Thanksgiving is coming up. It’s one of my favorite holidays for many reasons. For me, it has become a great day for family, friends, and neighbors to get together. Saying thanks to others is an important aspect in all of our lives. Sometimes, we forget to do the little things in our job search that really make the difference.

We all should thank someone, and in turn, be thanked. Saying thank you should be a daily courtesy and a life long job search method.

Why do we ignore daily thank you’s? My guess is that we do not pay attention to daily thank you’s for a variety of reasons:

We are just “too busy.”We don’t think it is really necessary. Aren’t people being paid for their efforts? Aren’t they paid to interview us?

We don’t’ understand the importance of the words, “thank you.”

Maybe, we haven’t been really taught to be polite.

Some job seekers think it is trivial or irrelevant.

But herein lies the significance of “thank you” (as well as politeness in general):

•First, being polite and thanking people is the right thing to do.
•Second, it is the smart thing to do.

Third, it separates you from others. Very few people even think about sending a thank you card. The card is a symbolic gesture of your communication skills.

It is a measure of how you value others in your life, a measure how you will work in a company, a symbol of a team player - someone who appreciates all the various components of a job.

“Thank You” gives you a further connection to the interviewer, a tool that others do not have.

As workers, we appreciate any extra acknowledgement of our efforts.

I can think of many examples of candidates who were given job offers and for a variety of reasons turned them down. It was the visible applicant that in some cases received the job offer.

So, politeness and thank you’s start and continue throughout your professional career.

What should the thank you card say?

It should be a simple, neatly handwritten expression of your appreciation of their time and interest in following up on the interviewing process.

Dear Mr. Smith:

I appreciate your time in explaining and discussing your present job opening, as well as the corporate culture of company. I am very excited in moving forward with further discussions.

Thanks again

-Joe Tate

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Dear Ms. Jones:

I enjoyed our interview the other day. Your description of the job and your company appear to be a great match for my skill set and personality. I welcome the opportunity to explore our mutual growth.

Thank you for your personal input and time.

Sincerely,

-Kate Crystal
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Before you do your Thank You’s, buy a set of cards at a stationery store. Keep the cards plain and simple. Remember: it is always safe to be conservative in your presentation.

The do’s of thank you notes:
•Before you leave your interview, get a card of all those with whom you have interviewed. If you were interviewed by a committee, at least get the business card of the one responsible for the interview. Many times, the interview is a consensus process, in other words, a variety of people provide their input.

•Send your thank you right away. Timing is of the essence.

•Write a thank you in a legible printing if your handwriting is poor. The bottom line is, if your handwriting and your printing are both poor, type the note!

The thank you card is more than a simple gesture. It is a strong statement and expression of your personality, your skills, and your career goals, and is an ongoing process of recognizing others’ work.