i had a HEOP interview; it went "ok".now what?

mohamm15 · 03-01-2008, 02:31 PM

Should i write a thank you letter to the interviewer, if i should is this a suitable one?

Before I begin, I ask of you to not presume that this letter is my last attempt to convince you of my value to Columbia University , but rather I write this to thank you and the HEOP family for even believing that students such as myself have the potential to attend Columbia. I find hope in the basic realization that your institution has helped numerous students whom are neither born to the purple nor manor, succeed and thrive in varying disciplines. No matter what University I enroll at, I genuinely hope Columbia continues break socioeconomic conformity in the matriculation of its students, in that you remain to look past social status and recognize ability. Thank you for your time and effort.

Zrataza · 03-01-2008, 03:05 PM

What the hell?...are you trying to turn the guy/gal off?...if that's so, send this letter and his recommendation will go from "ok" to "No Way." Try sending something a bit more simple, like:
"Thank you for meeting with me. I had a great time talking to you. Hope we can stay in touch."

The letter you wrote implies that you have a fear of him/her presuming that your letter is your last attempt...

I dont know how you will get in with that mindset...

Shraf · 03-01-2008, 04:02 PM

first of all your english is poor

second of all this:

Quote:

Before I begin, I ask of you to not presume that this letter is my last attempt to convince you of my value to Columbia University

is by far THE WORST way to start a thank you note/email.

Thank you notes are very very common after an interview of any sort, whether it is college admissions or a job interview....its practically expected that you send a thank you note within a couple of days of the interview. All you basically want to do is thank them and be friendly, reiterate your interest and possibly your qualifications (this last one is more appropriate to job interviews than college admission interviews)

columbiaplease · 03-19-2008, 11:43 PM

hm, i guess i should've sent that thank you note afterall...is it really 'never too late to say thank you' when its been, oh, around four months? >.<

Shraf · 03-20-2008, 12:28 AM

haha, yea four months is really pushing it...even a week is pushing it....its really a pretty firm rule that if anyone takes the time out meet with u, u should send them a thank you note.

Columbia2002 · 03-20-2008, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Thank you notes are very very common after an interview of any sort, whether it is college admissions or a job interview....its practically expected that you send a thank you note within a couple of days of the interview.

This simply isn't true; "practically expected" is a gross exaggeration at best. There's a widely-held belief that a t/y note can only do harm (if it's badly written, has a typo, or is generally obnoxious) and it can't possibly increase your chances. It's also likely that your interviewer has made up his mind about you -- if not completed his evaluation of you -- long before he'll get the thank you note.

Shraf · 03-20-2008, 10:43 AM

I love it when people try to argue by referring to imaginary "widely-held beliefs". In actuality the widely held belief is that thank you notes help. A simple google search shows this:

Interview follow-up / thank you letters
Creative Job Search - Finishing Touches - Thank You Letters and Notes
Thank You Letters

Quote:

"Writing a thank you letter, or thank you email, after an employment interview is a must. In fact, some employers think less of those interviewees who fail to follow-up promptly."

and on and on and on....

feel free to argue whichever side of this you want but claiming a belief is "widely-held" when it in fact isn't doesn't make it a better argument.

back to the point though....

I agree that if you send a badly written thank you note it'll do you more harm than good and thats why i told OP that the way he phrased the note was atrocious. Its true that no thank you letter is better than a bad one, but it's not hard to write a decent one. I think a well written thank you note can increase your chances if the employer is still deciding and if you highlight or reiterate why you'd be a good candidate. In college interviews its just a way to brown nose a bit more in order to seal the deal and solidify your position on the interviewers good side. My last job interview I was actually offered the job on the spot but still sent a thank you note....at least it gives a good impression.

Granted I've only been on the note sending and not the note receiving side of this equation...however every interviewer is different and its best to play it safe by sending a thank you note even if that interviewer doesn't care.

confidentialcoll · 03-20-2008, 07:50 PM

" Before I begin, I ask of you to not presume that this letter is...."

what a bunch of emphatic, uptight bull, whatever you do don't send that.

Next time, try something like this:

"Dear ______

I am writing to thank you for giving up your evening this past [day of the week] to interview me for Columbia's [...]. I appreciated our chat, and found it to be both engaging and thought provoking. I especially enjoyed our discussion on [insert specific topic], as it gave me a new perspective on [...]. Thanks again for your consideration, fingers crossed about the decision.

sincerely,
[...]"

Columbia2002 · 03-21-2008, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Granted I've only been on the note sending and not the note receiving side of this equation...however every interviewer is different and its best to play it safe by sending a thank you note even if that interviewer doesn't care.

I've been on both ends. When I'm the interviewer -- for Columbia or for other things -- I've 100% of the time made up my mind about the person by the time I received the thank you note.

