I'm takin' heat for my "interview" article lol

Wow...talk about asbestos suit lol. A few days ago, at Tech Republic, I wrote an article on "The 10 best ways to handle a job interview" http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=363 A number of people commented, and much was made of two specific tips. One was to occupy oneself if one arrived early, and the other was to write a thank you note afterwards.

A number of people raised issues, but Tech Republic subscriber Oz_media stands out. His/her points were that instead of occupying oneself, it's better to talk and joke with the receptionist, as well as others who are walking by, to show that one is already "part of the company." Conversely, doing work is rude, and what about all the time needed to shut down the computer when it's time for the interview?

My response: yes, it's fine to establish rapport (in fact, one of my ten points is to treat support staff there, including receptionists, with courtesy). So yes, making conversations is fine. On the other hand, going overboard might be taken negatively, in that your talking too much takes that person away from his or her job.

As far as occupying oneself: it's good to show that one uses time wisely. One need not have a computer on to do so. What about entering notes in your Blackberry, or even a paper tablet? As far as computer use, I agree that if you need 20 minutes to shut it down, and thus delay your interview by 20 minutes, that's a problem. But if you shut it down say five minutes before your scheduled time, what's wrong with that?

The other issue involved sending a thank you note. Several subscribers said such a note would be ridiculed, and that it's insincere. I responded to these concerns a couple of ways: first, I said that if people responded negatively to my thank you note by not hiring me or giving me a job offer, maybe that's not the kind of place I would want to work at anyway. Second, is their concern the thank you note per se, or only the INSINCERE thank you note. Third, are we too concerned about what other people think, vs. doing what's right?

Consider the process of preparing to have a job candidate come for an interview. If you're part of the interview team, you have to take time out of your day to prepare, and for the interview. You might have to review resumes, including the one of the person who's coming in. Afterwards, you have to spend time evaluating the candidate, either by yourself or in meetings with others. In other words, holding the interview takes time and effort on your part. Would you really react negatively to a candidate who, after the interview, tells you that he/she appreciates the time and effort involved in that interview?

What are your thoughts?