Thank You

“Who doesn’t like to receive a letter of appreciation?” asks Craig Lindell, president of Minnetonka retained staffing firm Craig Lindell & Associates, Inc. “We couldn’t count the number of times that a letter of appreciation caused great things to happen for candidates.”
Lindell once had a client who expressed interest in hiring a candidate, wait to make a final hiring decision until he received a thank you letter from the candidate.
One employee learned the reason she received a promotion over other candidates was when hiring manager looked at her file, there were seven thank you letters from previous promotions she had received within the company.
Lindell says thank you letters should express appreciation for time spent in the interview highlighting any key points of the interview and job. It is also a good time to mention you’re looking forward to the next step in the hiring process. Make sure it has a personalized touch and sounds sincere. Then, reiterate how you can add value to the new firm or how excited you are with regard to potentially joining the new company.
Handwritten thank you letters are still the preferred since it reflects your willingness to put in the extra time and effort, says Brad Konik, president of GKA Staffing, Inc.
“E-mails are certainly acceptable but can easily get overlooked and may be interpreted as being the easy way out,” says Konik. “I still believe that an e-mail thank you is better than none at all.”
Keep track of everyone you interview with or who helps you along the way. Send thank you notes to anyone directly involved with the interview or hiring process. Keep in mind the thank you letter won’t be the sole reason you get hired, but it could be what separates equal candidates, or gives you an edge in a highly competitive job market.
“If all things were truly equal, I believe a thank you letter could certainly be a deciding factor between two candidates,” says Konik.

Freelance Writer, Matt Krumrie, Thank You. Minneapolis: Star Tribune, November 25, 2007