The thank you letter has been around forever and it?s always in style?
In a world dominated by email communication, and even worse, text messages, many career-minded individuals are forgetting the forgotten art of the thank you letter. This simple piece of communication can go a long way in helping you stand out as you interview for your next job or, if you’re already employed, in building your career and business. Learn just a few pieces of business etiquette with regard to thank you letters and you will be ready to impress next time you get a chance.
Writing a Thank You Letter After an Interview!
Every time you talk with your potential employer for more than a minute or two, regardless of who initiated the contact, consider sending a thank you letter to follow up. Recruiters and hiring managers these days are swamped with applicants, which means the time they spend talking with you is at a premium. It also means that you’re competing with often hundreds of others for the open position, and everything you can do to stand out will improve your chances of landing a job.
In your thank you letter, address the individual with his formal title and either last name or first and last name, depending on the degree of comfort you feel. Then take just a few sentences to thank the person for talking with you, answering your questions, or whatever else occurred during your contact. Also mention a memorable moment for the conversation to help jog the person’s memory, which is especially important if he likely talked with many other candidates that day. Finish by re-emphasizing your interest in the position.
Thank You Letter Tips for Other Occasions
Landing a job doesn’t mean that you’re done writing thank you letters. You can use these little notes as a way to improve relationships with many different types of people once you’re immersed in the business world. For example, you may want to write a letter to a client thanking him for his business, or even write a note to an employee you supervise to point out and thank him for going above and beyond his job description in a specific instance. These thank you letters are memorable, and the effort you put into writing the card is likely to improve your working relationship.
Tips for Selecting Stationary and Writing a Thank You Letter
The tactile experience holding the card and the visual experience of seeing the words you wrote with your own hand are some of the major factors that make thank you cards effective. Therefore, choose stationary that has a good weight, interesting texture, and simple appearance. You want them to be classy and professional. Then, when writing, use a nice pen and legible print or handwriting to ensure that your words are clear. If you need to, type out what you want to write before putting it in the card to decrease your chance of making mistakes while using the pen.
Although a thank you note is not a guarantee of anything, sending one demonstrates attention to business etiquette. It can go a long way in today’s business world, especially with older individuals who remember when thank you cards were commonplace. Whenever someone does something to help you out, consider writing a quick note to convey your appreciation!
Related Article: If you’ve been on a job interview, you have found differences with the interview process. Among them, you’ve probably encountered behavioral interviewing.
Have you written thank you letters after a job interview? Please comment below!
