I’ve never suggested I would be hostile to anyone. Thats an odd and completely baseless observation.
A lot of hiring decisions & interview questions are based so deeply in very antiquated and unnecessary practices that disadvantage people unnecessarily & disproportionately.
An intro Email & thank you don’t actually tell you anything about a person’s ability to do a job. It’s along other lazy questions like, asking someone “why they should be hired” or “why they’re looking for a job” or “what they did during a period of unemployment 5 years ago,” and are all weak areas for an interviewer/hiring manager. When you have better interviewing questions & techniques to discern the best candidate you don’t need to fall back on who sent a thank you email.
People are only reaching out in an attempt to stand out or to be seen as the squeaky wheel or the go-getter. I however want to see that ambition clearly reflected in the resume and during the interview. The early attempts to connect & say thank you are just formalities that give the appearance of propriety (akin to saying God Bless you to a stranger who sneezes, polite but ineffective).
I’d never hold these things against a candidate but I would also never give them bonus points or a leg up compared to someone who does these things.
What I will pay attention to is how you treat my assistant when she comes to pick you up from the lobby. And whether you speak to other members of my staff who will absolutely engage you in conversation as they take you around the building for various stages of the interview process. I know almost everyone has been taught to send a thank you note. It doesn’t make you stand out because it’s basic. But I also recognize not everyone has been told & biases in hiring exists such that some people are in fact given that leg up information and some aren’t. Very early on my career I was told to never wear anything other than a black suit and white blouse to an interview so I didn’t “stick out,” but in reality, I wanted to stick out. But for the right reasons. I wasn’t being given bad advice but it wasn’t the advice that helped me be the best candidate; and that is to make sure to be remembered by everything I bring to the table. The right candidate will make an amazing impression during the interview and won’t be dinged or given extra points for emails and notes.
FYI: As a legal director I’ve hired new and seasoned attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants, researches, office staff, and interns. Out of 400+ people my department has had the lowest turnover rate for 9 years (I’ve been there for 16). I’m quite confident in my hiring practices. Maybe it’s time for others to reevaluate theirs.
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