Writing Effective Thank You Letters

Summary:
You've just completed an information/referral interview with a person who gave you an "inside" view of your career choice and targeted job plus personal advice and referrals. Next step: Write him a thank you letter.

General Tips

A Thank You Letter Template

Real-life Example

Related Links

Related Content

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Overview

In this article, I'll complete the framework for setting up and following up an informational/referral interview. I'll show you how to write effective thank you letters to the contact people you've met. In the next series of articles, we can then get down to the nitty-gritty of preparing for those interviews and managing the information you obtain from them.


General Tips

Consider these general guidelines in writing your thank you letters:

• Respond immediately by snail mail. Each person you interview (whether by telephone, through e-mail, by instant messenger or in person) needs to get a thank you letter from you -- preferably within a day or two of your meeting.
  
  
• Use word processing to write your letter, if you are requesting further action from your contact person. Otherwise, you may write a personal note by hand.
  
  
• Keep your letter fresh. Write it the same day of your interview, if possible.
  
  
• Be personal, specific, and genuine in your thanks.
  
  
• Repeat a snippet of the conversation you had with your contact person to show you listened with interest.
  
  
• Correct any significant misunderstanding you may have discovered after the interview.
  
  
• Confirm any follow-up action and let your contact know you intend to keep him or her informed about your progress. Write: "I'll keep you informed. Please keep me in mind."

A Thank You Letter Template

Here's a template for a four-paragraph thank you letter I have used during my own career marketing campaign.

Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip

Date

Contact's Name
Title
Company
Address
City, State, Zip

Dear ________ (You can use a first name here; be sure you know the name the person likes to be called.)

First Paragraph:


• Thank your contact person for the meeting. Lead with a sentence such as, "I enjoyed our meeting on (date)."
  
  
Second Paragraph:


• Show appreciation for the information your received. Perhaps write a sentence such as, "I appreciated the information you gave me about (be specific)."
  
  
Third Paragraph:


• Mention the follow-up actions you intend to take. Suggested lead sentence: "I will be contacting (name the leads you received during the interview)."
  
  
Fourth Paragraph:


• Express your appreciation again and indicate a subsequent follow up telephone call. Consider this sentence: Thank you again for your help. Please keep me in mind. I'll call you again in a month."
  
  
Sincerely,
Your Name

Real-life Example

Below is an actual thank you letter I have written. It shows how I used the preceding template.

December 11, 2000

Ms. Jane Doe
Senior Vice President
Strategic Planning Smith & Jones, Inc.
1850 Main St.
Madison, WI 53706

Dear Jane,

Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to help me stretch my thinking about where to look for "second career" possibilities. You're always good at stretching my thinking.

I appreciated your overview of the internal workings of an agency and your assessment of the Madison market. I plan to visit with Mary Johnson and Richard Smothers. There are agency contacts (mostly former employees) in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Kansas City I also want to pursue.

I'm also going to contact Sam Walters of the Wisconsin Department of Development about targeting companies that are relocating to Wisconsin. Publishing a series of columns about Wisconsin's business environment and workforce is also an attractive idea.

Lots of possibilities. You've been very helpful. Please keep me in mind, and I'll keep you informed about my progress -- touching base with you again in January.

Sincerely,
James R. Hasse

Note that, by using this approach with your thank you letters, you are using courtesy to reinforce and extend your network of contacts.

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