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Home » Site Promotion Articles » 10 Steps To Writing An Effective Thank You Letter

10 Steps to Writing an Effective Thank You Letter

The interview was fantastic; you know that you impressed with your perfect answers and excellent resume. You also know that, from this point on, you just have to sit back and wait for the telephone to ring with your future employer on the line, begging you to come to work. You know this, right? Very wrong. No matter how wonderful the interview or great the resume, you can never be sure that you will get the job of your dreams—-anything can happen. However, one way to help shift the odds in your favor is to write a Thank You Letter. This courtesy is often ignored by job candidates; so, if you take time, future employers are likely to take notice. An effective Thank You Letter can push you closer toward your career goal. The Thank You Letter should always sell your skills and how they will help your future employer.

To write the proper Thank You Letter, follow these simple but effective tips:

1. Keep It Short

A typical Thank You Letter is one page in length; this allows you to make your point without going on too long. Remember that most employers do not have the time to read page after page of gratitude. Show that you understand by keeping your letter short. You show courtesy in two ways.

2. Refresh Their Memory

Refer to specific pieces of information discussed in your interview—this shows that you paid attention and can remember detail. By doing this, you can remind the employer why you are best for the job.

3. Send It Off

After your interview, begin writing your Thank You Letter. Do not wait; the employer should receive your letter within 48 hours. This shows proper respect. If too much time passes, a letter is not likely to help you. Your potential boss will probably forget you.

4. Be Professional

Your letter should be typed on plain, white paper. Do not use items like colored paper or special bonded paper. Do not send your letter through email or handwrite it. That shows a lack of respect.

5. Emphasize Everything

In your letter, be sure to reemphasize your qualifications and experiences. Remind the employers of why you truly are the best person for this position. A Thank You Letter can serve to alleviate any doubts he/she had of you during your interview if you stress your best qualities.

6. Extra Information

Make sure to save room in your letter for extra information that you may have forgotten to mention during your interview, or that the employer did not ask for. This can help reinforce you in their minds.

7. Be Original

Do not simply copy an example of a Thank You Letter and fill in the blanks; your letter must be of your own design. Otherwise, you can come across as unwilling to put effort into your projects.

8. Encourage Contact

Give your pertinent information (Email, Home Phone, Cell Phone, etc.). This will allow the employer to decide whether he/she wants to contact you or not—-you give them the chance. If you do not put your information in the letter, you may very well miss an opportunity.

9. Proofread

While an employer will appreciate a Thank You Letter, he/she will not appreciate one with spelling or grammar mistakes. Before you send your letter, proofread it; and, once you have read and reread, allow someone else to do the same.

10. Close With Gratitude

Without sounding overly dramatic, make sure that you thank the employer for taking the time to interview you. Thank them in your own way.

By following these steps, you can impress your future employer and give yourself the edge against other candidates. A simple courtesy could become the deciding factor of getting that perfect job.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

The Secret to More Winning Trades is as Simple as Avoiding This Common Mistake

If you're a normal human being, your need to feel good about yourself probably causes you to sell your winners too soon â€" and -- your need to avoid feelings of regret, causes you to hang on to your losers too long.

At one time or another, we're all guilty of letting our emotions dictate our investment decisions. But the only way to succeed in the market, is to keep greed, fear, pride and hope away from your trades.

The most successful investors know exactly when they're going to sell a stock, the moment they buy it. Often they use "trailing stops" which move along with the closing price of the stock. It's a purely mechanical decision they make as an impartial observer â€" and never based on feelings or instincts.

How many times has "fear of loss" caused you to sell a stock that brokeout the next day? Have you ever "fallen in love" with a stock â€" "hoping" it would breakout after an initial 10% pullback, only to end up losing your shirt? Has "greed" kept you in a stock where you wanted 50%, not 20% -- only to have the bottom drop out in a week, letting your profit dissolve into a loss? Have you ever held on to a loser because you wanted to prove your initial "instincts" were right after all?

By pre-determining the maximum amount you are willing to lose on a stock or fund, you can't really get hurt. Equally important, this simple, proven strategy keeps you in a profitable investment so you don't sell too soon and miss out on profits.

In a hypothetical example, let's say you begin with $25,000 in a variety of stocks and funds. The first year was good and you made 25%. Now your portfolio is worth $31,250. You do the same the following year and now your portfolio is worth $39,062. Then the third year you lose 50%.

That would put the value of your portfolio back to $19,531 â€" which is less than you started with. Just one year's loss can wipe out two years of great gains.

Now let's say you had used the "trailing stop" strategy during these years...

You had the same $39,062 at the beginning of the third year â€" but â€" you were using a 15% "trailing stop". As soon as the value of your portfolio dropped 15% to $33,203, you would automatically been stopped out, and would have locked in a profit of $8,203. I'm sure you'll agree, that's quite a difference!

Do this with just a few of your stocks or funds, and you can see how you can easily pocket thousands of extra dollars â€" while simultaneously minimizing your losses.

The "trailing stop" strategy is a time-proven tool for completely eliminating any emotions from dictating your investing decisions. The only problem is that it requires a lot of your time and a lot of work on an ongoing basis. If you have 25 different stocks, you may have to make 25 new calculations every single day.

The GOOD news is that now there is a new software program that automatically does all the tedious calculations for you. It can prevent you from taking big hits that can hurt you â€" while simultaneously letting your winners ride. Plus, you can now accomplish all this in about 10 minutes a day.

The program, "STOP-Master Portfolio Manager" is a great time saver. It monitors up to 50 positions in your portfolio. It automatically grabs current stock prices off the internet ... recalculates new trailing stop SELL prices as needed ... and completely updates your entire portfolio. When one of your positions hits your pre-determined SELL price, you are immediately signaled with a Pop-Up Alert. Then, simply instruct your broker to sell. No emotions. No needless losses. Greater gains.

© 2004 Empire Direct, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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