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Thank You! Make an Impact in 5 Minutes
Why do fewer than 10% of all candidates blow off the easiest way to stand out? It’s so simple…the thank you note. Yet so few take advantage of writing a simple thank you…so it’s a huge advantage to those who do.
Why write a Thank You note? Here’s 5 reasons:
- Thank You remind the hiring manager who you are
- Thank You show the hiring manager that you REALLY want the job
- Thank You give you an opportunity to highlight why you can uniquely solve the hiring managers’ problem
- Thank You show the hiring manager that you are polite, and starts your relationship out on the right foot
- And the obvious reason – 90% of applicants don’t write Thank You notes
Even if you think you blew the interview, write a thank you. Why? The person who aced the interview might be priced out of the company’s budget, or might take a different job.
Even if you don’t want the job, write a thank you. Why? Hiring managers talk…if you’ve impressed the interviewer, the hiring manager may refer you to one of his network.
Thank You Strategies – Email, or Letter?
At a minimum, send an email, with the advantage of speed, it can be read that night.
A mailed printed letter is the least effective – at best it arrives days after the interview.
If you’re set on mailing, do it right…send a hand written letter on nice stationery card stock.
To maximize your effect, send both. You get the advantage of email's speed, but nothing conveys personality like a hand written thank you. Hand written notes show you’ve taken the time in today’s time crunched world to be personal, and handwritten notes come from the heart – they are believable. Better yet, you get to remind the hiring manager who you are - twice. Almost no one uses this tactic, so you REALLY stand out.
That’s why your Mom made you write Thank You notes as a kid…so you'd know how to write them as an adult.
