✍️ Cultivating the perfect thank you note.
From job interviews, client emails, to nods for co-workers, a simple thanks really goes a long way.
As you aim for perfection and the highest standards for your work, be sure not to miss out on the important details. Sometimes going back to the basics is necessary, especially ones that will sell you lasting impressions.
If you’ve been putting it off, it’s time to finally learn to write thank you notes at the right time, in the right way. It takes about 2 minutes to send a simple thank you note—even faster now that you’ve got them covered in this week’s Monday Mavens edition!
A strong virtual handshake
In the times of online job interviews, jobseekers are finding it harder and harder to stand out when there are barely any opportunities to show their qualities to the recruiters other than during the job interview itself.
Not being able to impress through non-verbal communication, like a strong handshake at the end of an interview, should not stop you from standing out from the crowd. A proven passion and interest in the role can be seen through a thank you note you send after the interview.
Here are some things you need to keep in mind:
Take notes during the interview
It’s important to know what you learned during the small talk portion of the interview. Write down any important points you discussed and whether they’re facing any problems as a company that you can help with.
Stick to an online message and be prompt
Handwritten notes used to be the sure winners, but in today’s post-pandemic world, messages sent via email or messenger channels used by the recruiter should be your go-to. If you can, send it within 24 hours after the interview.
Make it personal
Hiring managers can spot a generic letter taken straight from the internet. Make sure your thank you personal show your personality. Be confident enough to add snark, sincerity, and your own professional goals when appropriate.
Send notes to each interviewer
If you have more than one recruiter in one interview session, be sure to send each of them a separate thank you note. Add different details for each note to show strong interpersonal skills.
Balance the formal and informal
Don’t be too stiff with your message and wording. Write the letter for the purpose of another human being reading it. But, don’t be too casual either. Six in 10 HR professionals recommend not to start your letter with “hi.”
Find more things to note and examples of good and bad thank you notes in the Fast Company piece here.
A golden CRM tool
A thank you note could be critical in many situations, one of those include the times when you’d like to preserve a long-term relationship with a client. A great thank you letter format contains the following elements:
Start with a greeting
Share your gratitude with specific examples
Include any details from your conversations
Close with any additional thoughts or information
End with a polite closing
Not only to build external relationships, thank you notes are handy for maintaining relationships with co-workers. It’s common courtesy, shows professionalism, sets you apart, and most importantly encourages a gratitude-oriented mindset.
If you’re unsure when to start giving out thank you notes, you could start practicing writing one when a co-worker:
Helps you with a task or project
Sends you a gift
Provides mentorship to you
Provides a recommendation to you or your team
Leaves a project, a team, or the company
Learn more about writing thank you notes for clients and external parties here and ones for co-workers here.
A bridge to the next opportunity
One person that we often forget to write thank you notes to, is our very own bosses. Though they may give out many opportunities for us to grow, we often overlook these opportunities as ‘them just doing their job’. A thank you note could really help, especially in the following occasions:
When you get a promotion
For special assignments
Leave approvals
Salary raise
All-expense-paid training
+ more!
When putting down your thoughts and gratitude into a thank you note to your boss, make sure to avoid these common mistakes:
Avoid spelling errors, even in informal notes.
Don’t use a thank you note to express dissatisfaction for what you received.
Exaggeration is not necessary, you do not need to add that you own the person something in return.
Make sure you are brief and as concise as possible; do not write very long epistles.
Leave out the jokes and sarcasm, they might trigger a negative response from the receiver.
Check out tips on writing thank you notes to your boss—for every occasion, in the full article here.
How often do you write thank you notes? Once a week? Once a day?
From this point on, we hope to have upgraded your thank you notes to the next level in order to help you score more wins.
Feeling grateful to the insights you’ve gained from today’s Monday Mavens edition?
No need to pay us back with anything—just sharing them to your colleagues and friends would already make our day.
‘Till next week.
Cheers!