Elements of a Thank You Letter

There is a reason you have heard about the importance of sending a timely follow-up; it can make or break your chances at getting hired. In today’s digital age, there is really no excuse to not send a timely thank you note after an interview.

A follow up is your last chance to sell yourself to the employer. In order to best do so, there are some things you should include in your thank you letter to stand out among the crowd. Or, at least among those who decided to take this step. The first thing you need to do is determine whether or not you want to send a paper version, email or both.

Given today’s digital job search, turning towards email may be the easiest route to take. However, to really stand out you can utilize the lost art of the handwritten letter. The best way to determine whether you’ll opt for an email or handwritten thank you letter is to base the decision on the company you’re interviewing at. For example, if you’re applying to tech-savvy, digitally oriented company, chances are an email will be better. If the company is more old-fashioned and traditional, opting for a handwritten note is a better route.

Now that you’ve decided how to send a thank you, there are some things you should make sure to do or include in the note.

Send One to Each Person You Spoke To

These days, most interviews include conversations with many different people within the organization. You will usually speak with a HR representative, your potential supervisor and maybe someone else in the department. More often than not, these people will provide their business card at some point. This provides the opportunity to reach out after the interview as you now have their information.

Each letter you write should be specific to the conversation you had. If you spoke to everybody at the same time, take a component from each and include it in your note for a personal touch. According to a Yale career expert, “Putting the time and effort into personalizing your notes shows that you were paying close attention to the information conveyed by each interviewer. This will benefit you when the interviewers compare notes – which they will do.”

Include the Basics

If you’re struggling to figure out what to include in your thank you letter, start with the basics: reiterate your interest, express your appreciation for the interviewer’s time, emphasize what makes you the ideal candidate, highlight a previous experience that prepared you for the role and mention something specific from the interview that you found particularly appealing about the role.

Be Concise

You do not need to write a novel in your thank you; a few sentences will be more than enough, if you include the right things. If you opt for the email thank you, you can go a little longer, but try to keep the copy within one scroll of the mouse. For the handwritten route, invest in some card stock that you can use after each interview instead of plain white paper. Not only will this show you are serious, but it shows professionalism.

Proofread

Your thank you note is the last impression you will make on the company before moving forward in the interview process. While you usually want it to help plead your case as the best candidate for the job, one riddled with errors may do the exact opposite. Having spelling and grammatical errors is one thing, but you need to check the names of the individuals and have the right company and position title. These simple things seem like no brainers, but far too often it is the simple things that we forget about.

Wrap Up

A well-crafted, timely follow up note or email is your last chance at making a good impression on the company you interviewed with. If you’re struggling with  writing your thank you, the aforementioned elements are important to remember.

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What Makes Employees Happy?

A recent article in The Economist analyzes the link between employee happiness and business success; something that has long been considered in evaluating your current work situation. It got me thinking, “what makes employees happy?”

While the saying, “Money can’t buy happiness,” is true, having a high paying job can certainly help, it isn’t the only factor influencing happiness at work. As a matter of fact, according to Glassdoor, compensation is one of the least important factors in regards to workplace happiness.

If you are evaluating your happiness at work and trying to determine whether or not you need to make a career move, consider these factors from our friends at TopResume that can keep you satisfied at work, but may be taking for granted.

Company Culture

An underappreciated factor that has a huge influence on potential workplace satisfaction is the company culture. A positive work environment is one that supports and empowers you to perform at your best, but may also be one of the most overlooked components of your job satisfaction. We all need the occasional change of scenery, but it is important to remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side, especially when it comes to company culture.

You need to figure out what you value in company culture and pursue opportunities that align with these values. If you have experienced a few different cultures, you can probably determine what work environment you prefer and work best in. However, if you’re an early career professional and unsure of what environment you would thrive in, you can take a personality assessment such as the DiSC Profile.

Making an Impact

Millennials get a lot of flack for wanting to do impactful work, but why is that a bad thing? We all have slow days at work, regardless of your job, but if you are bored day in and day out you likely aren’t satisfied at work and will become unhappy. Being engaged at work will lead to job satisfaction and if that engagement is meaningful, that is the ideal situation.

