A thank-you letter, composed to be more than a bread-and-butter note, also can serve a strategic purpose. After a networking appointment, sending a thank-you letter can be an excellent way of telling your interviewee what you plan to do next. Instead of leaving a relationship dangling without momentum or closure, your thank-you note can move you toward an interview, help you tactfully decline the option of exploring career possibilities or leave the door open for you to communicate at a later date. And writing a thank-you note after an employment interview explaining why you're interested in and ideally suited for the position can mean the difference between receiving an offer or not.
Let's take a look at some instances when a thank-you note can make an important impact on your job search.
Three Types of Networking Thank-You Notes
If you're an active networker, it's likely that you'll talk with a variety of people during your job search. With some, you'll form a mutual admiration society and want to cement relationships. Others, will only vaguely interest you. The rest will have little or nothing in common with you or what you want in your career. If you plan to use your thank-you letters as strategic job-search tools, you can't adopt a cookie-cutter approach. Each thank-you note must be tailored to its recipient.
When customizing your letters, your first step might be to divide them into three categories:
- The "thanks-but-no-thanks" note.
- The "don't-be-surprised-if-I-call-you-again" note.
- And the "our-relationship-is-destiny" note.
The "Thanks-but-No-Thanks" Note
This letter should be sent to a networking contact that has been kind enough to meet with you but has little to offer in terms of job opportunities, ideas or further contacts. By writing, you're trying to show appreciation without encouraging further communication. In general, one paragraph thanking the individual for her valuable time and information will suffice.
ROBERT
Let me share with you a portion of a letter written by a job seeker to an employer who'd given the job to someone else:
"After I hung up the phone with you, I realized you had lied to me about why I wasn't chosen for the job. You said you wanted someone with experience at another company. That doesn't make any sense. You said your accounting system was difficult to understand. If I had worked at another company, I would want to do things the way that another company did them, which would make it hard for me to understand your system. Not only that, if I had worked for another company and was leaving to go to work for you that would say that I wasn't a dependable, steady employee, and probably wouldn't stay with you very long. In other words, not having worked for another company would be an advantage, not a negative reason for turning me down. Also, I thought you wanted a hard worker. Someone with experience isn't likely to work as hard for you as someone without experience. And finally, I assumed you wanted somebody who would be happy working in an accounting department. Somebody who gave up a job obviously wasn't happy, and wouldn't be happy with you either.
"If you wish to reconsider, I can be reached at . . .
Aside from obviously faulty logic, the tone and purpose of the letter is totally inappropriate.
Thanks-but>No-Thanks Note
800 Blue Mist Road
Kimberly, Alaska 99631
907-343-7798
January 22,199X
Mr. Daniel Trihoe
President
Trihoe Environmental Strategies
2222 Northern Lights Way
Juneau, Alaska 99631
Dear Mr. Trihoe:
Thank you for getting together with me to discuss the continuing efforts to help the individuals affected by the oil spill in Prince Edward Sound. I really appreciate the information you gave me concerning the various groups involved in the mammoth task and their future prospects and lifestyle. Good luck in your quest to return the area to its pristine beauty and economic viability.
Sincerely yours,
Robert Sampson
Be sure to include your address and phone number on every thank-you note you send, even if it's a tactful one-paragraph dismissal. You never know when someone who seemingly holds no opportunity has a relative or friend who's trying to fill the job of your dreams. If you ensure that everyone who gets a thank-you note can reach you, you won't inadvertently lose a key referral.
The "Don't-Be-Surprised-lf-l-Call-You-Again" Note
This second type of networking thank-you is geared for contacts that you enjoyed meeting, who are involved in projects that interest you, but who have nothing to offer at this point. These letters include three main components:
- A paragraph on what you find particularly admirable or intriguing about the contact or his company, industry or job.
- A few sentences highlighting how your background, skills and interests parallel what the person does or seeks in a successful colleague.
- A paragraph stating how you expect to continue your research but might like to contact the person again to ask more refined questions or pursue an opportunity.
2300 Bellmeade Place
Columbia, SC 29303
803-789-4455
March 23, 199X
Ms. Laura Lee Caruthers
VP of Marketing
Granite Office Systems
4 Robert E. Lee Blvd.
Columbia, SC 29303
Dear Laura Lee,
Thank you so much for getting together with me to talk about how the role of office systems distributors is evolving in this area. I particularly appreciated your genuine concern for keeping your customers in touch with state-of-the-art developments, while recognizing their need to upgrade equipment only as their internal requirements and budget justify it. Your philosophy represents a true commitment to customer service and is relatively rare in an industry where bottom-line results often take priority over long-term business relationships.
In our discussion about my career direction, I was really pleased to hear you say that good sales professionals can sell almost anything if they have the intrinsic people, planning and perseverance skills and a hunger to constantly learn more about their products. If this enlightened attitude is gaining favor among manufacturers, I can easily segue into other similar product areas.
As I mentioned during our appointment, I am planning to continue my research on a variety of high-tech products and services before targeting my specific career goal. As I refine my ideal job description, I may give you a call to expand upon some issues we've already discussed or to explore a possible new opportunity.
