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Rafael J. Hernandez is using Brazen Careerist to share ideas. Join now to become a member and start networking with Rafael J. Hernandez and other professionals just like you. Learn more.
Some time ago, I interviewed with an agency for a graphic design position. I got the job and I worked there for about 8 months. Since I was somewhat inexperienced, I got caught in the middle of office politics. This combined with some loss of clients I was let go.
This was my first full-time job after having graduated from school. I was in such a panic because I had just gotten an apartment and I had bills to pay. So on and forth. The reason why I was fired was highly unjust. But there was nothing I could have done or do about it afterwards. I left that building in shock but tried to remain as friendly as possible. I was not feeling friendly inside and in my mind I had a few choice of words I wanted to call the head honcho.
During that following week, I decided that I would write a thank you note to my old boss expressing my gratitude for allowing me the pleasure of working in their agency and mentioned what a great learning experience it was. I took the high road. I thought, “Who doesn’t like a thank you note?” Even more when the job termination was not fair. So I mailed it.
Later, I found out from some of my ex-coworkers who were my friends that my former boss was raving about how gracious and nice I was. So I knew this was part of personal public relations. I just didn’t know how it worked or even if it did.
I moved on and found another job as a graphic designer. Lucky for me, this boss’ ego was the size of a football stadium filled with teens auditioning for American Idol. This was one of those cases where the boss might not have a clue about the world but somehow got into that position. I remained confidently quiet and never talked back when he would demand I paint the wall of the office. As a graphic designer I’ve done odd jobs but this was just weird. No Photoshop. No Illustrator. No drawing. He said, “I’m going to need you to paint that wall. Bring some clothes and get started tomorrow.” So I said ok.
This may seem like I was getting stepped on and it probably was. But my father always told me this wise saying: “You must concede to win.” One must pick the right battles at the right time and in the end, one will achieve what they set out to achieve no matter who is above you.
More bad luck at the time, I grew weary of this boss’ weird remarks and demands. He sensed it and so he let me go. This time I wasn’t shocked or afraid about my job loss. He had let go another colleague of mine for similar reasons. I actually laughed when he said he was letting me go. I didn’t mean to laugh but I think it’s my defense mechanism. I can’t help it.
I got let go on a Friday. Saturday I drove to see my family 15 hours away from where I resided. I flew back that following Tuesday. That Tuesday I got a phone call from my former boss at agency I had first worked. He left me a message wondering if I wanted to return to the company. He needed a graphic designer. I told him I would if he let me pick my hourly rate. And he did. And we both agreed.
I returned and pretended like nothing happened because in the end, I got what I wanted. I wanted a job on my terms. I wanted a job at that particular time since I had just gotten let go. I wanted respect. And I wanted flexibility. I got all of those things.
I’m convinced that the thank you note I sent him earlier was my ticket to my job back. I mean, who wouldn’t want to hire a guy who just sent you a thank you note after you fired him?
I’ve had similar experiences with thank you notes. They can do wonders. I sent a thank you note to one of the staffing agencies I was working with. My agent got married and changed her name. I hadn’t spoken with her or kept in touch. She’s now the head person in this agency. And when I went back for more work, one of the agents called her. And she remembered me. She mentioned how nice I was and how the quality of my work was outstanding. It’s that thank you note again.
Back to the job I got back. Eventually I saved my money and I found the opportunity of a lifetime that I couldn’t refuse. So I left on my own terms. Ultimately, the thank you note allows you to sow the seeds so you can have the way paved for you for bigger and better opportunities. And that’s the story of how a young guy got, gets and will get jobs for the rest of his life.
I am a huge supporter of Thank You notes. I write them for everything my mother ever said I needed to write one for. If possible, I still do hand-written over email. Especially nowadays, how many people get real mail anymore? People notice getting a nice card in the mail. And they remember you. And they might even keep the card.
It's a good move all around, and it only takes a few minutes. Great post!
Most of you may be too young to remember a movie with Patrick Swayze called "Roadhouse". He plays a 'cooler' (head bouncer) at a bar who has a very Zen approach to his job. Early in the movie he is laying down the rules to the other bouncers about how to turn the bar from a rough-and-tumble place to a more respectable establishment:
"If somebody gets in your face and calls you a , I want you to be nice. Ask him to walk. But be nice. If he won't walk, walk him. But be nice. If you can't walk him, one of the others will help you, and you'll both be nice. I want you to remember that it's a job. It's nothing personal. I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice."
The movie is nothing special, but the quotes are golden!
This post reminds me of the law of attraction a bit. You stayed so positive and had an attitude of gratitude through it all. Very good!
Maybe I should have written my old boss a thank you note when I left there.
I had planned it but like most of my plans I never followed through. It probably would have saved me some grieve, but no sense thinking on it.
Just keep moving forward and use this advice in the future.
PS: Thanks for writing this, it was a great read :)
-Dawn
I've sent thank you notes before, as well as Christmas cards and postcards while traveling! It doesn't take too much effort on your part, but it is such a nice gesture to show the person you work(ed) with that you still remember them and want to keep in touch. I think it's so much more memorable than simply a quick email.
What an amazing story - I love how open and honest you are and that your story isn't snarky, but just, for lack of a better term, real. I learned a lot from this post, thanks!
