Job Interview Etiquette: Should You Send a Thank You Gift?

Is it okay to send an employer a gift?
Illustration: Pierre Le-Tan

Jancee Dunn Polls the Experts


Q: Is it okay to send a small gift to a potential employer after an interview?

"No! No! No! A thank-you note is the most you should do." 
— Anita L. Allen, professor of law and philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School

"Absolutely never, not, no, forbidden, horrible, don't even think about it!" 
— Jack Marshall, president of ProEthics

"Gracious: a thank-you note or a book you talked about. Desperate: a life-size piñata replica of yourself filled with references and miniature bottles of Absolut." 
— Faith Salie, host of public radio's Fair Game from PRI with Faith Salie

"Sending a gift could be misconstrued as "I'm desperate," "I'm romantically interested," or "There's plenty more where that came from." Don't grovel. A quality thank-you note can do wonders." 
— Rudy Rasmus, pastor of St. John's United Methodist Church in Houston


 

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