this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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I’ll probably get a lot of downvotes for this, but why exactly should I send a thank-you email?
What about the potential employer – why don’t they send one to me? I took the time to prepare my application, sent them all my documents, and showed up for the interview.
I’m not begging for a job – I’m applying for one. They’re looking for someone who will generate more value for the company than they’ll pay in salary. That’s a business transaction, not charity.
So again – why should I be the one to send a thank-you email?
Personally, I think it’s enough to thank them in person during the interview.
Why would you get downvoted in a community called LinkedIn Lunatics where we are expressly making fun of the content of the post?
I'll probably get down voted for this opinion, but the earth is round and orbits the sun.
False! The Earth and Sun orbit the center of gravity between the two of them!
The center of solar system is not always between those two objects. Half the time they're both on the same side of the center
False! They all exist in a complex system of gravitational pull where all bodies, not just these two, have differing degrees of influence on each other dictated by distance and mass!
False! What you wrote is true, but it doesn't make the comment above false!
The barycenter of the earth-sun orbit is within the surface of the sun, therefore the earth is understood to orbit the sun.
The JUPITER-Sun orbit barycenter, however, is outside the surface of the sun.
I liek spec
False!
You forgot to prefix your comment with "False!".
Objection!
Uh. False objection!
Downvoting you specifically for saying you’ll get downvotes for expressing a rational thought in response to a linkedinlunatic post. How dare you.
But also you’re right, bullshit tests should be called out as bullshit and employers should be shamed for pulling stupid shit like this. This is a business transaction where I’m selling you my time and skills for less than their worth so you can exploit that for a profit. You(the employer) should be fucking thanking me.
100%. I’ve never heard of this practise - maybe it’s an American thing?
They tell us to do it in Canada too. But seriously, if you hiring me depends on me sending a mail to kiss your ass, fuck off, I take back my application.
God I love society programming humans to be ok with corporate subjugation of our species.
No, it's not.
That being said, I've interviewed dozens, if not hundreds, of candidates, and have received thank-you notes from a handful of them. These notes are not part of the rubric used to evaluate them for the role. They also tend to come from weaker performers, so if anything, such a note is a red flag.
Exactly this! Additionally I cannot think of a single person I've interviewed who hasn't said thanks at the end of the actual interview. How big a lunatic must this guy be to be SO out of touch with reality on this one?
he runs his aspect of the business as a tiny fascist dictatorship. he wants yesmen, not actual applicants
When I was growing up in the US in the '80s and '90s, our business classes did tell us it was proper send a thank-you letter a couple of days after an interview. This was, of course, in the days before email and workers' rights got even more abysmal in the US. Not sure if this one data point helps.
But they want you to beg.
The more you beg for the job, the more it signals to a prospective employer that you need it and don't have alternatives. That means they can string you out much easier.
Desperation facilitates exploitation.
It's often far less malicious. People don't get positions of mediocre responsibility because they're evil. Usually they're just mid managers who need more help and want to pick people who actually want to work, and their own job rides on making a good decision.
Because ya'll, you would be astonished how many shitty people show up for shitty interviews.
When I was a hiring I never wanted anyone to show subservience or beg. But I didn't want to lose my own job for making a poor decision, and if I interview 30 people in a week, I am more likely to remember and think more about people who make extra effort, which can look like a lot of things.
If I have a tough decision to make, unfortunately it does come down to a contest of who wants it most. At least I know if someone really wants the job they're less likely to slack off and jeopardize my position.
I was taught that the point of a thank you note is to get your name in front of them one more time. It's a form of advertising; they might have done 5 interviews that day, 5 the previous day, and have 5 more scheduled for tomorrow. You want them to remember you over the next person who has the same qualifications.
Also a final opportunity to emphasize anything that went well in the interview, or downplay/explain anything that didn’t.
Anyone who’s judgementally dismissing applicants for not sending a thank you is an asshole, but this does not change the fact that sending a thank you is a good idea if you actually want to get the job.
Commenting just to get my name out there.
You're hired.
I honestly use it as a passive aggressive "hey it's been a week and I haven't heard from you, am I still being considered." email.
It's perfect for that. Also, "did you lose my fucking email, you incompetent boob? Here it is again." but couched as politeness.
Most upvoted comment I've seen on Lemmy in a while
I've been looking for work lately and getting told the same thing by the employment offices around me (job search assistance).
It feels so bizarre and pushy to email back after an application/interview. I showed up and did my part, the balls in their court now, I'm just waiting for a response. To reach out again seems like I'm leaning over their shoulder and asking 'have you made a decision yet??? How about now, can I have a job now?'
They already know what I want, what I can offer, and how to reach me. What more do they need?
Their ego stroked, apparently.
Not even close to being wrong. No thank you is needed. Honestly I see no reason to thank them at the end of the interview.
And no down votes from normal people, this is absolutely an insane person posting this.
I usually get the thank you when they want to bring me to the next round of the hiring process. Maybe the thank you acts as a kind of signal that a party is interested in keeping the process moving? I’m sending a follow-up email if I’m eager to keep things moving (and it’s not simply “thank you for the interview;” I’m including a couple brief points reiterating why I think I’m a good fit). If I’m ambivalent or not interested I wouldn’t put the effort in.
This is how I've always understood them. If after you've had some time to digest how the interview went (and evaluate, based on the questions you (should have) asked during the interview, whether you think the position is a good fit for you) you still want the job, you send a quick email basically saying "Hey, thanks for meeting with me - it was nice to meet you / your team. Based on our interaction, it looks like this position would be a great fit for me / I'd be a great fit for it - here's some things I took away from it (which also serves to show I was attentive / not just going through the motions) - looking forward to hearing from you to continue the process!" To your point, it's not an ass-kissing email, the 'thank you' portion is just a polite formality to open the conversation.
it's been my position for a while now that job interviews evaluate, more than anything, how much the candidate is willing to humiliate themselves for the employer. that's more important to employers than actual skill
It's not functioning as a thank you, it's honestly just an indication that you're willing to take an extra 5 minutes to do something when the stakes are high.
If you really want the job, how you treat that conversation might be similar to how you treat a client once you're hired. If you don't really want the job, or you really don't want to send a thank you, that's fine, but with 5 applicants to choose from, wouldn't they opt for the candidate who put in the best/most work?
I'm not saying it isn't annoying and transactional and a lot to ask, but as someone who's applied for hundreds of jobs, the reason to do it still feels clear.
It's also an attempt to psychologically trick them into remembering you over someone else who may have had a similarly good interview.
There's a completely transactional reason for post-interview "thank you" notes, whether you're applying to college or for a job. It's to remind the person, who's probably interviewing a lot of applicants, of your existence and your qualifications. A good one includes a reminder of any parts where you think you shone. And if there's something you thought of later, it's okay to add that.
If their ego makes them take your thanks as sincere sucking up, fine. But you really do it for yourself, and the "thank you" is pro forma.
Of course this assumes you still want the position after having sat the interview. If not, feel free to ghost.
I'm like 50/50 on this part being sarcasm, it doesn't read like that to me at all but it's also hard for me to picture expecting disagreement with a linkedin headcase to be an unpopular opinion anywhere outside of linkedin.
I neither engage in it as an applicant nor value it as a hiring manager. It would be difficult to assess if this has hampered my career, but I am doing fine.