What type of Thank You after an interview?

[mf22076]

What type of thank you is appropriate to send after an interview?  A card or a handwritten letter?  Just had a great interview and wanted to make sure I cover all my bases.

[lawisfun2010]

handwritten and here is a good article on the matter.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120215930971242053-lMyQjAxMDI4MDAyNTEwNTU5Wj.html

[Peaches]

Is it a screening interview or a callback?  With a screening interview, it is generally considered unnecessary because they'll have decided on you or not by the time they get your thank you note.

[Peaches]

And that article is stupid.  Don't send cupcakes with one letter of the firm's name on each one. 

[zuzuzuzucchini]

The people in our career services office say never to send a handwritten card/note; a thank you letter for an interview is still business correspondence and should be typed, with the same letterhead you use for your cover letters and resumes. I don't know that I completely agree with them--I know I've sent handwritten thank yous after interviews in other fields, but I guess the legal profession is more traditional about these things.

[Dr. Balsenschaft]

I think handwritten letters or cards are a terrible idea after a law firm interview. Love it or hate it, the legal profession  is notoriously snobby so the "personal touch" a handwritten letter conveys should be tossed out the window with your zany tie collection. Of course, you want to have substance as well, but I think the most important factor is timing. Don't stress too much over the substance - I believe most interviewers barely read thank you letters but they'll remember if you never sent one or sent one late.

[Peaches]

To be honest, most interviewers probably don't remember if you never send one.   

[juliemccoy]

I disagree. A handwritten thank you note shows you actually took time and effort. A typed message is easily cut and pasted. A thank you note is not business correspondence per se. Even though business-related, it is an expression of appreciation and follow-up.

[Lenny]

As one who is now interviewing applicants for my firm, I can say that I have never cared whether I received a handwritten, typed, or email thank-you, or if I even received one at all.  Nor have I ever been on a recruiting conference call and heard anyone comment on the medium of thank-you or even the presence of thank-you.  I can also say that I have seen two applicants lose the job for making a typo or saying something stupid in the thank you, so beware.

[Bob Loblaw Esq.]

lenny - what is "something stupid"