly positive in the response - Not some standard "It was nice to meet you also" type deal).

 

I got rejected and then sent my interviewer a thank you e-mail. He responded within 24 hours and then proceeded to give me advice on what I should do in the future. He was very nice about it. Usually, if it's not your standard response then it means they like you.

 

thank you emails are not a good indicator in general---there have been times when i've forgotten to ask for the interviewers' info and thus wasn't able to write them a thank you email, but still in the end got the offer

depends on the firm and the person you interviewed with, but don't look too much into a response (or lack thereof)

 

I'm pretty sure you'll know if the response holds any weight.

In the past, I've gotten "kind" and "personal" responses, such as, "It was a pleasure meeting you. I'm glad to see that you were able to successfully navigate the maze-like W hotel" (we had interviews in the W hotel b/c the firm was being renovated or something). Got dinged from this place (and I didn't even click during the interview w/ the banker who responded to me).

On the other hand, one response I got specifically detailed "I was impressed with your interview and I am supporting you to move forward." Another said "I am hopeful that you will join us this summer."

 

90% of the time is a no

an analyst at MS actually told us at a co presentation that they delete thank-you emails w/o even reading them

guess when you're going through hundreds of emails a day it's hard to read it all, but to not read any---i don't care what they think but that's just rude

 

In my experience, I've found that they will read your email, especially if they are considering extending an offer. In situations where I've received offers, I usually get a response from at least one (if not more) of my interviewers (although, as previously stated, getting a response by no way means you'll get an offer). I think it's part of the "sell" where they try to lure you to their bank by demonstrating that they are polite and don't completely disregard your contact. I find personalized emails are usually a good sign, where they bring up a specific experience from your interview that was especially well handled or impressive ("I enjoyed hearing about your experience with XYZ...").

 

Depending on how busy i am, sometimes i'll read thank you emails and sometimes i won't. I'd say i read and respond to about three quarters of them. Don't try and assign meaning to responses, either. Given the sheer volume of follow-up emails that we receive, it's difficult to write much beyond an acknowledgement. Sure, sometimes i'll write a little more to people i liked, but even then, that doesn't mean that they got the job or are invited back to second rounds.

Now go have a beer, alleviate that waiting anxiety, and be thankful you don't have to work right now, dammit

Once more into the breach, dear friends.
 

Eh, not quite. If you interviewed on a superday or some other mass-format interviewing fracas like on-campus days, then it's probably not going to make a significant difference, but it very well may, particularly if you're a marginal candidate. Sometimes if everybody else followed up with me except some kid that was on the bubble, then not following up may be enough to push him or her into the "no" pile. When we get down to the last spot or two and everybody's debating on the "maybes," you want as much as you can in your favor if you're in that group. The scales may tip in your favor if you have followed up with a nice, grammatically correct, customized email. Or you could lose out by either not following up (and those against whom you're competing do), or following up with an email that looks like it's written by a moron. In fact, I just had that happen yesterday. Some guy on the fence emailed us to thank me and a colleague for conducting his first round interview, and he misspelled the other interviewer's name in the email. There went his chances. Look at it this way: when it comes down to it, by not following up properly, you're missing an opportunity to potentially win points.

Also, as an aside, you should ALWAYS follow up if you networked your way into an interview or were for whatever reason one of the only people interviewing that day. It will definitely be noticed if you fail to do so.

Once more into the breach, dear friends.
 

Agree with above poster, if you send 4 seperate emails make sure you don't copy and paste them each. Tailor each one differently with content that was discussed with each interviewer.

Opstar lifestyle, might not make it
 

If I connect on something, I reference it. For example, I took a Jan term course at Stern once, and I mentioned it, and my interviewer had gone to Stern MBA. She couldn't remember if she had taken a course with the prof, so in my thank you note, I included a link to the prof's bio.

