Time is especially important after a job interview. Contact the interviewer to say thank you within 1 day of the interview to thank them for their time. For other services, time is not as crucial. If you forgot to send a note and a week has gone by, still send the note. People appreciate receiving thanks, even if it’s late.
If you don’t have excellent handwriting, opt for a typed letter. Once you print or write the letter, keep it clean and tidy until you send it. Don’t let it get wrinkled or spill anything on it. Use nice stationary for an added touch.
Choose an appropriate design for the card. It should still look professional. A simple card with a small design and generic text works just fine. Greeting cards are also a good choice if you know the person you’re writing to personally. If you’ve met or spoken to this person before and built more of a relationship, a card helps solidify that relationship.
If you do send an email, write “Thank You” followed by your name in the subject line. This way, the recipient knows you sent the email by just skimming their inbox. If you prefer sending a letter but need it delivered quickly, you could send it with overnight mail. This can be an expensive service, however.
An exception would be if you send a card rather than a letter. In this case, just include the date.
If the person has a specific title, like “Dr. ”, use this instead of Mr. or Ms. If you don’t know or cannot determine the person’s gender, use their full name instead. For example, “Dear Jamie Wilson. ” If you personally know the person, it is appropriate to only use their first name. In all other cases, use their title and last name or full name. Don’t use an impersonal greeting like “To Whom it May Concern. ” This is inappropriate for a thank you letter. Find the name of someone you can address the letter to.
For example, “I hope you are doing well. I’m writing to thank you for the excellent service you provided for our store last week. ” This greets the recipient, thanks them, and provides necessary details all within 2 sentences. If you’re sending an email, write “Thank You” with your name after so the recipient can see right away that it’s a thank you note.
Don’t ramble with details. Use a few sentences at most to get this point across. For example, saying “Your emergency plumbing services helped keep our store open through one of our busiest periods. Without your help, our business would have lost money and customers. I’m very thankful for your fast and high-quality work” gets the job done quickly.
Something simple like “I would love to work with your business again” is enough to show your interest in the future. If you’re thanking someone after a job interview, take this opportunity to reiterate your interest in the job. However, don’t try to convince them to hire you. They’ve already seen your resume and interviewed you. Keep this part brief and focus on the thanking part. If, however, you had a good experience but don’t want to maintain any relationship, just thank the person and don’t allude to the future.
Just a simple “Thanks again” works fine here. Don’t go into another section detailing what the person did for you.
Stick with professional closings like “Sincerely. ” “Best” also works in a less formal case. Don’t use an informal ending like “Cheers. ” Unfortunately, you can’t physically sign your name on an email. In this case, simply write your name to conclude.
