Have You Thanked Anyone Lately?

Going beyond reference letters and recommendations

Most professionals are well versed on the need to acquire business references and LinkedIn recommendations, and hopefully are just as accommodating in offering them to business associates. Although, an often overlooked opportunity to acknowledge and support someone in their career is the classic “thank you” letter. These are especially meaningful to people outside of your network, and can carry a lot of weight at review time for the recipient, as they are unsolicited.

Managers of employees who are spotlighted for their efforts recognize the sender has gone to a lot of effort to get an email or letter in front of them, and place value on the feedback. In addition, the individual you are thanking can keep copies for their “kudos” file. Service workers are great candidates for thank you letters. We are often quick to complain about poor service, and may be better about offering verbal thanks, but taking the time to send a formal thank you is rare.

When sending a thank you letter, as with references, make specific points as to why you are sending the letter and what the employee did to deserve the acknowledgement. These should not be used for basic customer service, but for someone who has exceeded expectations, and you should describe the event in detail. My thank you notes are at least three paragraphs long, and are formally structured even when emailed. Try to send a copy to the individual also, as they may never know otherwise.

Here is a brief sampling of thank you letters/emails I have sent to provide some ideas:

• I had an elevated service ticket for problems with my Blackberry. After numerous pass arounds, a tech spent 90 minutes resolving every issue, even calling back when the call was dropped. I sent an email to his manager, and provided career advice during down times when software was being loaded.
• When I returned clothes bought online from Victoria’s Secret (yes guys, they sell clothes too), my package was never received. After several calls that went nowhere, I found a CSR that thought of creative ways to determine what was owed and pushed for approval. She couldn’t give me her manager’s email, but did provide a number. I called the manager and explained what I was trying to do and she obliged. I also sent a copy to the CSR.
• I emailed the HO of my favorite restaurant to commend my regular waiter of several years. They emailed back and said they would pass it on. They didn’t, but I emailed the waiter a copy of the note for his file as documentation.
• My husband fell ill during a plane trip with Southwest Airlines. The entire crew worked as a team to make special arrangements, maintaining a wonderful attitude during the ordeal. At the end of the flight I got everyone’s name and the company address (you couldn’t email). A month later the CEO sent a letter of appreciation back, advising the note was placed in all their personnel files.

This newsletter goes out to almost 6000 members, and I challenge every reader to send out one thank you letter within the next month. If someone takes extra time to help you resolve a problem, return the courtesy by taking the time to let their manager know. Even if they don’t get a bonus or a promotion as a result, it will make 6000 people feel appreciated during difficult economic times when rewards are scarce at most companies.

My thanks this month go out to Greg Hyer for having the vision to create LinkingRaleighNC.com. By providing resources and support for Triangle area professionals, our community has been strengthened one individual at a time.

Career Advice with August Cohen of GetHiredStayHired.com
August Cohen is a distinguished Raleigh-based resume writer and career consultant that holds the prestigious Certified Advanced Resume Writer (CARW), Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW), and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) credentials. August leverages the talents she acquired in her successful corporate career to assist professionals with high-impact resumes, confident interviews, and effective job search strategies.

Community Contributors - Career Advice by August Cohen