When you have opportunities to make meaningful contributions to the company, regardless of company size, you will be motivated and thrive in the role.

Relationship with your Manager

Different people operate best under different management styles, so similar to company culture, figuring out how you work best is important. Since you will be working with your manager on a daily basis, having a good relationship with him or her is very important, not only for workplace happiness but your career development.

A manager that cares about your career development is something that is not replicated at every job opportunity. If you have a good relationship with your manager, it will be easier to achieve workplace happiness. If your relationship isn’t the best, but cordial enough for the workplace, chances are your growth opportunities will be limited and so too will your happiness.

Relationship with Coworkers

It is no secret that we spend the majority of our lives at work, so enjoying the people around you is important. Similar to life outside of the office, you aren’t going to get along with everyone, but maintaining a professional relationship with them will make coming to the office each day a little easier.

The best-case scenario is obviously if you at least enjoy and have a good relationship with the people around you at the office. Your work friends don’t need to be your best friends, but having a sense of camaraderie at the office will do wonders for your psyche.

Learning and Development

Albert Einstein said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying,” and the same holds true for your happiness at work. When you’re bored and unfulfilled at your job you may fall into a funk, which will lead to unhappiness both at work and in your personal life. As Melanie Haniph states, “one of the keys to long-term career success is continuous learning and development.” When you’re constantly learning new things at work, you become more marketable to your supervisors which could lead to advanced career opportunities. Being able to continuously learn and develop will greatly impact your job satisfaction.

Wrap Up

If you’re starting to feel unhappy at work, it may be time to take a step back and try to find the source of your unhappiness. Is it with your pay or another factor? Once you identify what is causing these feelings you can change your approach in order to regain that happiness at work.

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Staying Positive When You Don’t Hear Back From a Company

With today’s job search being primarily Internet-based, it can be hard to not feel like “just a number.” Since job seekers from all over can apply to a job, a specific job can get upwards of hundreds, even thousands of job applicants. As a result, it becomes increasingly difficult for job seekers to stand out on a hiring manager’s computer screen.

Since so many job seekers can apply to jobs, hiring managers likely don’t even have the chance to go through the amount of job applications they receive on a daily basis. As a result, hiring managers need to be selective as to who they want to advance to the interview stage. This means that many job seekers won’t even make it past the application stage. However, given the influx of applications, it becomes difficult for companies to provide personal messages to each applicant who did not advance in the hiring process. Unfortunately, this means that not every job seeker will hear back regarding the status of his or her application.

If you’ve found yourself in this scenario, or are tired of the standard automated denial emails, here are some things you can do to stay positive during the job search.

Take Initiative and Make a Plan

Waiting around to hear from the job isn’t going to make you hear any faster. Similar to “watching paint dry,” this can be a long, drawn out process. Instead of waiting for something to happen, take action. While you can’t make the hiring manager reach out to you any faster, you can take some control of this seemingly out-of-your-hands process. Some ways to do this are creating a list of companies where you’d like to work, conducting informational interviews, following up after job interviews, etc.

If you got through to the interview phase and didn’t hear back within the time frame provided, wait a few days for the deadline to pass, before tailoring your follow up message. If you still don’t hear back, start acting on your plan to get hired elsewhere.

React and Respond Accordingly

If you hear back from your follow up, you can gauge your next step according to that response. If the hiring manager says to check back in in a few days, do so, etc. If the response seems a bit more terse, you should probably back off a bit, as there is a fine line between persistence and annoyance. If you want the job, you don’t want to cross that line.

Don’t Take it Personally

Just because you did not get the job, or haven’t heard back, it is important for you to not take it personally. While this is definitely easier said than done, remember that the application process is not a perfect one. For all you know, the job may have been eliminated or filled internally as a cost-cutting measure. There is usually more behind the story than you realize. If you don’t hear back from the company, or don’t get the job, it may have not been in the cards for you. After all, it may not even be the right job for you and the right one will come around before you know it. Not getting a job might be a silver lining and open the door to your dream opportunity.

