Gratitude to help your career
You might have learned growing up about the importance of saying “thank you,” and continuing with this behavior can positively impact your career well into the future too. While you may know it is customary to send a thank you note after a job interview, it can also be a wonderful tool to use throughout your career.
Although it might seem odd, gratitude is sometimes considered both a social lubricant and a social glue. Gratitude is a lubricant because it helps people feel more appreciated for the work that they did or the effort they put into a task—and that might encourage them to continue to do it again in the future. Gratitude is a glue because it helps people want to stay connected and tightens relational bonds. In either case, gratitude is a wonderful way to build upon a social connection–and this is an important part of your career journey.
Whom should I thank?
When it comes to your career, you should plan to show gratitude to anyone you feel has done something good to, or for you. This could be a peer who helped you with a particularly tricky homework assignment or study for an exam, it could be a relative who helped connect you to someone inside their company to conduct an informational interview, or it could be a friend who gave you solid advice that added clarity to your career exploration process. Whatever the reason, there is no limit to when or to whom you should say “thank you”; but here are some career-related examples:
- career guidance and tips
- informational interviews
- networking
- job interviews
- job offers
The person you thank could be a boss, supervisor, instructor; or they can be someone you mentor or supervise. Don’t limit yourself on the type of relationship you have with someone to determine if you should thank them. If they helped or did something good for you, you should show gratitude. Remember that gratitude is a way to build a deeper connection!
When and how should I show gratitude?
Promptness and timeliness are important. It is best to give thanks or show gratitude fairly quickly. A verbal “thank you” in the moment is always helpful, but a heartfelt note sent afterwards can also be quite compelling. You might send an email or a handwritten note to them to detail out the specific reasons for your gratitude.
Make sure you consider when the person might receive the thank you. If timeliness is important (i.e. the search committee is making a decision this evening about candidates they will move to the next round of interviews), an email might be a good way to go. If you want them to receive it later or want them to have something of a keepsake, a handwritten card or note could work. Balance out not only how you want to show gratitude, but also how the recipient might want to receive gratitude.
What should I include in my “thank you” note?
Here are a few examples of thank you notes you can send as part of your career. While not templates, they may help inspire you on how to craft your own responses.
| Dear Qingqing, I hope this note finds you well! With spring break around the corner, I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for the work you and your team do at Lincoln International. I’ve really admired learning about your summer experience abroad and it has helped me consider this a pathway as well. I’d love the chance to briefly connect after the break to learn more about your experience there and what I should consider as part of my own pursuit towards a similar opportunity. Wishing you a restorative and fun break! Warm regards, Meredith |
| Hi Tianna, Thank you for spending the time today chatting about pathways into public service roles. I really found your advice around expanding my own network to be very encouraging, and the resources you shared will help improve my confidence in conducting outreach. I hope I can keep you updated about my search and would love to reconnect some time into the future to revisit this conversation or seek additional guidance. Would that be possible? I would certainly appreciate staying connected with you. Sincerely, Michelle |
| Dear Tavi, I really appreciated how you connected me with Aidan. I just finished having a great conversation about the work he is doing and you taking the time to introduce me to him allowed us to have a really productive conversation. I am not certain where this will lead, but I will keep you updated! I am so thankful for this opportunity–I couldn’t have done it without you. Sincerely, Victoria |
| Hello Erik, I wanted to send you a quick note as a follow-up to our interview today. Going through today, I appreciated the time you spent with me to learn about my background, and I really felt good about this opportunity after you provided additional insight into the organization and the responsibilities of this role. Thank you for being a gracious host to me as a candidate. I look forward to updates regarding this position, but let me know if there are additional details about my fit as a candidate that I can provide. Many thanks, Kelly |
| Dear Deborah, Thank you for the offer to join your team. I received the offer letter from Lydia, and I had some questions about the offer that I am hoping we can clarity through a conversation. Although I will be traveling through tomorrow back east, I was wondering if I could arrange a quick call with you and Lydia to learn more about the offer. I am truly excited by this opportunity to work with you, and thank you again for the offer! Sincerely, Jordan |
Note: even if you choose not to accept the role, gratitude can be a wonderful tool to keep the connection open with the recipient into the future.
Here are a couple of tips to help you write:
- Include a salutation and the person’s (or persons’) name
- Specify why you are thanking them
- Invite the recipient to continued conversations or encourage a deeper connection
- Show gratitude
Even if you decide to not accept an offer, go forward with an application, or need to cancel on an informational interview, include a note of gratitude to the person who helped and supported you to that point. Show appreciation for the work they have done to help you at any point on your journey.
Be your authentic self
No matter how or when you show gratitude, you will want to sound authentic. While you might want to seek help from AI in crafting a message, make sure that you stand behind the words you use to show gratitude. Likewise, be mindful to the degree of formality you might need to incorporate based on your relationship with them (i.e. can you be more informal or should you be more formal?) Finding your personal approach takes time, but hopefully by incorporating gratitude into your regular practice, you will improve your authenticity.
