What a missed opportunity for that recipient to have given you the joy of knowing that the gift was being enjoyed!

In both your personal and business life, it is critical to take the time to offer thanks for an interview, a gift, or an event.

When you are going through the process of seeking new employment, it is essential to write a thank you letter after each interview. This not only is the gracious thing to do, but also lets the company know that you are really interested in the position.

There are five important keys to an effective thank you letter.

GET QUALITY PAPER

If you are sending a written thank you letter, it is important to choose good quality paper to give the correspondence the dignity it deserves. Emailing can be acceptable if it is crucial to get a message to someone more quickly than the mail can handle it. This might be true after an interview since the decision can be made soon after the meeting has taken place.

GREETING

Start your correspondence with an appropriate greeting. In a business situation this would be a more formal salutation. Even if you have talked with more than one person at a company, make certain that your letter is to one person. You could ask that person to pass on your thanks or send a separate letter to others involved in the process.

GRATITUDE

Express your thanks in a specific and warm way. This may seem like the easiest part of the letter, but can be the most difficult. One mistake often made is to say that you're "just writing to say..." Of course, you're writing! That does not need to be said. Instead just say the thank you plainly and simply. "Thank you for..."

Part of expressing your gratitude is being timely with your thanks. Write your thank you as soon as possible.

GRAMMAR

Write carefully with your best sentence structure and check your spelling. Make certain names are spelled correctly. Get to the point in your correspondence. Keep your sentences and paragraphs brief. It's best to keep the length to one page or less.

Sending a thank you with sloppy writing can give the impression that you don't care enough to create a quality message. This could mean that you will not be hired for a position you might really want.

GRACIOUS

It is not overdoing it to give your thanks one more time before closing the communication. This is the point of the letter. Just say it again.

Are you challenged by the etiquette of business? Could you use some support in this area? A business coach can help!