Do people still . . .

A thank-you note, no matter how modern we are, does not mean e-mail.
You can do both.

But just think: would you send thank-you notes for wedding gifts by e-mail? Or after a close one's funeral, when someone bestowed a particular kindness?

The small ad in the newspaper (not that I'm disparaging people buying ads in newspaper) that say "please consider this our personal thank you" are lazier than lazy. I know it's a bad time. But life does go on and the people who showed they care about you will still be there. And you'll need them.



Brides bitch and moan and bitch and moan about having to spend just a few hours doing something that will mean a lot to at least some of the people receiving them. Considering the swag we haul in, I'm continually astonished at that.

A little bit of old-fashioned courtesy never hurt anyone. And, since we're in the writing business, it should be even more a piece of cake for us.

As you can tell, my mother was big on the thank-you note thing. I'm sure many people here who don't think it's a big deal didn't have mothers who believed in that particular courtesy. But it's ok to skip a generation.

 

My problem? The paper would have made their hire before my thank you note made it via standard post.

I sent an e-mail.

 

Send a quick email.

Follow up with a hand-written thank you note.

In one of them, either the email or the note itself, do more than just say, "thank you." Follow up on a question that you might not have nailed. ASK THEM a question that you hadn't thought of. Do some research on some aspect of the gig that you hadn't considered, and follow up on it.

Do SOMEthing more to show your interest.

 

The most difficult part of the thank you note process is getting the brown off your nose and the smell out of your nostrils.

 

that's kinda the way i feel when i receive a hand-written note. in fact, a thank-you note never has influenced my decision in the hiring process in the least.

i do like follow-up e-mails, though, because they're more constructive. a person usually has a sincere question following an interview -- and i usually do, too -- and then more dialog follows. thank-you notes usually get pulled out of an envelope, looked at with a "hmmmmm," before it hits the trash can and never thought of ever again.

some of you may say that's wrong, but, i'm just being honest.

 

Mine was quick and to the point:
Thanks. Appreciate it. And oh, here's something else in regards to...And, I also added another reference.

We'll see where it goes from there.