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What’s the protocol on thank you notes? Is Email ok? And when should I send one? -E. M.
YES you have to send a thank you note. Personally, I think email is fine, although some people strongly disagree and think only a handwritten note will do. But since email is fast (and oftentimes jobs are filled within a day or two), and is the primary method of communication these days, I think email is just fine.
If you’ve been emailing back and forth with the hiring person, don’t use the same thread to send your thank you. Start a new one and call it “Thank you.” Send a thoughtful, sincere paragraph or two (keep it short and sweet; you aren’t writing a novel here) and feel free to ask a question or two if it’s vital. I say “if it’s vital” because you don’t want the hiring person to feel obligated to carry on a new email thread with you if it’s just for a trivial question. Send the thank you within 24 hours of your interview, less if you know they’re fast-tracking this hire. If this is going to be a fast hire, then send it as soon as you can. Otherwise, take some time to write something thoughtful so the hiring person doesn’t get the feeling that this note is simply part of your checklist. As to what you should say, I always recommend writing a draft simply for yourself. What do you want to say? Why do you want this job? Why are you qualified? Don’t censure yourself, just get thoughts out. Then take that draft and turn it into something more presentable and professional. Remember that a hiring manager will probably look at your correspondence to him/her as an example of your correspondence with outside people (and how you would represent them as their assistant.) This doesn’t mean you have to be stiff and formal, just polite and professional. Good luck in your search, Karen Send questions
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