When a ‘Thank you’ is not enough: when to send thank you cards
Gratefulness gets a lot of attention in this blog, and that is because people aren’t grateful enough, and rudeness is on the rise. Not thanking someone for holding the door for you, not being wished a nice day by a cashier, not excusing yourself if you bump into somebody–these are all ways in which the reign of rudeness is being allowed to continue. So to that end, gratefulness and thankfulness will be preached regularly.
In the above examples, you express your appreciation and move on. There are certain cases, however, where a verbal thank you should be followed by a written (on paper!) thank you. I recommend that you send thank you cards or letters in the following situations:
Receipt of a gift following any event, but some that stand out are:
- the birth of a child
- a baby shower
- a wedding
- a wedding shower
- graduation
- new home
- new job
- good bye party
Receipt of services/help that you would ordinarily pay for
If someone, usually a friend or a friend of a friend, helps you uproot that 15 year old tree, or retile your bathroom, a spoken “Thank you” as they’re dragging their weary body home is not enough. Express your gratitude with a card (and a gift).
Following an interview with a prospective employer
While other interviewees may send an email to thank the employer for his or her time, s/he who sends a hand written card or letter will likely be remembered (put your best writing on display please!).
Following an interview unrelated to employment
Here is where the author of this site needs to practice what she preaches. I have yet to send a hand written thank you card to the people I have interviewed so far for this site, but I do think it is a good idea to do so and I will be sending one out this week.
What other occasions do you deem a hand written thank you card necessary?
thank you, thank you card, sending thank you cards, thank you letter
July 30th, 2007 at 8:28 am
[...] of this set really would be great for thank you cards, which is fortunate because with all the cards I have to make, all I need is time to actually use this paper. Next week I’m on vacation so [...]