Being nice costs nothing, and you never now when it will pay off

Last week I interviews for a company where I REALLY want to work. This was the second and final round of interviews (after having passed the first round), after which I would get a go/no go answer. I trained for the interviews with a friend of mine that works there are read lots of material that you are expected to know if you want to work there. The interviews themselves were very hard, some of them very good, some less, but I left the place with an overall positive feeling.

Two-three days after, I remembered some articles I read which recommended sending a thank you note to the recruiter who arranged the interviews. I liked the idea very much, and I sent a nice thank you email to the recruiter telling her that regardless of the interview results I thanked her and all the interviewers for their time (my true feeling, since time is the only asset you can never recover, and many people spend time interviewing me, summarizing the interview and discussing the results). She quickly answered and told me she hoped to have an answer early next week. So I waited. The new week came and I got a call from here telling that sadly it was a no go for me, but that I should try again in the future. I was dumbstruck and couldn’t find anything to say, so I thanked her and hang up.

The day after I decided to write her again, telling her that I was disappointed, but at the same time wanted to know if she could give me some feedback for what went wrong so that I can improve for next time. How surprised I was next day to get a phone call from her! She told me that regularly she never gives feedback, but in my case she was making an exception, and explained to me what I should improve, that I am a good match for the company and that in the future (after improving the required skills) I can try again. Although this didn’t change the result, this feedback helped me understand why I was not hired. Knowing your weaknesses is the first step needed to improve.

Anyway, my message is this: I didn’t have to send her a thank you note after the interview. A friend of mine actually said that it was not customary. But I did. I didn’t expect anything in return. But it paid off. Say thank you to others, even when they are doing their jobs. It makes them feel better, and happier people make a better world.