Don't be surprised if you hear from me again in the not-too-distant future.
Sincerely yours,
Cindy McDonald
The "Our-Relationship-is-Destiny" Note
This is the kind of thank-you note all job seekers long to write because it means they've struck career gold on a recent networking appointment. Eureka! You've found a great company where you might land a challenging position re porting to the mentor of your dreams. Obviously, this extraordinary situation deserves an extraordinary thank-you note-one that's reserved for the most exciting opportunities.
Like the don't-be-surprised note, the relationship-is-destiny letter begins with a complimentary paragraph describing something you genuinely admire about the reader or organization. Because the two of you have formed a mutual admiration society, this paragraph should be an especially enthusiastic statement about why you'd like to join your reader's team.
The second paragraph should make an outstanding case for why the company and your interviewee might be interested in having you on board. If you've done a good job of information interviewing, you'll know exactly what skills, personality traits and values are desired by your potential employer. Paragraph two should spotlight which of your accomplishments match those of an ideal candidate.
The final paragraph should state specifically what you plan to do next. For instance, you may:
Confirm the date and time for an impending employment interview. Use your note as a cover letter for a requested resume, and say you'll call next week to confirm its arrival and discuss the next step. Thank your contact for suggesting names of colleagues you should meet, and then update him on your efforts to see them.
Tell your interviewee you appreciate his offer to discuss potential opportunities for you with his team, and that you'll touch base in a couple of weeks to learn the results of his conversations.
Mention that you've given your recent meeting much thought and have a proposal to discuss with him. You'll call in a week or so to make an appointment for a meeting.
These are a few scenarios that can evolve from a positive networking appointment. Whatever the outcome, send a thank-you note that shows you're motivated and promotes a lasting relationship.
Our-Relationship-is-Destiny Note
Sally Hines
200 Frankfort Drive
Evanston, Illinois 60202
708-113-2424
April 30, 199X
Ms. Susan Calvecchio
Partner
Calloway, Couthron and Calvecchio
2300 East First Street
Springfield, IL 62702
Dear Susan,
I really appreciate your getting together with me to discuss how recruiting interns helps your firm maintain the caliber of its work and promote healthy growth. From what you have told me, it's clear your organization is interested in the whole person, not just his ability to log billable hours. While we both know that billing hours is how lawyers survive and profit, some firms are so committed to 60- to 70-hour weeks that their partners and associates have no time for anything else. It's refreshing to discover an organization which realizes that too much hard work can kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, or at least, retard its production.
I was also pleased to learn that your approach to finding the best interns resembles the one my admissions team uses to select students most likely to benefit from our programs at North western. Many talented young people apply for admittance to the university, but we don't have the resources to accept all of them. Consequently, our selection process must favor those individuals who will take greatest advantage of their educational experience and serve as excellent representatives for us as they move through their careers.
Calloway, Couthron and Calvecchio must also consider which intern candidates are most likely to be successful within the law firm and eventually become prominent in their field of expertise and their community. As we discovered, your criteria for determining the most appropriate candidates and Northwestern's are very similar.
As you seriously consider establishing a formalized human resources department, I am enclosing my resume for your "pending" file. Now that we've deemed ourselves official friends, let's get together about once a month to catch up on each other's activities and compare notes on our latest recruiting efforts. I'll call you in a couple of weeks to find out when both of us can meet for lunch. Talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
Sally Hines
Enclosure
Networking Thank-You Notes from Real People
Milt Plowright
Right Associates
50210 Claybrook Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
504-247-8283
March 2,199X
Ms. Taunee Besson
President
Career Dimensions
6330 LBJ Freeway, Suite 136
Dallas, TX 75240
Dear Taunee:
Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you on February 27 to explore your thoughts relating to career counseling.
As a result of our discussion, I made a decision to concentrate my efforts at this time in outplacement. Furthermore, I have implemented a plan to enhance my outplacement skills and will market them appropriately.
Taunee, I appreciate our frank and open discussion, and suggest we keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Milt Plowright
Mr. Lawrence G. Frantz
Senior Vice President
Chief Financial Officer
FHope Energy Corporation
Two Galleria Tower
1 3455 Condon Road
Suite 1 500
Dallas, TX 75240
214-770-0290
April 29, 199X
Ms. Barbara Suzuki
PaineWebber
Oxford Tower
1201 Elm Street, Suite 2600
Dallas, Texas 75270
Dear Barbara:
Thanks for your time last week to talk about the possibility of my doing some consulting work for CEOs' presentations to analysts. I will need the help of analysts and investment bankers to do this and you can be helpful to me in gaining access to both at PaineWebber, especially if you can get me invited to some analysts' meetings.
I also appreciate your offer to loan me the book about how adults learn. Information in that book may be useful to me in selling the idea to CEOs that they need to have good charts to accompany their presentations.
At some point, I would also like to talk with Craig about my business. Eventually I might be in a position to recommend his services to my clients and vice versa.
Sincerely,
Larry Frantz