Quote:

Next time, try something like this:

"Dear ______

I am writing to thank you for giving up your evening this past [day of the week] to interview me for Columbia's [...]. I appreciated our chat, and found it to be both engaging and thought provoking. I especially enjoyed our discussion on [insert specific topic], as it gave me a new perspective on [...]. Thanks again for your consideration, fingers crossed about the decision.

sincerely,
[...]"

This is why thank you notes suck. They're formulaic, generic, boring and fake. They accomplish nothing and can only make you look bad if there are typos.

Quote:

I love it when people try to argue by referring to imaginary "widely-held beliefs". In actuality the widely held belief is that thank you notes help.

There are widely-held beliefs that thank-you notes are good, and widely-held beliefs that they are bad. You said that thank you notes are "practically expected." I'm being equivocal. You're making a baseless statement.

confidentialcoll · 03-21-2008, 03:05 AM

"This is why thank you notes suck. They're formulaic, generic, boring and fake."

they can suck, they can be formulaic, but they can also strengthen your case, adding specifics can make them meaningful, they are not categorically bad, being courteous and appreciative can be seen in a positive light, and help your interviewer recommendation. If the interviewer were to expect a t/y note, and others turn in something, with you turning in nothing, you could lose out.

" can only make you look bad if there are typos."

yes, this is the same as any official e-mail you would ever send to anyone, we still send those emails, genius.

Master Dad · 03-21-2008, 03:05 PM

This would be an idiotic letter. It talks a lot and says nothing.

Columbia2002 · 03-21-2008, 11:22 PM

Conf, as an initial matter, you completely ignore the point that interviewers overwhelmingly make up their minds -- and often file their reports -- before thank you notes are received.

Quote:

they can also strengthen your case, adding specifics can make them meaningful,

What could you possibly say in a cheesy thank you note that you didn't have the opportunity to say in an interview? If you're writing stuff like, "I'm confident that I'm a perfect fit for your position because I have experience in blah blah," you should have said it in the interview.

Quote:

If the interviewer were to expect a t/y note, and others turn in something, with you turning in nothing, you could lose out.

Assuming for the sake of argument that the interviewer hasn't made up his mind by the time he gets the stupid t/y notes, do you really believe an interviewer is going to hire someone who isn't his first choice because that person sent a thank you note and his first choice did not? C'mon.

Quote:

" can only make you look bad if there are typos."

yes, this is the same as any official e-mail you would ever send to anyone, we still send those emails, genius.

We don't unnecessarily send emails when there's no upside.

confidentialcoll · 03-22-2008, 04:12 AM

"What could you possibly say in a cheesy thank you note that you didn't have the opportunity to say in an interview?"

a t/y note is reflective on the interview itself and compliments the interviewer which you might not get a chance to do properly in an interview, when you focus on selling yourself.

""I'm confident that I'm a perfect fit for your position because I have experience in blah blah," you should have said it in the interview."

this is precisely what you don't say in a t/y note, you'd come off as full of yourself. the t/y note can show you to be an appreciative person, it isn't a chance to blatantly sell yourself, it's a chance to win extra favor with the interviewer.

"do you really believe an interviewer is going to hire someone who isn't his first choice because that person sent a thank you note and his first choice did not? C'mon."

many a time the heirarchy is not set in stone and an interviewer could well be unsure about two great candidates and whom he/she would want to recommend stronger. Interviewers are, unfortunately, very subjective, and can, sometimes, be swayed by such gestures of good will. a good t/y note will be meaningless at it's worst.

"We don't unnecessarily send emails when there's no upside."

if we all agreed that there's no upside, we wouldn't be having this conv in the first place, a fear of typos is no reason at all, like at all, to stop yourself from sending in something.

gouchicago · 03-22-2008, 05:58 AM

If you feel like sending a thank-you note, keep it simple. Don't make it sound overly melodramatic (or downright stupid); there's little use of trying to advocate yourself as an applicant in a thank-you note (I'm a perfect fit for Columbia because...).

Shraf · 03-22-2008, 02:30 PM

i agree with most of what confidentialcoll has been saying but would like to add...

curtsy never hurts. Why do you thanks someone who holds the door open for you or thank the pimply faced dropout behind the Mcdonald's counter? Because it's nice and being nice can't hurt (unless of course your intention is not in fact to be nice/courteous).

About interviewers making up their mind on the spot: say you go in to interview for a job and the process is several days long and you are one of the first to interview....the interviewer isnt going to make a yes/no decision immediately....he/she might make a maybe/no decision and if you are in the maybe column, not sending in a thank you note might quickly land you in the no column.

In the case of admissions it really comes down to whether you are a nice person since there really aren't any qualifications the interviewer is looking for and part of being a nice person is being courteous and part of being courteous is sending a thank you note after an interview.