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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

This is a 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.

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.

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.