"There are three ways to make a living in this business: be first, be smarter, or cheat."
 

yup, always try to draw connections with your interview. And posting links always help, be it an article on something you talk about or a link to your photo album of your recent travels. Always better to make the interview to click on something to enforce her memory

 

I usually keep my thank you letters short. I know some banks respond so fast for super days that one of my friends got rejected even before she sent out a thank you letter. And that was within 24 hours too

 

Never hurts to say thanks. I'd do it just to do it but it ll help remind them you appreciated the opportunity. Gave my boss a note and it made him smile and hook me up with his friend as a point of contact for my start up.

Its raining meatballs!
 

After a final round interview, generally you want to send a thank you email (even if it has little to no bearing on your offer status), and if you don't hear anything from them within a couple days, then shoot an email, preferably to HR, inquiring as to where they are in their process. No one's going to ding you for a thank you email, and no one's going to ding you for wanting to know their status with regard to recruiting (unless you're annoying about it.)

 

sorry to revive an old thread, in absolute panic.

Had an superday with a very desirable firm before the job was officially posted, although I think another candidate was there interviewing too. Thought the interview went extremely well, and I was asked to submit additional application material after completing the initial application post-interview. However, when I emailed the HR woman asking for a timeframe on when to hear back, I got no response. Is this any indication? feel like its worse than better..

 

No, it wouldn't. Send a thank you email to the 2 that you have emails for and say something like "please also thank Mr. X and Ms. Y, whose email addresses I don't have". Or something like that that sounds better. I did the same thing, two of my interviewers didn't have business cards yet (because they had just moved to that office), so I only emailed the two whose email addresses I had. Worked out great, they forwarded my email along to the other two and copied me so that I would also have theirs.

If you know their names (which you should) then you could also try to make up their email address since at most places they follow the same email format. But that's always a bit risky, in my case I didn't know how you spell one of their first names for example.

Or google them and see if you find their email addresses somewhere.

 

1st round - no. But if its 2nd round and you've gained some traction with the interviewer, then maybe. Honestly, I know a lot of people who would stay conservative and not say much past a short thank you. But I really think that this could be positive. Specifically if you mentioned that they were your #1 in the interview - it would be nice to affirm it.

 

Honestly I would say this even if it wasn't necessarily my top choice. Don't overdo it. But adding in a line like "I'm really excited about the opportunity, and working at XXXX would definitely be my top choice for the summer" can't hurt you.

Probably much more important to emphasize it (as was said above) during the interview where you can explain why it actually is your top choice.

 

I only follow up with people I have met during info interviews or after an actual interview. I don't really send out e-mails to HR after I apply - that may make you look a bit desperate? Just my opinion. Follow-up e-mails are for people who you've actually met.

 
Bruce Wayne:
I only follow up with people I have met during info interviews or after an actual interview. I don't really send out e-mails to HR after I apply - that may make you look a bit desperate? Just my opinion. Follow-up e-mails are for people who you've actually met.

I agree that follow up emails are generally more appropriate for people you've met or interviewed with.

 

Unless you are petulant or demanding in your follow up, I think that if nothing else it shows some initiative and at least that you care. I think anything that gets your name in front of them and gives them a reason to care about you is a good thing. They might not even read it or just read it and move along (most likely) but you never really know. I've had situations where I followed up with someone and although I didn't get the position put me in touch with someone at a different place to contact.

I really don't think that it will hurt you unless, as I said before, become incessant or demanding. To most people it won't matter but I know for certain that If someone takes the time to follow up and it is more than just a form letter that they spam out to everyone I am more likely to help them out if I can. Obviously you can't with everyone as you simply don't have the time but it really won't hurt you.

 

Yes. You should do that. It will show that you still have interest in them. Tell them that you are very interested in the firm/position and you would like to know when you should be hearing back.

 

You are saying this is a sales position and in this case a follow up is a must! if you cant sell yourself, you wont be able to sell anything else! good sales people take initiatives and follow through and are eager and persistant...so send a follow up note tomorrow saying you thoroughly enjoyed the meeting which has reinforced your interest in the position and you are confident you have what it takes to excel and make a real contribution...keep it short and upbeat....

good luck

 

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