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“Instant Thank You Letters” Book Review
by Charles Ethos
How to be a Hot
Post-Interview Job Prospect Without Trying (almost)
On the “Instant Thank You Letters” website, author Melissa Feiveson suggests that you can pop out a Thank You in 2 ½ minutes without writing. And I’ll suggest to you that those well spent 2 ½ minutes may
position you among the top 10% of job seekers.
Since this is a critical book review, don’t just yet do it. In
light of the fact we are targeting job interview techniques, I’ll limit my tirade to the benefits of your job seeking Thank You etiquette.
Don’t think a Thank
You can be critical? Check out my article at the bottom of the page.
Consider…
Less than 10% of job seekers send Thank You letters, memos, emails, cards or mailgrams.
- You, I,
most everyone on this planet likes, loves to hear our names in praise, in thanks. There are a libraries filled with songs, poems, books
and hymns praising God, does that give you a clue about sucking up?
- A well
written Thank You is a testimonial about the person receiving it. Why? By sending them a
Thank You, you are singling them out to receive your commendation and gratitude for the
opportunity to compete for the job.
- Some
outstanding Thank You letters are framed. You never know when you hit that intangible “ego”
button.
- You are special. By getting an
interview, you made the first cut. They made it possible by deciding that you are worthy of a second look. You may have been the only
interviewee. Who knows, so thank them, win or loose! Be remembered.
- Remembered? Your Thank You letter is a testimonial, a
reflection of your professional etiquette.
- Imagine,
to land among the top 10 percent of job seekers with your humble Thank You letter, you don’t
have to be smarter, more educated, have a longer resume, have more experience or even be “prettier”.
- You stand
out by contrast by what your competitors lack.
Write a Thank You
letter to everyone, anyone who in anyway touched you, influenced you, guided you, advised you, indirectly interviewed you, directly
interviewed you, offered you a job, turned you down from a job, encouraged you, motivated you, or influenced your job seeking journey. Guess
who they’ll remember tomorrow?
You say I am crazy? Like a fox.
So why a Thank You
book?
I’ll bet even Shakespeare had writer’s block or a lazy bone on
occasion.
Books are idea generators. Brainstorming triggers.
Educational. Entertaining.
Author:
Melissa Feiveson. According to my web search she is
also a professional spokesperson for
Autoresponder Magic, a well known eBook focusing on autoresponder messages and techniques.
Subject
Matter:
Exclusive, razor sharp focus on creating Thank You Letters in a flash. No distractions, no side shows. The only philosophy you’ll find is in her
sales letter on her website which has some brilliant insights. Read it. It’s free.
Presentation:
The eBook download is zipped. It contains:
- A file called “11 index” that contains a list of all 41 Thank You Letters.
- 31 rich text Thank You Letter templates covering 31 Thank
You scenarios.
- 11 MS Word Thank You Letter templates covering 10 Thank
You scenarios, with one overlap.
- You use the letters by selecting your topic and then substituting your personal information in
place of pre-targeted bolded information located within parentheses.
I completed some of these letters within 30 seconds. It took
more time to access the file and print it than to fill it out.
Upside/Downside
6 Things I
Like:
1) I love templates. They are easy, fast, time savers and a no-brainer for the topics matching your
needs. However, never use them as is. See “What I Dislike” in the next section.
2) You have no, I repeat, no excuse not to send a Thank You.
If the topic of your Thank You is in this package, then zip-zip, print, fold, lick envelope, place
stamp and mail.
3) This book is a reminder, a motivator. Knowing you have “Instant Thank You Letters”
eBook could lay on some solid guilt in case you want to “forget”.
4) Reminders tend to lead to better habits for your ongoing professional career. Thanking your
interviewer is just the beginning.
5) Okay, I am also practical. Having “Instant Thank You Letters” makes it instantly available for the rest of the family. Now, we both know
how much training they could use in “thanking” you.
J Wouldn't you just love to get a Thank You for birthday
presents, Christmas toys, and graduation gifts? More “fuzzies” on top of the peck on the cheek.
6) Use “Instant Thank You Letters” to help improve your writing skills and reduce
writer’s block. You can expand on “Instant Thank You
Letters” library of letters by adding your own for special occasions that you can reuse in the future.
What I
Dislike:
- $14.95. I
bought it. I’ll keep it. It’s a use full tool but a little pricey especially if you already are in the habit of thanking
people.
- On the other hand, if the book will remind you to send Thank You letters that you are not sending
now, it’s peanuts considering the effect it may have on your career.
- I don’t
like templates because original is better. They can make you lazy, complacent. Should an interviewer get the same letter from another
candidate, you both have just shown a lack of imagination, sincerity, and writing skills. Not a very good testimonial. The employer,
feeling slighted, may even reconsider their impression of you and their offer.
- Why would
another person have the identical letters? Somebody had a big mouth and blabbed how great, what a time saver and how easy “Instant Thank You Letters” was to use. So they
bought it. Never let anyone borrow it unless you plan to work as Siamese Twins.
J
- By the
way, make sure when making changes that they make sense. Proofread the letter!
SUMMARY:
For me, templates are brainstorming triggers. As I was reading
the 42 letters, I rewrote each in my mind. Yes, I kept valuable content and verbiage but adding your personality is a must to make your letter
sound unique.
Worse case
scenario, if you are absolutely stuck, ask yourself, is a template better than
nothing? Since less than 10% of interviewees will send a Thank You letter, the odds are in your
favor.
Since there is a little slob in all of us (excluding you), I
keep my copy of “Instant Thank You Letters” on my book shelf in plain view because the title
is a perfect reminder to send a Thank You.
Explore Melissa Feiveson“Instant Thank You Letters” website. Even if you are not interested in this book, you owe yourself to read
Melissa’s insights into the art of Thank You Letters on her above
website.
p.s. For those from
Missouri, read my article http://www.eyeopeninginterviewtips.com/thankyou.html
About the
Author:
Charles Ethos is an experienced motivational
educator, consultant and author. His audiences come from all walks of life. For other original articles with tips on fine-tuning your job
interview techniques visit http://www.eyeopeninginterviewtips.com
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