Thank you for the interview Mr X
Another key difference between the US and UK would appear to be ‘Thanks for the interview’ letters. What? Never heard of such a thing. Nonsense!
But it is true. This was (un)gently pointed out to me by my wife. I thought she was trying to get revenge for the ‘potatoes for Christmas’ stunt I pulled a few years back (don’t ask!) but a quick check online revealed that she is telling the truth. Amazing. In the UK this practice is quite simply unknown. Here it seems to be embedded in the culture, though slipping a little.
So, I’ve written a couple, and not written a couple. Writing one feels very ‘wrong’ and uncomfortable - it is strange how this difference between the two countries strikes a subconscious cultural wall deep down. Anyway, those occasions where I have not written such a letter do not seem to have caused a problem, in that I am getting through to the next stage of the hiring process.
Those people advocating that such letters should be written do so quite strongly. Those people that say they are not necessary are keeping very quiet (but can be found if you look hard enough). Are such letters losing popularity in this modern age, along with things such as correct grammar and spelling? Would it be appropriate to txt a thx msg 2 cell? It’s a strange old world…all of which reminds of George Bernard Shaw’s quote about change:
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
Yours,
Mr Unreasonable
Tags: interviewing, thank you letters