Rafael,
You bring up a very important aspect of business etiquette. A thank-you note can separate someone from the rest of the pack and it can make a difference in whether you get hired or not. I've hired dozens of young people over the years and sometimes a thank-you note was the tiebreaker if it came down to two job candidates. A thank-you note says that you're interested in the job.
When you send a thank-you note, it can be in an email (fast, but a bit impersonal), a typed, formal letter (very professional), or a handwritten note or card (personal). Personally, the format didn't matter as long as I received a thank-you note. One word of caution though, don't send a thank-you on a BlackBerry or some other mobile device, especially in shorthand. Your prospective employer will probably prefer something more formal.
You took the high road and wrote a thank-you after losing a job and that obviously goes a long way, too. I would also say you should send a thank-you note after interviewing for a job you're not interested in. It shows class and this will help your reputation down the line. Oh by the way, thank you for writing this article!
This is great advice. I'm actually a graphic designer as well and I too have gone back to work for a company I previously worked for. I interned for a company while I was in college and went to work for them 2 years later because of keeping in contact. Every few months while I was in school I sent interesting design related articles to the creative director. She's not very active online so I knew she wouldn't have otherwise seen these. A year after I graduated she sent me an email asking if any of my friends were looking for a job.
Funny Story: I sent a thank you not to three people after I interviewed with them all at the same company. I ended up getting the job and part of me was like "Yes! I knew the thank-you note was a good idea!"
Then a month or so later I got a piece of mail delivered to me: it was one of the thank you notes I sent to the highest-ranking person I had interviewed—it never got to her and somehow ended up on my desk a month later.
Either way, I got the job. But it's a good story.
I can tell you as a recruiter, thank you notes are huge. I know we constantly harp on the importance of text messages and social networks, but even as a fellow gen y er, a hand written thank you note goes a long way when Im making hiring decisions.
The HR person in me has two comments:
1. I would be weary of writing a thank you note after being terminated because it could be admissable in court. How will you explain to the company's lawyer why you wrote that you had a great time on the job when you're filing a lawsuit for harrassment?
2. The person above mentioned that thank you notes are great after interviews. Most HR people will tell you that these days thank you notes don't make one bit of difference. I have yet to hire anyone because they sent a thank you note. It doesn't even factor into my decision.
Rachel- I can tell you AS A RECRUITER THAT ACTUALLY MAKES HIRING DECISIONS, it makes a huge difference to me. It helps me set you apart from the 200 others that I interviewed.
Also, I would assume that if you are going to sue someone for harassment that you certainly would not send them a thank you note. Come on...... use common sense. He was let go due to office politics not harassment.
Hand written notes. Yes! Packs more of a punch than an e-mail thank-you, in my opinion. I see I'm agreeing with many commenters already. People get e-mails every day - lots of them, and they all look and feel the same. But a genuine snail-mail thank you card? Just makes a person feel special.
Wisdom from Don Corleone, "Politeness costs you nothing...if you intend to kill him."
This is a brilliant post.
Wow--I don't know a single HR person who doesn't think thank-you notes make a difference in hiring. They certainly do for me, and for every other HR person I know. Rachel is the first person I've "met" who doesn't factor them in.
Good manners and gratitude are so rare these days that they make you stand head-and-shoulders above the crowd. I'm amazed that people will pay someone to do their resume, or buy a special tie or outfit to wear to the interview, or do goofy things that career advisers tell them do in order to stand out...but they won't say thank-you. It's the single best way to attract positive attention as a candidate (aside from, y'know, being qualified for the job).
I agree with AskAManager--brilliant post.
I think the "thank you note" is merely a symbol of a larger attitude that pays off in spades in this crazy world - the attitude of gratitude. I think if you express your attitude of gratitude on a regular basis - face to face, and written notes, voicemails, etc, it will all come back with positive payoff down the road. I'm not recommending kissing-up gratitude, but instead expressing genuine gratitude to another person when they've said something, done something, or been something for which you are grateful.
I'll be the thank you note WAS your ticket for getting the job back - because it was tangible evidence of expressing an attitude of gratitude.
PS - I'm also a recruiter. And, although a thank you note never tipped the scale toward a less qualified candidate over a more qualified candidate, it certainly catches my eye - IF the note is well written and relevant to the situation, not just ceremonial.
Thanks for you comments! I am really glad I was able to learn this a younger age so I could be able to share this with experience with people. I have found it to be a little gem of wisdom that is highly valuable. I hope it does the same for you.
Thanks for you comments! I am really glad I was able to learn this at a younger age so I would be able to share this with experience with people. I have found it to be a little gem of wisdom that is highly valuable. I hope it does the same for you.
I always send a thank you card after an interview. I'm sure it doesn't always help. But it NEVER hurts your chances. It's just a good idea to follow through. Like Rafael, I did once send a card once after being let go in a hurtful way. It wasn't a thank you card, but it felt good to be nice. I never got a response from them, but it was cathartic. Sometimes it's just part of letting go - closure.
Clearly your post has made us all think about thank you notes. Interesting, I was told that many companies don’t order thank you notes anymore when ordering stationery from printers as they hardly ever use them. Of course more and more people use e-mails, but clearly many still appreciate old fashioned hand written note. Jill from dry dog food reviews.
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