You have gone through the entire job search process, and now you have your new job! Have you thanked anyone? What if you didn’t get the job? Did you still thank anyone?
You would be surprised at how seldom help is acknowledged after a job search.
There are many ways someone might have really made a difference:
- Helped you network into a company by giving your name to someone involved in the hiring process.
- Provided a formal reference based on the work the two of you did together.
- Helped you prepare for your interview.
- Reviewed your resume.
- Gave you confidence by being your cheerleader.
The list can go on and on. If you worked with a recruiter, professional resume writer or coach, they would have provided the same type of support. But it can be frustrating when you don’t hear back what happened! This has occurred to me several times.
- I did interview coaching with a client who was getting ready to fly to Sweden for an interview. It was important, because if he got the job, he would move his family there. We had several coaching sessions, but even though I follow-up several times, I never heard back from him. It was too bad because I really did care about what happened. It would have been nice to get some sort of thank you because I knew he was well prepared.
- I once contacted a former client from several years before because I wanted to ask him something. After finding that out, after our work together, he got five (!!!) job offers on the table at once, and ended up very happy with the one he chose. I knew I had done good work with him, but if he had let me know about the five offers and extended a simple thank you, it would have been wonderful.
Other times, people have contacted me to give me a heads up about their job search success, and finding out has meant the world to me!
- When I was a recruiter, I placed someone in a good job. She gave me a $5 gift certificate for See’s Candy. I knew she had been unemployed and really didn’t have much money at the time, so I appreciated the gesture. And you would be surprised – I placed people in $100K jobs, and almost never got a thank you.
- One time, some flowers showed up at my office. It turned out to be a gift from an early client, just wanting to thank me for the difference I made for him moving into the right career path. It made me want to cry!
There are 3 reasons why thanking people is important:
- Business etiquette smooths communication between people.
- A “thank you” gesture allows you to let the person know what actually happened.
- It strengthens the ongoing relationship between the two of you.
Make a list of everyone who helped you, whether you did or not get a job, and thank them for their help. It will be appreciated, and you never know when that small gesture could pay big dividends in the future!
If you’re interested in working together to help land your next big job, I’d be delighted to talk! I offer free consultations where I can explain all of my services. Tools for Transition is your one-stop-shop for resume writing, job coaching, and interview guidance. Let’s get you started on the next step of your professional life!