A tweet has sparked debate over whether or not sending thank you notes after applying for a job is a necessity or simply an outdated nicety used as a “power trip.”
The way job applications work these days is phenomenally different from how they functioned back when sending thank you notes after an interview became the norm. Most applications are filed online, and the fast pace of modern culture often means that a candidate is chosen for a position long before a stamped envelope could make its way through the postal service.
Still, that’s not always the case, and some people clinging to the old ways seem to expect the courtesy to continue.
“So apparently job candidates’ sending a thank you note isn’t a thing anymore?” asked University of California Press director Tim Sullivan. “Candidates, pro tip: send a thank you note.”
There may be times when sending a follow-up note of some sort makes sense — if you got the interview through personal connections pulling strings, if it’s a company that will keep candidates in mind for future positions, or if it’s a dream job. But even outside of pacing issues, the idea of sending a thank you note after an interview feels impractical more often than not.
For one thing, it’s far too common for people to have to apply to dozens if not hundreds of jobs before finding one that lands. That could translate into dozens of interviews — and yes, sending thank you notes on top of sending out hundreds of cover letters, resumes, and actually attending interviews and even simply searching for job postings in the first place is very time-consuming.
Many Twitter users also pointed out that the practice suggests showing a sort of deference to potential employers that negatively feeds into the weird Capitalism Is King mindset in so much of society right now, where workers are expected to owe their employers constant debts of gratitude even if they are treated as completely disposable.