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Re-Focusing on Your Career During the Summer

Now that the Fourth of July is upon us, it signals the unofficial midpoint of summer. As you’re sitting at your desk staring longingly at the summer weather, it may become easy to lose focus at your job. Although you may want to be anywhere but work, it is important to stay focused and maintain productivity through the second half of the year.

If you’ve found yourself in this position, there are some things you can to focus on during the summer.

Passion

If you are not passionate about your work, it will become even more difficult to find the motivation during the summer months. Even if you aren’t in your dream job, finding something you are passionate about will help you get through the lull that can be the summer. Depending on the industry you’re in, work flow may vary during the summer months. Without passion, these lulls may drive you crazy.

Unplug

When you’re constantly connected to people in your network and see what they’re doing during the summer, you may become envious about their current situation. If they’re posting about being on the beach and soaking up the sun, it will be hard for you to find the motivation when you’re sitting at your cubicle. Spend some time unplugging from the world to regain focus and clarity. Sometimes, the best ideas and motivation can come from alone time.

Be Proactive

Although it may be a slow period, it is important to be proactive to stay competitive. Depending on your industry, being proactive instead of reactive can set you apart from your competitors. Finding focus is easier when you don’t have to put fires out. Set yourself up for success before you need to.

Wrap Up

Depending on where you live and work, the summer months may be the only time of the year where the weather is consistently nice enough to enjoy being outdoors. Many companies take advantage of this by utilizing summer flex hours or deviated schedules. However, if you don’t work at a company offering this perk, it may become difficult to maintain focus when you want to be literally anywhere other than work. If you’ve found your focus waning, try and focus on these three things to regain it this summer.

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How to Set Yourself Up for Success in a New Role

Have you ever been faced with a new opportunity, but felt like you weren’t quite qualified for it? You’re not alone. Believe it or not the person in charge of one of, if not the most, recognizable brands in the world once felt the same. In his commencement address to Stanford University’s class of 2019, Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that when he first took on his role, he felt this exact same way. For those just entering the workforce or in the early stages of your career, this may be an all-too-common feeling.

After all, it is hard to truly feel prepared when you read various entry level job descriptions that require experience beyond your years. Even after landing an opportunity, there may be a learning curve and it may seem like you will never truly understand all that the role entails. I’m here to tell you that these feelings of constantly being overwhelmed will indeed dissipate.

When you’re starting a new role, you want to prove that the company made the right decision in hiring you so you will do all you can to be successful. Although you may feel like you’re drinking through a fire hose with all the information, there are certainly some things you can do to ensure your success.

In an article for Forbes, Caroline Ceniza-Levine provides some tips that will help set a solid foundation for future career success. You can read the full article here and check out a few highlights below:

Start before you start

Often times when you get an offer letter for your new job, you will also get some new-hire paperwork to fill out. This can usually be done prior to your first day in order to save some time on your first day. In addition to getting a head start on your paperwork, you can do some research beyond your interview prep on the company so you can know what to expect. You will likely have an idea of what the company culture is already, but for your first day, it is usually better to be over dressed than underdressed. Make sure you have an understanding of what time you are expected to be there and what is expected of you day one.

Confirm how your manager would like to communicate

Depending on your office size, there are likely various methods of communication within it; IM, phone, face-to-face, etc. To truly understand how to communicate with your boss, ask him or her what their preferred method is. If you report to multiple people, they might all have different preferred methods. Figuring this out day one will set the standard for the rest of your time with the company and you won’t have to worry about how to reach a manager.

Take five with your group

It is no secret that we spend more time at work than almost anywhere else. Since we spend so much time in the office, you might as well get to know your colleagues and those who you work with. In your first week, while you are getting used to the job and new environment, try to have lunch or interact with those around you. Your peers or coworkers can help get you up to speed on what is going on in the office and can be a valuable resource going forward.

Wrap Up

Luckily, this feeling isn’t reserved for first and early career professionals. Take it from Cook, who was nearly a decade into his tenure with Apple before taking over. He said, “Graduates, the fact is that when your time comes – and it will – you’ll never be ready. But you’re not supposed to be. Find the hope in the unexpected. Find the courage in the challenge. Find your vision on the solitary road.” If you go into these new experiences with an open mind and follow these tips, you will ensure your success now and in the future.

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