Mastering the Art of Thank You Notes: Essential Tips for Young Professionals to Stand Out in Interviews

In a recent keynote address on “Workplace Culture: What’s Your Fit?”, I spoke to an audience of eager young professionals all looking to land an internship that aligned with their professional goals. We went through the disconnect between personal values and corporate values, then helped to connect the dots to understand that values are a reflection of culture.

Remember this: when your personal values don’t align with your company’s values, there will be a bad cultural fit. Easier said than realized, right? 

I also spoke to the “entitled” and “lazy” stereotypes they’re all going to face when they start almost anywhere. It is going to be their responsibility to confront those misconceptions through action! Basic examples like showing up a little early to be on time or giving total attention with no distractions from a smartphone were given. However, the piece I drove home the hardest was the lost art of a well-written thank you note and how crucial that is in every interview they ever go on, even if they don’t want the job.

I can’t begin to tell you how many employers come to me frustrated and confused with statements like;

• “We had an amazing interview but they didn’t ever follow up after. They must not really want the position.“
• “They seemed like a good fit, but then spelled my name AND the company’s name wrong on their thank you email. So they were removed from the pool immediately.”
• “Their thank you letter was so mediocre it made me think I’d be hiring a mediocre employee. No thanks!”

AHHH!!! This is so hard for me to hear on both sides of the coin. I was taught how to write thank you notes with extreme care by my mother. Since the time I knew how to write, I was sending my own thank yous for every single thing I was ever gifted. Then, as I became an adult, I understood the anatomy of personal thank you notes and simply adjusted it to a new audience and a goal ahead of me.

Young professionals today are not being taught this skill of thank you notes.

And it’s not their fault that they have a learning curve, but it is their responsibility to learn how to do it. Thank you notes in every form or fashion express gratitude and appreciation. Everyone needs to learn that skill. Everyone. Whether it’s a beautiful card or an email, saying “thank you” goes a very long way. It speaks to your character, your values and your ability to develop meaningful relationships.

I challenged the audience to all email me a mock “thank you for the interview” communication and I would personally provide them with feedback. I am pleased to say that many took me up on my offer. And I’m surprised to say that they almost all had the same missing pieces when it came to making it personal, appreciative and another opportunity to remind the reader of why they’re THE right choice.

So, I decided to create a cheat sheet to cover the major points I just reviewed on how to write thank you notes.

Please for the love of growth, share this with anyone in your life (millennial or not) who needs some work in their follow up communications post-interview!

Check out it out below or you can download a copy of my thank you notes template here: Thank You Cheat Sheet