Today's mail delivery brought a letter from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. I wasn't expecting it, but I knew at once what it was.
"Thank you, but no thank you."
If they'd wanted to interview me, they would have called, or possibly, sent an email. I knew the position was somewhat of a long shot, and the posting did state there was a strong internal candidate, but I had nothing to lose by sending in my resume with a cover email. I figured if they were interested, they would contact me. If not, statistically, the chance of hearing from them was very small.
Some people blame today's economy and the overwhelming number of resumes submitted for any opening for the lack of response on the part of hiring managers/HR departments. Over the years I've been unemployed in bad economic times and in good economic times. This trend started long before the current recession. Letter writing takes too much time in leaner organizations. In the days of copy and paste and email, that excuse doesn't hold water.
At least some employers are honest. They state in the job posting that only qualified applicants will be contacted.
Even more frustrating, however, are the times when you've been interviewed for a position and then hear nothing. Until you find out from another source that the position has been filled. If you hear anything at all. This has happened a number of times during my last couple of job hunts.
Of course, applicants that don't send thank you notes or emails after being interviewed are considered rude. As Mr. Rogers might ask, "Can you say 'double standard'?"
Common courtesy never hurts, so I will continue to write thank you notes after interviews.
Thank you, Jeff.
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