Why would you get downvoted in a community called LinkedIn Lunatics where we are expressly making fun of the content of the post?

100%. I’ve never heard of this practise - maybe it’s an American thing?

Downvoting you specifically for saying you’ll get downvotes for expressing a rational thought in response to a linkedinlunatic post. How dare you.

But also you’re right, bullshit tests should be called out as bullshit and employers should be shamed for pulling stupid shit like this. This is a business transaction where I’m selling you my time and skills for less than their worth so you can exploit that for a profit. You(the employer) should be fucking thanking me.

I honestly use it as a passive aggressive "hey it's been a week and I haven't heard from you, am I still being considered." email.

But they want you to beg.

I was taught that the point of a thank you note is to get your name in front of them one more time. It's a form of advertising; they might have done 5 interviews that day, 5 the previous day, and have 5 more scheduled for tomorrow. You want them to remember you over the next person who has the same qualifications.

I've been looking for work lately and getting told the same thing by the employment offices around me (job search assistance).

It feels so bizarre and pushy to email back after an application/interview. I showed up and did my part, the balls in their court now, I'm just waiting for a response. To reach out again seems like I'm leaning over their shoulder and asking 'have you made a decision yet??? How about now, can I have a job now?'

They already know what I want, what I can offer, and how to reach me. What more do they need?

I usually get the thank you when they want to bring me to the next round of the hiring process. Maybe the thank you acts as a kind of signal that a party is interested in keeping the process moving? I’m sending a follow-up email if I’m eager to keep things moving (and it’s not simply “thank you for the interview;” I’m including a couple brief points reiterating why I think I’m a good fit). If I’m ambivalent or not interested I wouldn’t put the effort in.

It's not functioning as a thank you, it's honestly just an indication that you're willing to take an extra 5 minutes to do something when the stakes are high.

If you really want the job, how you treat that conversation might be similar to how you treat a client once you're hired. If you don't really want the job, or you really don't want to send a thank you, that's fine, but with 5 applicants to choose from, wouldn't they opt for the candidate who put in the best/most work?

I'm not saying it isn't annoying and transactional and a lot to ask, but as someone who's applied for hundreds of jobs, the reason to do it still feels clear.

Most upvoted comment I've seen on Lemmy in a while

it's been my position for a while now that job interviews evaluate, more than anything, how much the candidate is willing to humiliate themselves for the employer. that's more important to employers than actual skill

I’ll probably get a lot of downvotes for this, but

I'm like 50/50 on this part being sarcasm, it doesn't read like that to me at all but it's also hard for me to picture expecting disagreement with a linkedin headcase to be an unpopular opinion anywhere outside of linkedin.

There's a completely transactional reason for post-interview "thank you" notes, whether you're applying to college or for a job. It's to remind the person, who's probably interviewing a lot of applicants, of your existence and your qualifications. A good one includes a reminder of any parts where you think you shone. And if there's something you thought of later, it's okay to add that.

If their ego makes them take your thanks as sincere sucking up, fine. But you really do it for yourself, and the "thank you" is pro forma.

Of course this assumes you still want the position after having sat the interview. If not, feel free to ghost.

I neither engage in it as an applicant nor value it as a hiring manager. It would be difficult to assess if this has hampered my career, but I am doing fine.

Because keeping the line of communication open is good. You're one of dozens of applicants, so you want them to focus on you.

I'm a hiring manager and the thank you notes I sometimes get after an interview have absolutely no sway on my opinions. Sure it's nice, but for me personally it doesn't matter at all. It's just part of the "show" and I try to not care about that.

However, I do encourage people that are applying for jobs and interviewing to send the thank you. It definitely doesn't hurt.