Job Interview Thank-You Notes Divide the Internet

The internet is getting riled up over interview etiquette.

On Tuesday, Alex Lieberman, an entrepreneur who cofounded Morning Brew, Tenex, and Storyarb, wrote on X that he is “floored” that the majority of job candidates he interviews don’t send thank-you notes afterward.

“Back when I was interviewing for jobs, it was one of the biggest faux pas to not send a thank you email. Like instant disqualification,” he wrote.

Lieberman’s post sparked a hot debate on X, with some commenters describing the post-interview thank-you note as “interviewing 101,” while others dubbed it unnecessary. As of publication time, the X post has garnered nearly 500 comments.

‘Etiquette no longer exists’

Among those who weighed in was Matt Grimm, a cofounder of Anduril, who said the thank-you card doesn’t matter to him.

Others said the thank-you note is still essential.

Several commenters said they felt sending a thank-you note was once considered standard practice before the COVID-19 pandemic.

But with more interviews now taking place remotely, the traditional cues of in-person interactions and more formal processes may have become less ingrained, they said.

“Might just be me but that was the turning point for humanity changing how we interact with others,” one person wrote, referencing the pandemic as the turning point.

It may also be a hangover from the Great Resignation, a period after the pandemic when talent was in high demand and labor shortages meant that power shifted to workers. Job seekers had the upper hand at that point and possibly felt less pressure to adhere to traditional etiquette.

This period of intense labor demand eventually gave way to the Big Stay and the Great Frustration, where the power dynamic has shifted back to employers as the job market tightens. Job seekers now talk about being ghosted by employers during the interview process.

“Communication norms go both ways. Etiquette no longer exists,” one commenter wrote.

Austin Hughes, cofounder and CEO of Software company Unify, wrote on X that a thank-you note “probably feels like sending a message into the void” in the current job market.

“But it 100% still stands out every single time someone does it and should be basic etiquette,” he said.

Still, some posters on X simply don’t see the value in a thank-you note regardless of where the power lies.

“I never did it because it felt fake. You need an employee, I need a job, who are we kidding here,” one wrote.