Do hiring managers appreciate thank you letters after an interview?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been told that you should always send a thank you letter to everyone you interview with within 24 hours after the interview. I have a friend who works in the HR department and she advised me not to do that because it actually hurts your chance of getting the job because the hiring manager looks at you as a "suck up" and that you're more trouble than your worth. Does anyone else agree with this?

That's ridiculous!! Your friend sounds like an idiot. It can make or break a decision with some hiring managers. I'm in HR.. Recruiting specifically.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. Send me a thank you letter that: restates your interest in the job, why you're qualified for it, cites specific things that came up during the interview, answer any open questions, and makes me think you're genuinely excited about the opportunity.

No note, pretty much no job offer, even if you were my pick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a hiring manager. I very much appreciate a thank you note that specifically refers back to things said during the interview and restates why the candidate is interested in and highly qualified for the job. A well-written, enthusiastic note tells me that: a) the candidate has good follow-up skills, b) the candidate has good writing skills, c) the candidate really "got" what was covered in the interview, and picked up on what I think is important, and d) the candidate is excited about the position.

The best format I've seen is a formal letter written in Word and attached to e-mail. If I don't receive it within 24 hours I start to think they're not serious about the job. Not getting one at all might totally turn me away from an otherwise good candidate.

I feel the same way about a carefully crafted cover letter. That can bring a candidate in the door if done well.

I'm not sure i'd bother to read one that was in an attachment.

[Anonymous]

My company only exposes hiring managers' email addresses in rare cases and boy am I grateful for this. We screen by phone and do not give business cards to applicants in f2f. We consult on the client site, so the client has the final say on who gets hired.
I remember at one of my previous jobs, where the rules were different, I received a very impressive, overly flowery email from a candidate I favored. Then I pasted a paragraph into Google... you guessed it. That really changed my perspective on TY notes.
When I write mine, I make them personal and directly related to the topics raised at the interview. They are very good. Yet, I have gotten my share of rejections and my fabulous TY notes did not save the day.

[Anonymous]

I am pretty sure I once lost a job after a great interview bc I sent a note and misspelled the person's name (this was in the days before email or websites) Oh, well - not meant to be.