Hi there,

I've had a phone interview for a job and I would like to send my interviewer a nice email, thanking them for the opportunity. The problem is I don't have their contact details! I've only got another HR lady's email address, who had contacted me to set our appointment. I googled my interviewer's name, but found no email address. Would it be OK if I contacted the other lady and asked nicely for my interviewer's contact details?

Thanks a lot!

There's probably a reason you don't have their contact details...

You can send a snail mail thank you letter. You know their name and, presumably, the address of the company. Or drop it off by hand if you are not too far away.

Preferably a brief, handwritten thank you card.

I applied through a job website and spoke with an HR lady, who told me I would be interviewed by XX. So I only have the first lady's email address.

Is this an American thing?

Personally, if I interviewed somebody and they started sending emails or letters then they'd go straight into the "Reject - Creepy/Needy" pile.

I just heard it could make a good impression, but I don't know in which country ...In my case the company is based in Switzerland.

Corporate e-mails are normally not too difficult to guess. See how is the HR e-mail, and try and the same with the line-manager (if she is called Mary Jane, and her e-mail is mary.jane@company.com, the most likely thing is that the Line Manager e-mail is line.manager@company.com).

It is always of politeness to thank people for their time and the opportunity, but don't over it. All those samples you find on The Internets are too elaborate for Swiss standards.

Same here, waaaay to desperate

imho, I wouldn't contact them.

I was told it is often a good thing to do so, but keep it brief, thanking them for their time etc. It keeps you at the forefront of their mind during the selection process. This is advice from a guy who regularly interviewd people, YMMV.

BUT, don't make the mistake(s) I made; don't mention reimbursements for travelling expenses (if applicable) and don't go into too much detail. I once wote a long email elaborating on a point we'd only touched on in the interview. Looking back it was a bloody stupid thing to do.

For all interviews that I've attended, I usually send a short email thanking them for their time and I look forward to hearing from them soon.

Sure, it can either give the impression that you are a. creepy or b. professional, keen and enthusiastic about the position - but I've always been taught that it is the latter.

It's mostly expected in the US - nowadays, it's a brief email rather than a handwritten note along the lines of "Thank you for your time on Wednesday. I enjoyed speaking with you and learning more about the position and the company". However, if it's not a "done" thing here, I wouldn't do it. If it is, you could send the HR lady an email along the lines of "Could you please send my thanks to InterviewLady for her time on Wednesday? I enjoyed speaking with her and learning more about the company and position."

I have never written a thank-you letter before. I too would consider it "too needy". It's just that it was a phone interview and I fear that I might not be able to compete other candidates who have had a personal interview. But if that's not a common thing Switzerland then I am better off without.

A handwritten note can go either way. I'll personally stick to an email.

I interviewed someone for a position in my team and out of the 8 applicants, 7 sent a thank-you email and one sent a hand written card.

I thought it was very thoughtful but my entire team rolled their eyes and said they wouldnt want to work with a lick-arse.

There isn't really a right or wrong answer for this, nor an established procedure... I have heard Swiss recruiters saying that they to tend to recruit people who send thank you notes, as they seem to be more interested and engaged, others saying they are a waste of bytes. Each person is a world of their own.

Personally, when I am * really * interested in the job, and feel that I made a good connection with the interviewer, I send a short e-mail thanking for the time and opportunity. In the corporate environments I have experienced, there is always a lot of thanking e-mails going around, and I perceive them as being business as usual. So, saying thanks to the interviewer doesn't sound creepy or desperate to me. But, again, there is no right or wrong answer.

Yes that was my first thought! But I can't be sure my email would reach the right person.

OK I guess a very brief thank you email wouldn't harm anyone...still I don't have my interviewer's email address...would it make any sense to send an email to the lady that contacted me first? Or would that come across as too "desperate"?

Why??? Don't you appreciate people who say "thank you" or who show above-average interest in the job offer?

OK - reality check.

If they were going to hire you, they will whether you send the mail or not. And if they decided you weren't right, they won't change their mind on the basis of the mail.

So I think we can all agree that it will make no difference to the process - right?

So in my mind there are only two reasons to send it.

1. Politeness
2. Political "savvy"

I'd suggest that there is no upside to politeness (they won't hire you if they weren't planning to anyway) and only downside (ie if Mirfield is the boss) - so don't do it for that reason.

If its for more political reasons - wait until you get the answer. If you get rejected, maybe send a mail to the boss and the HR person saying "got the letter. I understand I wasn't successful but loved you guys and was impressed by the company and if there is anything else suitable, would love to be considered"

But bottom line is - it will make ZERO difference to the recruitment so don't do it for that reason.

(And by the way - if you think that they are the kind of company for whom it WILL make a difference, don't join them)