Do You HAVE to Write a Thank You Note After the Interview?

You don't have to send a thank you letter if you don't want the job you just interviewed for. But if you do want that job, better follow this advice to write a thank you note... a good thank you note. Continue reading...

Is the Thank-You Note Dead?

The thank-you note is just about dead -- at least the hardcopy version is. Snail mail is way too slow for today's fast-moving job market. To stay in the hiring game, you have to send a thank-you email after a job interview.

The value of saying "thank you" will never change. But, the way we say it has definitely changed. Hiring decisions are often made quickly, and if you want your "thank you" to count, you have to get it to the interviewer right away. That means sending it via email.

In this video, recruiter Peggy McKee suggests you send your thank-you email within 24 hours after a job interview. And, if you were interviewed by several people at a company, send a thank-you email to each one of them.

What to Say in Your Thank-You Email

1. You appreciated the opportunity to meet with him or her.
2. You enjoyed learning about the organization.
3. You have such-and-such skills to offer to meet their specific needs.
4. You look forward to the next step in the hiring process.

After working hard to get a job interview, take the extra effort to win the job offer by sending a prompt thank-you email. For a job interview that's especially important to you, send a hardcopy note in addition to your thank-you email.

More job search videos by Peggy McKee:

4 Out-of-the-Box Ways to Set Yourself Apart in a Job Interview
Break into the Healthcare Field... Even If You're Not a Brain Surgeon
How to Work a Tradeshow / Career Fair

An Easy Way to Give Your Cover Letter Zing!

As the saying goes: There are people who make things happen, people who watch things happen, and people who wonder what happened. Most employers want an employee who makes things happen. Your cover letter/email is a great place to say you do just that! Continue reading...

Formula for Job Search Thank You Email

After a job interview, follow up right away with a thank you email. Here's my Past-Present-Future formula for what to say in that thank you note. Continue reading...

Job Seekers Slingin' Slang

Trash Talkin' A Turnoff to Clients; Prospects and Clients Leary of Loose Language
by Craig Harrison, Principal, Expressions of Excellence, 510/547-0664 (reprinted here with Craig's permission)

Despite attention to four-color brochures, meticulous grooming and letter-perfect newsletters, consultants constantly undermine their hire-ability and employees hurt their promotability through sloppy language skills and inappropriate word choices in their communication. What point is shined shoes and polished purses if you're constantly shooting yourself in the foot with your own words?

Slang is sloppy…precision preferred

Professionalism counts in the work world. Proper English shows good taste, good schooling and an understanding of professional protocols. Avoid slang. You're not a short-order cook! Slang is a shortcut that suggests excessive informality and lack of appreciation for the workplace setting and expectations.I wish I had a nickel for every consultant who told me he or she was gonna do something! Gonna is gutter. Replace all uses of "gonna" with "going to" and others will perceive you to be a professional with plans. Gonna is what an elementary school student will do when the recess bell rings. Going to is what dedicated and focused professionals intend to do, a part of a strategic plan, an act with intention.

• Sadly, very unique isn't. Unique, by definition, means one of a kind, unparalleled, without peer. Adding very in front of unique is as meaningless as doing something 110%, 115% or 150%. And you thought grade inflation was bad! OK, we get the point.
  
  
• Prove you're a graduate by knowing the difference between alumni, alumnus and alumna and alumnae. The first and last are plural, the second and third refer to a male or female graduate of their alma mater. Alumnae refers to women graduates. Alumni refers to coed graduates.
  
  
• Figuratively vs. Literally. When you say you could eat a horse, you are speaking figuratively. Only the Donner party meant it literally. One consultant told his client "he literally killed to get a past job." Really? Who wants to hire a murderer?
  
  
• Degrees are important. So is understanding the degree to which you are in favor or opposed to something. Don’t get a third degree burn! When you tell people you are 360° opposed to something, they won't hire you since you obviously failed geometry. 180° denotes complete opposition. Once you've rotated 360° you've come full circle and are back where you started from. (Do not pass go, Blockhead. It's back to square one!)
  
  
• More Than vs. Over: Over is a preposition and generally refers to spatial relationships: "The plane flew over Sacramento." Use "more than": Silicon Valley has more than 10,000 programming jobs.
  
  
• Myriad vs. A myriad Of: Myriad means "many." Not "a myriad of" problems. That would like saying, "he has many of problems," which would be wrong. We would say, "he has many problems."
  
  
• Don't bother asking about renumeration. You're ineligible, because you won't be retained. The correct word is Remunerate, to give someone money or to be paid, which you will be, when you use the correct word.
  
  
• Irregardless. There is no such word. Regardless of what you've heard, the correct word is "regardless."
  
  
• Interred vs. interned. If you worked without pay, you interned. Ironically, it can also refer to serving behind bars, as in a prison. As bad as that is, when you say you interred, it suggests you were buried! You'll never get ahead if you're already six feet under. Unless you're born again, stick with interned.
  
  
• Presidents and Olympians are forever so. Everyone wants respect but nobody gives it anymore. When you speak of a United States president such as Bill Clinton, George Herbert Walker Bush or Jimmy Carter, they're still President Clinton, Bush, or Carterre respectively. (Note that President Jimmy Carter is now a Nobel laureate too!) When you refer to Olympians Mary Lou Retton, Billy Mills or Peggy Fleming, they're Olympians (not past or former Olympians). Just like recent medalists Apolo Anton Ohno, Sasha Cohen, Shani Davis or Chad Hedrick, Even ones who didn't medal, like Bode Miller will forever remain Olympians.

