Help. Messed up interview - thank you email?

[Fofftwenty21]

Had an interview for an internal job that I really want but think I messed it up by not answering well enough - some of the questions I really wasn't expecting. When I left I burst into tears! I know someone else who interviewed and am convinced she will get it! Anyway I will find out by Monday.

I'm in the UK and keep seeing advice to send a thank you letter after the interview. Is this common here or more a US thing? I've never done it before for any of my jobs.

I personally wouldn’t. They should be making the decision based on what happened during the interview alone so I don’t really think it would serve a purpose.

It’s crap when interviews go to plan but all is not lost yet, you may have done much better than you think.

I've interviewed loads, and never had a thank you email 😪

Never sent one myself.

The only time I wound do it is if for example I burst into tears post interview and then one of the interviewees came and chatted to me /gave me sone advice/gave me a hanky.

Then I'd thank them for that part, as it's external to the interview.

I work in an industry with lots of freelance or fixed term contracts as well as permanent roles and it is absolutely normal, though not expected, to send a thank you email. I've personally followed up when I was more junior to say I had thought of something else I wanted to say, etc. As an interviewer I'd say a large minority follow up afterwards, increasingly so, and it never makes me think badly of them.

Thanks everyone.

@wtftodo thats good to know. It’s public sector so not sure how much that is allowed/encouraged and I have loads more now I wish I'd said, perfect answers now in fact 😉

@IfYouDontAsk Thank you, it wasn't awful but usually I'm quite good at interviews so not used to feeling so nervous! Trying to think I haven't got it so I'm not disappointed.

@burnoutbabe absolutely that makes sense. I held on until I got outside and away from the building in my car so no-one saw me.

I have always sent one (I’m now 50 so many).
I have interviewed 100s of people and got a handful of thank you emails. I always appreciate them. And funnily enough the people who have sent them have always been shortlisted anyway. So there was obviously a mutual appreciation.

It might be worth sending one in the case that they end up with two equal scoring candidates, it won't hurt

In a public sector scenario particularly for an internal interview I wouldn’t, it’s not the done thing.

The interview will be scored using your answers, if it’s a tie then they’ll go back over their notes. Sending a thank you email will have no impact on that.

Internal interviews are the worst! A thank you email will make no difference as scoring is done on your interview responses. I’d wait to hear then, if you don’t get it, ask for feedback and C thank them then.

Great thanks everyone, fingers crossed 🤞