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..... there are a million reasons that an interviewer might not give you their card beyond them not liking you as a candidate, and they might give you a card even if they didn't like you. ....quote]
Look... as far as I know an interview is a two-way street. Somehow people forget that fact. You keep saying "if the interviewer does not like the candidate" but what if the candidate does not like the interviewer or the general vibe of the place? Does he/she has to accept the job or send a 'thank you' letter? Of course not.
Agreed I had a real loser of a company get me excited, waste a bunch of my time, and then tell me it's a commission only sales job 2k miles away, 3 hours into the process! I didn't even send them a thank you and if they ask me I will tell them what I think of them tactfully.
..... there are a million reasons that an interviewer might not give you their card beyond them not liking you as a candidate, and they might give you a card even if they didn't like you. ....
Look... as far as I know an interview is a two-way street. Somehow people forget that fact. You keep saying "if the interviewer does not like the candidate" but what if the candidate does not like the interviewer or the general vibe of the place? Does he/she has to accept the job or send a 'thank you' letter? Of course not.
did i ever say that sending a thank you letter (or accepting a job offer?!?!) is mandatory? in fact i *specifically pointed out* that it is not. of course it isn't. i have certainly had interviews where i didn't like something about the job, the interviewer, or the feeling i got from the office, so i didn't bother with a thank you. but i was specifically addressing west philly guy's post (which i quoted) saying that you shouldn't bother sending a thank you if the interviewer doesn't give you their card unasked.
i said i send a follow-up/thank you if i feel the interview went well. that means from both ends. i just don't think giving you a card or not giving you a card means much from the interviewer's end.
did i ever say that sending a thank you letter (or accepting a job offer?!?!) is mandatory? in fact i *specifically pointed out* that it is not. of course it isn't. i have certainly had interviews where i didn't like something about the job, the interviewer, or the feeling i got from the office, so i didn't bother with a thank you. but i was specifically addressing west philly guy's post (which i quoted) saying that you shouldn't bother sending a thank you if the interviewer doesn't give you their card unasked.
i said i send a follow-up/thank you if i feel the interview went well. that means from both ends. i just don't think giving you a card or not giving you a card means much from the interviewer's end.
I think it means something because if they don't give you a way to contact them then to me that's not good.
we've had this discussion before, but i think it's sort of pointless to read so much into everything an interviewer says or does. different people behave differently. like i said, there are lots of reasons someone might not give you their card (including "just didn't think of it/forgot"), and they might give it to you even if they didn't think you were a strong candidate. as i mentioned, i've gotten a card before the interviewer asked me one question.
you seem to think people act 100% logically ("why would someone do/not do X if they didn't Y!") all the time but that's so far from the case!
I think that a thank you letter should only be sent if the interviewer gave you their business card without you asking for it.
If they didn't offer it and you don't feel that good about the interview then why send a thank you letter?
Because it can't hurt if written properly. It shows you are considerate and still interested in the position. What do you have to lose besides your time spend writing the letter? That being said, it's important not to leave a bad impression when writing a thank you letter. I once wrote a thank you letter that misstated something the interviewer said to me and I think that may have been a factor in me not getting the position.
Even if you don't feel good about the interview there is still a slim chance you could be hired as their preferred candidate could, for example, reject the offer or fail the background check. Of course, there are employers who will not fill the position unless they feel the candidate is "perfect," but that's not all employers and sometimes a position must be filled quickly.
I think it means something because if they don't give you a way to contact them then to me that's not good.
True, though sometimes they simply forget to give you a card. Also if you already have the interviewer's contact information (including e-mail and phone number) then they do not need to give you a card and it's not a bad sign if they don't give it to. If, however, you ask for a card and they refuse to give you one, then that's completely different and definitely not a good sign.
True, though sometimes they simply forget to give you a card. Also if you already have the interviewer's contact information (including e-mail and phone number) then they do not need to give you a card and it's not a bad sign if they don't give it to. If, however, you ask for a card and they refuse to give you one, then that's completely different and definitely not a good sign.
i agree with this. obviously if you ask and they say no, that doesn't look too good. but even then, maybe they just don't give a business card to anyone. maybe their hr department has a policy of all communication with applicants going through them. maybe they're just out of business cards right then! who knows. YOU JUST CAN'T KNOW.
any one person's experience (based on ONE job search and getting hired ONCE, no less) is just anecdotal evidence. i've personally not seen much correlation between getting a business card and being considered a strong candidate for the job. as i mentioned before, i was a very close second for a job once (and the hiring manager recommended that hr look for other positions for me etc). no business cards there, from any of the 5 interviewers (but i had been corresponding with one of them directly before the interview). no business card was given to me at the interview for my current job. an interviewer who didn't make the final hiring decision at a job i interviewed at recently (it was a job where i would be working for her nonprofit but working AT a state agency, and they made the decision) but repeatedly said she thought i was great and wished she could find a place for me at her org didn't give me a card. but again, we were corresponding directly beforehand. and i've also walked in the door and been handed a card before i said anything. obviously those people did not know whether they wanted to hire me yet! i also got a card and wasn't even called back for a second interview once. and i've gotten lots and lots of cards followed by rejections where i don't really know where i ranked among the candidates.
it feels nice to think you know what the interviewer is thinking based on cues like this, but there's really no way to know for sure. i prefer to trust my instincts based on the entire interview, not just one or two small things the interviewer did or didn't do.
any one person's experience (based on ONE job search and getting hired ONCE, no less) is just anecdotal evidence. i've personally not seen much correlation between getting a business card and being considered a strong candidate for the job. as i mentioned before ...
It's one of the most ridiculous hypotheses I've ever come across. Akin to believing that because a boy in a red shirt punched you in the nose when you were a kid, all boys wearing red shirts are nose-punchers.
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