Five Things You Should Know About Thank You Notes

After any meeting -- informational interview/phone call, job interview, general meeting -- it’s imperative to thank the person you met. This serves two purposes: 1. Showing them you are a consummate professional, and 2. Making them feel like they impacted you in a positive way. But there's no reason to write a thank you note if you're not going to write it correctly. Some tips:

1.  Send an email.   A handwritten note is a great supplement, if you have their mailing address, but an email is quicker. Under no circumstances should yousend a text, Facebook message, Snap, or even a LinkedIn message (and certainly don’t connect if you haven’t thanked them yet!). Emails are how professional people communicate with each other. Texts are for friends.

2. Timing matters!  Send an email within 24 hours. By the time your email lands in their inbox over the weekend, they’ve already written you off as an ingrate. Sure, better late than never, but waiting too long showcases your extraordinary procrastination skills and lack of follow through.

3. Email the assistant if he or she was the one who set the meeting. Assistants rarely get thanked, so showing your gratitude will ensure they remember you as a class act, which can only help you down the line. Keep in mind that assistants often impact the hiring decision. Don’t ask the assistant to forward your thank you note to the person you met. If you don't know their email address, either look up the company's email format or politely ask the assistant to send you their boss's email address so youcan thank them directly.

4. Make it personal. Allude to something you discussed in the meeting, and follow up on any tangible takeaways. They asked for a sample of your coverage? Attach it. They offered to connect you to a contact? Remind them and reiterate your interest.

5. Don’t overshare. Maybe you mentioned in your meeting that you were headed to an advance screening of Warcraft and they said, “Have fun!” Don’t end the thank you note with, “By the way, Warcraft is awesome. Youshould totally see it. I wound up sitting next to the loudest popcorn chewer, but still worth it!” No one cares. If they asked you to let them know how the movie was, fine, but keep it to the movie, not your personal experience. 

Remember that the person you met for coffee or a job interview has met many people just like you. They aren’t going to hire everyone or even keep in touch with everyone. A thank you note that’s written with the proper tone and sent promptly can help you -- and a bad one will be the last communication you ever have with that contact.