Do you write thank you notes? Cards or email?

[Indylady]

Do you write thank you notes? Cards or email? I opt for an email. I used to write a lot of thank you cards, but I've lately switched to thank you emails. In some contexts, it just seems easier, more appropriate, and more timely, like after an interview or a quick coffee. What about you? What do you consider appropriate, and in what context? Sometimes I miss writing more cards..but, an email means that I won't put it off. What do you do?

 

[momhappy]

I write thank you's by card/mail only. I do not think that email thank you's are appropriate, but that's just my personal opinion.

 

[amc80]

It depends. For gifts, I generally send paper cards. For an interview I will email.

 

[yellowducky]

Yes, I always write thank you cards.

I once discovered a thank you email from an interviewee in my spam folder. Since I didn't check my spam folder regularly, it had been sitting in there unread for several weeks.

 

[eh613c]

I write thank you cards. I think it has more of a personal feel to it than an email. For interviews, I write the thank you card before I leave the building so everything is still fresh and prevents me from procrastinating.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I write thank you cards for anything that involves a gift. I only send an email if the person hosted an event that was a party or something where there was no gift exchange.

Writing out cards has become a bit of a lost art, so if a person will only thank a person if email is their option, I do think it's better than nothing. I think it's pretty tacky not to send some sort of thanks. Once I drove to another state to attend an event and the gal never even sent me a note! I spent over 8 hours driving round trip and she couldn't spend 5 minutes writing out a note. Says a lot about a person.

 

[marcy]

I write thank you notes and send them in the mail.

 

[chrono]

It depends. For gifts, I generally send paper cards. For an interview I will email.

I do the above.

 

[JewelFreak]

For gifts, I write cards. Harder to do now that I'm getting arthritis in my hands -- my writing isn't as good as it was. For dinners, unless it's something special, I send an email or I phone.

 

[missy]

For gifts I usually write thank you cards but with family members I call them and thank them for the gift.

For occasions such as parties and dinner gatherings I usually write emails thanking the hosts for a lovely time.

 

[Laila619]

I write thank you cards and send them in the mail, but I really dislike doing it, even though I know it's the polite thing to do. I'd much rather lob in a call or e-mail.

 

[yennyfire]

It depends. For gifts, I generally send paper cards. For an interview I will email.

This is what I do...

 

[Mayk]

I do and I make my daughter write them too... and I prefer paper to email for gifts or dinners... Email for small gestures.

 

[Hospatogi]

I love receiving cards in the mail! I make it a habit to mail thank you cards, birthday cards, greeting cards. It is very time consuming though. It took me three months to finish all 100 of our wedding thank you cards !

 

[vc10um]

Add me to the list of people who sends cards for gifts and emails for interviews.

For things in the middle (like after a hosted dinner at a friend's home)...I generally use their preferred form of communication to say thank you, so it varies from person to person. Some of my friends prefer a text or email over a phone call, some live for getting mail other than bills, so I respond appropriately.

 

[justginger]

I was unaware that sending a thank you after an interview is a done thing. Is it? I guess I never interviewed for a 'grown up' job while living in the States, and I've never heard of it in Australia. If I sent a thank you after an interview in Perth, I think they'd throw my CV in the bin for being a brown noser.

 

[pregcurious]

I write paper Thank Yous for family and friends. It's very nice to get a letter in the mail, and I feel like if someone went through the trouble of buying me a gift or showing up in person for something, it deserves something back that takes effort and is more special than an email.

In the US, it's customary to write an email Thank You at least to the person who invited you to an interview. Writing it to everyone is a little odd, but I've seen that done also, and don't think it's bad form.

 

[justginger]

I write paper Thank Yous for family and friends. It's very nice to get a letter in the mail, and I feel like if someone went through the trouble of buying me a gift or showing up in person for something, it deserves something back that takes effort and is more special than an email.

In the US, it's customary to write an email Thank You at least to the person who invited you to an interview. Writing it to everyone is a little odd, but I've seen that done also, and don't think it's bad form.

