So, I don't know about you, but I'm looking for a reason to be thankful. After my first few months as a blogger, I've learned that students' professional experiences, despite all the difficulties and exhaustion, offer insight and knowledge for which students are grateful.
For that reason, it's important to send thank you notes and emails (hello, digital age). Let the people you interacted and worked with know that you appreciate the time and effort they spent to help you. There are a lot of situations in your professional career where you should be saying "Thank You," and the way you say it varies, as well.
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| Although they're not the most professional, Jimmy Fallon knows how to find gratitude in special places (source) |
When to write thank you letters/emails
These are a several situations where a thank you note is absolutely appropriate for students:
A thank you note is a magical thing. Obviously, you want to say "thank you," but it can be a golden opportunity to say a whole lot more...
- After a job interview
- After an internship
- After a networking event
- After an informational interview
A thank you note is a magical thing. Obviously, you want to say "thank you," but it can be a golden opportunity to say a whole lot more...
"Thank you!" after an interview
A thank you note is a great way to stand out after the interview process. If you *really* want to make a thoughtful impression, handwriting a thank you card on REAL PAPER shows that you wanted to take the extra step, and it allows your interviewer to remember you a few days after your interview. (WARNING: Most of us will probably need to ask our parents how to address a letter...)In that case, you want to make sure you're covering some good stuff in your thank you note:
- Personalize it. Make sure to address the interviewer by name. If there were multiple interviews, send multiple cards--no generic, identical messages either guys.
- Get pumped! The interviewer wants to see that you are excited to work for the company and to be part of the team. One way to show that excitement post-interview is to highlight an aspect of the conversation/interview that you enjoyed or found interesting.
- Be confident. Don't sound desperate at the end of your thank you letter like, "I'd really appreciate the opportunity to work with Angry Chocolates." End with something more professional and along the lines of "Looking forward to continuing the discussion and learning more about what’s in the works at Angry Chocolates." (Forbes magazine)
If you think the interview was not ideal, don't go crying about everything you did wrong over some post-interview ice cream. Relax.
Rather than telling Ben & Jerry what you wish you had said, questions you want answers to, and other aspirations, it may be--*just may be*--more productive to put those thoughts into a thank you letter. In this case, a thank you email could be more appropriate so that you can get responses to questions ASAP and the interviewer can consider any additional info you want to tell them before it's too late.
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| It's important to give thanks to things you neglect... (source) |
Finally, a thank you email is always preferable to a thank you note by snail mail if you know that the employer will be deliberating immediately after the interview, either to determine if you'll make it to the next interview stage, or if they're making an immediate decision to extend you an offer. So, in this case, expedite that thank you!
"Thank you!" after an internship
Whether your internship lasted a week or an entire summer, interns tend to work with a lot of different people and *hopefully* learn a lot. Interns are also prospective employees. So ending the internship smartly and keeping in contact is a strategy that will help you in the future. Some things to keep in mind:
- Don't just say "thank you" to the boss. If you interacted with the entire team, or if there are a few people that helped and mentored you during the internship, send them a card or an email as well. During my last internship with SeamlessDocs, I wrote cards to the CEO, the CFO - both of whom contributed to our general projects, and my immediate supervisor. However, I interacted with an entire team of employees who definitely deserved a "thank you" at least!
- Personal delivery. If you're a person who's really bad at saying good-bye, having something to give - even if it's just a small card - helps make the situation less awkward. This way, you don't leave the office without a sound as if you're coming back the next day, but you don't need to make it a big farewell - hopefully the card says everything you need.
- Don't cut ties. If you think that your internship tied in with your interests and you want to keep gaining experience, stay in touch with the company. One way to do this is by offering to continue helping out with smaller projects while back at school. Granted these have to be pretty small projects that you can accomplish virtually, but it's an easy way to stay in touch and maintain a small role with the company.
"Thank you!" after a networking event
Now, I've yet to try this after the networking events I've attended because I'm not confident that I made a memorable impression on the recruiter/speaker/alum at the event. However, that's exactly how a "Thank You" letter can help! There are ways to make yourself stand out through a "Thank You" letter that will give you a boost even after the networking night.
- Timing is key. Don't let too many days pass by without any follow-up. Networking events bring so many people together - the longer you wait, the harder it'll be for the person to remember you. (Even though I'm sure you, the reader, are unforgettable :) )
- Stand out. Start out by mentioning a light part of the conversation that you shared. Maybe it was the fact that you grew up in the Boston area, maybe it's that you both loved a particular TV show! If you say, "I'm the student who talked with you about summer internship opportunities," you've narrowed it down to pretty much every student that person talked to...
- Networking 2.0. In today's world, networking doesn't just mean meeting people and shaking their hand. Now, we have multiple ways to get connected whether it's LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. Let the person know that you will be reaching out to them on these platforms, making it easy for them to connect with you in the future.
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| Thank you, readers, for being awesome!! (source) |
"Thank you!" after an informational interview
Whether you talk on the phone, in person, via Skype or a simple email exchange, if an alum or friend conducts an informational interview with you, you owe that person a thank you. But here's an interesting idea that accomplishes several goals: reach out a month or two after the informational interview with another thank you email. Here's why: the immediate thank you is common courtesy for their time and effort, but when it's so quick after the interview, the alum/friend doesn't know how the advice they provided really helped you moving forward.
So, tell them! A couple of months after the interview, get back in touch and tell them how their advice helped you. Maybe they suggested a website or organization to check out, or better yet, they referred you to a friend. And maybe, one of those leads was golden. Let them know how they helped you! Thank them for the tip and remind them that you are still in your search and ask if anything has crossed their desk that may be of interest to you.
That's the magic - you may be wondering how to keep in touch with someone after an informational interview without bugging them. Reach out and let them know how useful they've been. Give them an update on your progress. This second thank you email will be even more rewarding for the alum/friend than your initial thank you and could prove to be beneficial to you. Keep the conversation flowing - that's real networking.
This probably seems like a lot of information that I've thrown your way, but you should know that no matter what, simply showing thanks and displaying your appreciation towards someone goes a long way.
And of course, that applies for more than just your professional life.
Thanks for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Nina Joung
Class of 2018
So, tell them! A couple of months after the interview, get back in touch and tell them how their advice helped you. Maybe they suggested a website or organization to check out, or better yet, they referred you to a friend. And maybe, one of those leads was golden. Let them know how they helped you! Thank them for the tip and remind them that you are still in your search and ask if anything has crossed their desk that may be of interest to you.
That's the magic - you may be wondering how to keep in touch with someone after an informational interview without bugging them. Reach out and let them know how useful they've been. Give them an update on your progress. This second thank you email will be even more rewarding for the alum/friend than your initial thank you and could prove to be beneficial to you. Keep the conversation flowing - that's real networking.
This probably seems like a lot of information that I've thrown your way, but you should know that no matter what, simply showing thanks and displaying your appreciation towards someone goes a long way.
And of course, that applies for more than just your professional life.
Thanks for reading, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Nina Joung
Class of 2018