Pronouncements on Pronunciation

Just so you know, although shift happens, paradigm is and always has been pronounced pair-ah-DIME, not para-DIG 'EM.

Yet these days alternate pronunciations are plentiful: harassment, nuclear (nucular is also acceptable until 2008), and database (pronounced dah-ta-base or DAY-ta-base).

By the way,

• The singular of data is datum
• The plural of stadium is stadia
• Media is plural for medium. TV is a medium. Radio, too. Print (a.k.a. newspaper) is another. TV, radio and newspapers together are forms of media.

It is a fact that customers do business with those they know, like and trust. Speaking well builds trust with clients. It reflects a shared value, the proper use of language. Speaking well is a sign of your professionalism, suggesting you will adhere to other standards of good business: honesty, fairness and service.

When you speak well the world respects you and wants to do business with you. Can ya dig it?

Holiday Cards to Job Hunt Network

The good news letter is a short thank you note I recommend you send to everyone in your network who helped you get your new job. It's best sent as a hardcopy note via the US Post immediately after you land the job. And if you have decent hand writing, make it even more personal by sending a handwritten message.

Alison Doyle recommends using the holidays as a time to send a Holiday Thank You Note to each person in your job search network. It's a good way to show your gratitude and stay in touch with those contacts you've developed. By the way, it's also an opportunity to ask if there's something you can do for them!

Exclamation Points!

We all like a little excitement and the exclamation point is one way to express it in our writing. However, be sure to use this punctuation mark properly and judiciously. Too much of a good thing, isn't always great. Continue reading...

Belated Thank You Note

Question
In July, I accepted a "contingent" job offer from a prospective employer. The primary contingency was that the company would be awarded a contract for some work at a local facility. The time frame for the award is expected to be this month. I thought it was a good idea to call them and follow up, but was previously advised not to do so. However, I still think otherwise. Continue reading...

Thank You Follow-up Letter

Question
I went for an interview last week for a customer service position. I was called the next day by the owner of the company, who said he hired another person Continue reading...

Thank You for the Informational Interview

After your informational interview, write a thank you note to the person you interviewed. This polite gesture will demonstrate that you sincerely appreciate their help, and you value the networking contacts they might have shared with you.

To get ideas for how to write such a note, check out my sample thank you letters for informational interviews.

Interview Follow-Up

Question
Exactly two weeks ago I had an interview with a great company. I left feeling very optimistic, and the company expressed their interest in the job. Within the next few days I had heard from my previous boss that they already contacted them as references. Continue reading...

Thanks for the Job Rejection!

When you get a job rejection after an interivew, write a thank you note to the interviewer. Doing so will show that you're professional and may even give you a shot at a future job opening in the company.

To see some truly awful responses to job rejections, read Job Rejections and Vitriol, Part 2.

To get ideas for writing your thank you note, read Sample Thank You Letters for a Job Rejection.

Follow-up on Verbal Job Offer

Question
I got a verbal job offer a week ago; we never discussed the salary or the benefits. The man in charge said I will hear from the human resource department. How do I proceed?
--Margaret
Read my answer...

Follow-Up on Job Interview

Question
I went on a great interview, got a job offer, and told her that I had other options to consider and wanted to do a little research before I made my decision because I would be relocating. She encouraged this, and I left things on a positive note. I told her I would be in touch with her by the end of next week (the interview was on Thursday).
Continue reading...

Say "Thank You" during Your Job Search

Why it's important to say "thank you" throughout your job search. For more about how and when to show gratitude, see Thank You posts in The Job Lounge.

The Good News Letter

The good news letter is a computer-generated note you send to those in your support group who helped you land your new job. At the end of each note, you hand write a "thank you" to that person. It's a great way to say "thanks" while announcing your successful job hunt.

Take a look at the sample good news letters on my website.

A Thank You Email for the Interview

I broke my own rule of thumb about thank you letters after an interview. I sent a thank you email instead of a hardcopy thank you note by snail mail.

Thanks-But-No-Thanks Letter

Question
I went on an interview and feel it went well, although the position is not what I expected it to be. I am not interested in pursuing this position and want to write a “thank you” but “no thanks” letter. Continue reading...

Thank You Notes

Katie Baird invited me to comment on her post, Thank you notes: do you or don't you? Because this question comes up in the world of job search, I'm posting my comment here (as well as on her blog):

Yesterday was my birthday and I recieved several gifts and cards. I intend to send a handwritten thank you note for each of my gifts (except to my husband), and acknowledge each card with an email or phone call.

When it comes to business, I consider thank you's very important as a way of showing gratitude. Whether I deliver my thanks in a letter, email, or phone call depends on the professional relationship I have with the person.

Sometimes a written thank you also serves as a paper trail, so I'm careful to word it with that in mind. For instance, the person might be able to use my thank you note as a letter of recommendation in a future job search. An organization might want to publish an excerpt of my letter in a brochure as a customer testimony. Or, my email of thanks may actually help in tracking the status of a business transaction.

I know many people who display thank you notes they've recieved by placing them on their desks or bulletin boards. Many hiring managers say the thank you letter after an interview was the deciding factor in hiring a particular employee.

So I say, thumbs up on thank you's as long as they're sincere.

Thanks for the Not-So-Good Interview

You just finished a so-so job interview and as you walk away from it, you realize that you were nervous and you didn’t do as well as you could have. You really want the job. But how can you turn around the bad impression you might have made at your interview? Continue reading...