There are thank you notes that cover basic etiquette, the kind that will get you by. "Thank you for meeting me to discuss the administrative assistant position at your company. I enjoyed speaking with you. Sincerely . . . "
And then there are thank you letters that go the extra mile, the kind that not only express appreciation but also engage the interest of the hiring manager. You'll want to write one of those if you hope to be remembered, called back for a second interview, and considered a person of character and thoughtfulness.
Take Note On The Thank You Note…
Such letters are written in the job candidate's own handwriting, not typed, and not sent as an e-mail attachment. Take the time to sit down and write a professional yet friendly thank you note that expresses your gratitude and also includes a small but timely 'informational gift.'
Such a gift is not a coffee card or clothing store certificate. An informational gift could be an article, a tip, a web site, or a contact name and phone number that relates to something you and the interviewer discussed. That might be golf or jazz or quilting or some other shared interest. One job candidate noticed the interviewer's passion for impressionist art. In his thank you note he provided a link to an article about Cezanne masterpieces.
It takes so little to be above average. You can move to the top of the hiring manager's list of job candidates with a thoughtful post interview thank you letter that goes the extra mile.
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Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the brand new "Secret Career Document" job landing system. Jimmy is also the author of several career related books and writes a monthly article titled, "Job Search Secrets."