Ah, maybe that's the difference - I've always interviewed for jobs in the Dept of Health, so there's not a person who granted me an interview. My interviews have been granted via a nameless, faceless letter from HR with a listed time. A thank you to an individual contact at a private business might be normal here, too. I should ask around; I'm keen to know if it's yet one more example of how much more polite Americans are than Aussies.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I write e-mails and prefer getting thank yous by e-mail. They are usually more timely, person can say more about other things and I don't have more paper to throw away.
after a dinner , I phone.


Annette

 

[amc80]

Add me to the list of people who sends cards for gifts and emails for interviews.

For things in the middle (like after a hosted dinner at a friend's home)...I generally use their preferred form of communication to say thank you, so it varies from person to person. Some of my friends prefer a text or email over a phone call, some live for getting mail other than bills, so I respond appropriately.

Yes, I'll add this to my answer. If friends have us over for dinner or something I will usually text. Texting is my primary form of communication with 90% of my friends.

 

[Indylady]

I was unaware that sending a thank you after an interview is a done thing. Is it? I guess I never interviewed for a 'grown up' job while living in the States, and I've never heard of it in Australia. If I sent a thank you after an interview in Perth, I think they'd throw my CV in the bin for being a brown noser.

Just a short note is fine, but generally, I would say that its appropriate to send a thank you email after an interview.

 

[Indylady]

I write thank you's by card/mail only. I do not think that email thank you's are appropriate, but that's just my personal opinion.

Even at work?

 

[Indylady]

I write paper Thank Yous for family and friends. It's very nice to get a letter in the mail, and I feel like if someone went through the trouble of buying me a gift or showing up in person for something, it deserves something back that takes effort and is more special than an email.

In the US, it's customary to write an email Thank You at least to the person who invited you to an interview. Writing it to everyone is a little odd, but I've seen that done also, and don't think it's bad form.

Ah, maybe that's the difference - I've always interviewed for jobs in the Dept of Health, so there's not a person who granted me an interview. My interviews have been granted via a nameless, faceless letter from HR with a listed time. A thank you to an individual contact at a private business might be normal here, too. I should ask around; I'm keen to know if it's yet one more example of how much more polite Americans are than Aussies.

I hadn't seen this before I posted! I usually write a thank you to each interviewer. In school, that's what we learned was appropriate. Usually, a recruiter is the one that handles the logistics of the interview, so that person technically 'invites' you, so it does make sense to drop a thank you note to that person too, but they are not actually conducting the interview or extending the offer, so I write to the individual interviewer. I've done same thank you protocol for government jobs too. The other positive to writing to the interviewer is that regardless of whether or not you get the job, you might make a 'contact' by reaching out to that person, or make a professional mentor if things clicked. Its an easy way to start a professional relationship. I will say that that doesn't happen from every interview, but it can.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I do write handwritten thank you notes. Sometimes I send a quick thank you by email beforehand. Sometimes, I do send just an email for things like a thank-you to a friend for a fun evening at their home. I have to admit (even though it makes me feel really old), that I get a little bit bugged by thank you notes that we get back from young brides. I got one just the other day that was a printed card that she wrote a sentence on the back of that was obstructed by postal code stamps. For something as substantial as a wedding gift, it seems like a handwritten thank you would be appropriate.

 

[kenny]

Neither.
I bake em a loaf of fresh bread.

 

[Tuckins1]

I do, and I only use cards. I'm old school, I guess.

 

[asscherisme]

I do, and I only use cards. I'm old school, I guess.

ditto

 

[pandabee]

When I interviewed for jobs, I always hand wrote thank yous to my interviewer unless I didn't have a physical address (or if they told me they were not at the office listed on their business card due to travel, etc.). Then I would email so it would be received in a more timely manner. I haven't had much opportunity as of late that I can think of where I'd be writing personal thank you notes but I think even a quick handwritten note is appreciated (and what I would do the next situation that arises).

I could be considered in the younger generation here too, FWIW but this is what I was taught is how to properly thank someone.