As a kid, my parents would make me sit down and have me write thank you notes for the three days or so after Christmas and my birthday, which, at that age, was a grueling process. I would write a practice thank-you note, have my mom look it over for spelling, write it carefully and neatly on a notecard, look up the address of the person I was sending it to, write that neatly as well, and send it off with a stamp. Up until I left the house to move to college, my mom would leave reminders on the table for us during our winter break before she went to work saying “Kids, Please write your thank you notes today and tomorrow and send them off.” Finally, once I went away to college, she left me to my own devices as far as thank you notes are concerned. I’ve continued to write them, at first out of habit, but later because I learned how rewarding it is – as weird as that sounds.
At various points throughout my last year and a half here at Scripps, I’ve been invited to dinner out in the village with friend’s families, gone to friend’s houses for short vacations where I couldn’t go all the way home, or gone on small vacations with friend’s families. A quick note to your friend’s parents is greatly appreciated, and something they will never forget. I recently sent a thank you note to my friend’s grandmother for hosting her and I for a day at the beach at their house, and she has the note hanging up in her house because she appreciated it so much. One of my friends invited me to her house for dinner during one of our breaks, and I send along a thank you note, which her mom called her specifically about, to mention how much it meant to her.
As far as career development is concerned, I have found that thank-you notes are just as valued as they are in personal relationships and friendships. People will remember if you write a thank you note to your them. Whether it’s your manager from your internship, someone who edits your cover letter for you, someone who discusses potentially career opportunities for you, or someone who connects you to one of their colleagues for networking purposes.
Giving thanks and showing appreciation is highly valued in society, and thank you notes are an exceptional way to show your thanks.