In kindergarten, or maybe earlier, we were taught "THE RULES." "THE RULES" included things like: share your toys; when you ask for something, say please; when receiving something, say thank you; treat others as you would like to be treated...." Sometimes, as we get older, we forget some of those basic rules. Sometimes our bosses forget those rules, sometimes our fellow workers forget those rules, and sometimes our family members forget.

In your job search, forgetting to say THANK YOU can cost you. It can cost you the job you just interviewed for and it could cost you potential jobs with other employers.

How can that happen? Good question. Think about yourself. You're working hard on a big project that could save the company money or streamline operations in some way, and EUREKA! You've found the one thing that makes it all happen. You take action. SUCCESS. Your system works! The company saves money; employees are happy; things are running smoother. You got results.

Months go by. The company saves more money; a step in the process is eliminated; things run even faster; customers are happier - all because of your efforts.

Months go by.... Still, nobody says anything....

Not once did you hear the words THANK YOU. Not once did you receive an "attaboy."

How do you feel?

At a simpler level: Traffic is jammed. Cars are inching along at 5 miles an hour. You're in a hurry, but you're the professional. You let that tired looking guy merge into your lane. You feel great; you did the right thing. HEY, you didn't get "the wave." You know, the THANK YOU wave.

How do you feel?

In both scenarios, you remember what did NOT happen, rather than the positive things that did. This can be the same for an interviewer. Writing a thank you letter gives you an opportunity to not only reiterate your enthusiasm for the position, but leaves the interviewer with a lasting, favorable impression.

Who do you write the thank-you letter to? You will want to write several thank-you letters, not just one for the interviewer. According to Richard Nelson Bolles in What Color is Your Parachute, you should send short, handwritten thank-you notes to everyone you talked to the day of your interview.

This means anyone who helped you during your job-hunting process, such as secretaries, receptionists, second and third interviewers and so forth - anyone who gave you a helping hand. Bolles states, "It should be regarded as BASIC to the simplest rules of common courtesy and kindness that you write such notes."

This is still true, EVEN IF YOU WOULD NEVER ACCEPT THE POSITION or if the interview went poorly. Your interviewer may hear of OTHER openings with other companies that might be of interest to you. You can even mention in the thank-you note for them to "keep you in mind." This means your thank-you note COULD GAIN YOU ADDITIONAL LEADS! Pretty exciting stuff, especially when you need as many leads as possible in your job search.

Other reasons to write thank-you notes: If the job is your dream job, you get another chance to say you're interested in further talks. Second, you get a chance to correct any mis-impressions you may have left behind. Third, you can mention important facts relevant to the position, which you may have forgotten to mention during the interview. MOST IMPORTANTLY, a thank-you letter can GET YOU A JOB. As a former recruiter, one of my client companies hired a candidate of mine simply because he FAXED her a hand-written thank-you note THE SAME DAY of the interview. Another client was tied for a position. His mother called and asked what he should do. I said, SEND A THANK-YOU NOTE. Her son got the job! Bolles gives an example of one woman who was told she was hired simply because she was the ONLY candidate, out of 39, who sent a thank-you note.

YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO THINK OF THE THANK-YOU NOTE AS AN OPTIONAL EXERCISE! THANK-YOUS ARE CRITICAL TO GETTING YOU HIRED.

What do you say in a thank-you note? There are a lot of ways to write a thank-you, so I will give you several ideas. You decide on your favorite, based on the interview you had.

• Always thank whomever for their time. Mention something personal, even if it is minor, that you learned about that person during the interview. If you are dropping the note to the secretary, mention how helpful or how pleasant they were during your wait.
  
• You may want to enclose a proposal or action plan regarding what you could do for the company. How you can SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM (whatever it was). You can mention accomplishments of yours that might be relevant to their situation. (Use your professional resume. There should be several listed from which you can choose!) This type of action plan makes you PROACTIVE. And shows how much you listened during the interview, how much you care about their company, and how much you're dying to be a part of it.
  
• If you interviewed with several people, you may wish to enclose a second resume as a MEMORY JOGGER.
  
• You want your letter to show your enthusiasm for the position/company, your compatibility with their team, how their goals match your goals, and your desire for the job! People have actually LOST positions because they didn't ASK for the job.
  

REMEMBER: LET THE LAST IMPRESSION FROM YOU BE A FAVORABLE ONE! According to Howard Figler, PhD, in The Complete Job Search Handbook, thank you notes are remembered LONG AFTER the selection process. The latest statistics show nearly 40% of all new hires do not work out within the first three months due to job performance. That gives you the same odds to be considered for the position!

What else can your thank-you note do for you? On a personal level, it will sharpen your follow-up skills; keep you moving toward a goal; remind you all contacts have potential. (The person you least suspect might help you land your dream job.)

Now, get busy. You've got a lot of work to do! And in the words of Elvis, "Thank you. Thank you very much...."