After a job interview, thanks goes both ways
In a recent Etiquette at Work column, V.K. from Needham, an interviewer, asked about the importance of a job applicant sending a thank you note after the interview.
Several readers pointed out that as important as the effort by the applicant is, an acknowledgement and thanks from the employer is equally necessary and often missing.
Particularly galling is the failure of an employer to let those who have been interviewed know if they have not been chosen for the job.
Employers should first send an acknowledgement that the application has been received and when an applicant can expect to hear about a possible interview.
Employers should also follow up with the interviewees, thanking them for interviewing and letting them know whether they were selected or not.
Here are three readers' responses to the thank you note column:
Of course you send a thank you note. V.K., Needham, does not mention whether he/she sends a note saying you did not get the job. I have not gotten one of those in years!
E.A.C., Monson
I find it very strange that this company is expecting a thank you note from applicants who spent their time to go to an interview and put together a resume.
I think it should be exactly the opposite. My 30-year-old daughter has sent countless resumes and gone on countless interviews and rarely gets a thank you, and in many cases has not even received the courtesy of an answer as to whether she was hired or not.
She is left to assume that she didn't get the job. I think the onus should be on the company seeking the applicant, to extend the simple courtesy of thanking the applicant for their time and letting them know if they got the job or not.
P.F., Ipswich
Reading the Globe today, my attention was drawn to the letter from V.K. in Needham, I was amazed because of the fact that in the business world today, there is a lack of good etiquette and courtesy in most companies and recruiting firms.
In general, most employers do not respond to job seekers in a timely manner - if they respond at all. With all of the electronic services, we can blame this lack of response on "too many resumes" and the fact that all of us receive a small percentage of resumes from potential candidates who have only read the job title and not the job description.
My feeling is that when individuals send you a resume, they are putting their careers on the line.
Employers don't realize that their corporate image is on the line with each person who is not treated with respect.
R.Y., Newton
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