Do I really need to write thank-you letters to employers?

The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments

Question: "Do I really need to write thank-you letters to employers?"

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

The one-word answer: YES!

While career experts differ on whether thank-you notes should be typed or hand-written, mailed or e-mailed, on plain paper or on note paper, they all agree on one thing: that job-seekers who send the thank you notes will have an edge -- however slight -- over job-seekers who do not bother to take the time send one. Amazingly, the majority of job-seekers do not take the time or effort to send thank-you notes.

Sending a thank-you note takes just a few minutes of your time -- and it will show the employer that you are still interested in the position.

What type of thank-you note should you send? My advice is to take the cue from the employer. If all the people you've interviewed with have given you their e-mail addresses and the culture seems to be one where people depend on e-mail, then send your thank you electronically -- it will get there faster and have an immediate impact. If the culture seems to be one of more traditional communications methods, then consider either mailing your thank you notes -- or hand-delivering them (yourself or through a messenger service) to the employer. And even with an e-mail thank you, I recommend also sending an actual (hard-copy) thank-you note or letter.

Remember to tailor your letter to the culture of the company and the relationship you established with the person(s) who interviewed you.

This article is part of a series from The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments. Read more.

See a list of all the most common college, career, and job questions -- and Dr. Hansen's solutions.

Who is the Career Doctor? Learn more, read his current career column, or browse the column archives when you visit the Career Doctor's homepage.

QuintCareers.com Founder Dr. Randall Hansen

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is a nationally recognized career and job-search expert. He is founder of Quintessential Careers, one of the oldest and most comprehensive career development sites on the Web, as well CEO of EmpoweringSites.com. He is also founder of MyCollegeSuccessStory.com and EnhanceMyVocabulary.com. He is publisher of Quintessential Careers Press, including the Quintessential Careers electronic newsletter, QuintZine. Dr. Hansen is also a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds of articles. He's often quoted in the media and conducts empowering workshops around the country. Finally, Dr. Hansen is also an educator, having taught at the college level for more than 15 years. Visit his personal Website or reach him by email at randall(at)quintcareers.com.

Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

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The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments

Question: "Do I really need to write thank-you letters to employers?"

Read more in this article from Quintessential Careers: FAQs About Thank You Letters. You can also find some sample thank-you letters here.

This article is part of a series from The Career Doctor's Cures & Remedies to Quintessentially Perplexing Career and Job-Hunting Ailments. Read more.

See a list of all the most common college, career, and job questions -- and Dr. Hansen's solutions.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

Read more in this article from Quintessential Careers: FAQs About Thank You Letters.

You can also find some sample thank-you letters here.