Thank You Tips

With so many Career Fairs taking place this time of year, I thought I would share some words on the ever important ‘Thank You’ to share with your students. The Career Fair: resumes are prepared and approved, students dress up, make eye contact, and shake with a strong hand….what’s next? Perhaps the Thank You! When you thank someone, like a friend who gave you a job lead, a hiring manager after an interview, or a company delegate after a career fair, for example, you help satisfy that person’s need to be appreciated. Here are ways to harness the power of “Thank You” in the job search. Thank more people. Of course you know to mail a thank-you note to hiring managers after every job interview. But that’s the bare minimum. You can spread more goodwill — and start more positive conversations about you — by writing and saying, “Thank You,” to every person you met while visiting a potential employer, including the receptionist. If you can’t get business cards from every one, at least get their name. Then, call the receptionist when you get home (or from your cell phone in the parking lot!) and ask for help in spelling names. You’ll avoid mistakes while generating a terrific post-interview impression by making that phone call. But don’t limit your thank-you notes to just after interviews. Mail them to anyone who does you a good turn during your job search: friends, relatives, neighbors, past co-workers, et al. Forget the e-mail thank you note. A Thank You e-mail has about as much emotional staying power as an emailed Christmas card or birthday greeting — you read it, you delete it, you forget it. Write and mail your Thank You letters on real paper. Here’s a sure way to make a hit with employers. Bring a box of thank-you notes with stamps to your next interview. After you finish, go to the car and write your notes in the parking lot. Drop them in the nearest mailbox and voila! Your letters will arrive first thing the next morning and carry maximum impact, because you wrote them with the interview still fresh in your mind.