If you’re like most in the working world, the amount of emails you get is ridiculous.  At my previous job I was receiving upwards of about 150 emails every day.  The sad thing about that is there were probably about 15% of those that I didn’t even need to receive and it was wasted energy opening it up and reading it only to find that the information on that email I was CC’d on was not absolutely vital to my work existence.

A few tips on creating an effective Carbon Copy list:

• Really think about your audience.  Does EVERYONE in your CC list absolutely need to know the information you are sending in order to do his/her job?  Remember, casting a wide net and hoping 1 of the 50 people in your CC list is not the way to go.  Less is always best!
• Do not CC the Main Recipient’s Manager.  Nothing says “I REALLY don’t trust you to do your job with this information!” like CC’ing that person’s boss.  I can guarantee you this is almost never received well by the Main Recipient.
• If you send an email to someone who is out of office, and their automatic Out of Office response lists a back-up person, I think it’s helpful to forward your request to the back-up and CC the person who is out of office.  Personally, I like it because I can open up my email, group them by subject and I know that my backup took care of whatever the request was.  It helps me figure out what was taken care of and what I need to follow-up on.

Today was a gorgeous day – the high probably didn’t even break the 90-degree point.  I had another great, productive day and was looking forward to attending a fashion show this evening with some girlfriends.  I planned to leave work at 5, but there was that *one last thing* to do and *one last email* to send out.

The second I stepped outside, I knew I should have just waited until the following morning to finish up those tasks since they weren’t really ‘mission critical’.

I’m a very observational person.  I see the smallest details and notice small mannerisms that others might not see.  One thing I noticed my very first week at Present Company was that EVERYONE had an umbrella in their office.  I didn’t really know why…. it’s not like we live in Seattle or anything.  In fact, it very rarely rains here, except for maybe the Spring or when winter storms are blowing through – but even those are few and far between.

Since I started working here, I thought, “I need to get a cheap, small umbrella to keep here…. just in case” because the only umbrella I own is a huge stick umbrella that is designer, so I wouldn’t just leave it in my cube.  What if I need it on the weekend and I forget it there?!

And since I started working here (8 weeks now?) I have procrastinated in getting that umbrella.

All of that procrastination led up to today.

The second I walked outside, the skies parted, and it started POURING.  I’m not even being dramatic – that’s seriously how it happened.  I was running – I didn’t want to be soaking wet when I got to the fashion show… and I didn’t want the water to stain my cute leather handbag.  I was in the middle of the parking lot when I realized that I had no idea where I parked that morning.  So I stood there – unsuccessfully trying to shield my bag from the rain – looking for my eff’ing car in the darker-than-normal parking lot.  I finally did find my car, but by then the hope of not looking like a wet dog was literally washed away.

Luckily for me, it was still pouring so the drive was long.  By the time I got to the show, my clothes appeared dry, though my hair was still somewhat stringy.

My lesson learned today is all about procrastination — Some things are OK to put off for a few hours or until the next day…. others need to be taken care of immediately just in case the skies part and it starts to pour.

As promised 2 weeks ago – a handy dandy guide to a company culture that doesn’t suck:

1. Don’t hire @ssholes – If you’ve messed up and hired one (or two, or a couple hundred) don’t encourage their jerk behavior.  You know who I’m talking about – the people who are caught up in job titles… the ones that will do just about anything to get ahead.  Make sure they are treating others with respect before you do anything crazy like promote them.  Even if you speak out against mean behavior like that, all of that will fall on deaf ears if they see those people succeeding in the company.  They will believe that in order to succeed, you have to be a jerk, and that won’t help your company culture at all…
2. Think outside the “Mission Statement” – Let’s be real here – Just about all company mission statements are the same … maybe just worded differently.  You can harp on the wonderful and profound mission statement all you want, but don’t think having a nicely sounding mission statement automatically equals a wonderful culture that makes your employees enjoy being there.
3. Take Action – If you take the time & expense to do an employee survey, do something with the responses besides looking at them.  Do more than give flex days or letting the employees wear jeans on days other than Fridays – I speak from experience when I say those two things alone will not change your employee’s minds about wanting to get the hell out of your company.  It’s nice, but it doesn’t quite do anything to fix the problems that your people in the trenches deal with on a daily basis.  Listen to what your employees have to say and actively do something about it – there is nothing more frustrating that inaction.
4. Cultivate Your Talent – You spent so much time and effort recruiting them, and then a bunch of money to train them… why not make sure they want to stick around? Give them a clear career path and don’t limit that to your own functional area.  If they show interest in another functional area, put them in situations to learn more about it.
5. Be Open to New Ideas – Some older companies are hiring us crazy Millennial kids not because they want to, but out of necessity because their older Baby Boomer crowd is retiring.  Gen Y has a bad rep for being “know it alls” which I think is an unfair stereotype, but I do think we have a lot of great ideas because we see the whole world in a way that has never been seen before. Case in point: When I got my promotion at Former Company, I was the youngest person who ever had that job.  My peers were Gen X’ers (mostly on the older side of that generation!).  At that time, our boss’s boss was talking about problems our group was facing and instead of listening to some new ideas, they just kept doing it the same way.  Over. And over. And over again. Somehow, I guess they were expecting different results by doing the same thing?  I’m not even sure… but when I left, they still had the same, unresolved issues.  Nerds.

1. Use proper letter format.  If you have no idea what that is, Microsoft Office should have a letter template.
2. Salutation: Dear Mr./Ms. {Last Name}
3. Paragraph 1: General Thanks
   1. Thank them for taking time out of their schedule to speak with you and specifically mention the position title & Company
   2. Let them know that you are confident you possess the skills and abilities needed to exceed their expectations for this role.  DO NOT USE PASSIVE LANGUAGE. Yes, that was important enough to bold, underline, and italicize!  If you ever write phrases like “I think” in your Thank You, I’m going to track you down & hit you with my laptop.  Ok, I might not track you down, but you really should use language that shows you are confident in your abilities.  I’ll never forget the phrase my writing coach in 7th grade taught me:  I firmly believe.  Loooooves it! I would even be bold and tell them that you are a perfect match for the position.
   3. You can also express your interest in the opportunity
4. Paragraph 2 – I got what you want
   1. I like to briefly talk about the abilities & experiences I have that they directly said they were looking for.  This is just to remind them that you already have what they are looking for.  I like to keep this paragraph 1-3 sentences.
5. Paragraph 3 – I got what you NEED!
   1. In this paragraph, I like to talk about what makes me way more awesome than any other candidates they may have spoken to.  I typically start it with “In addition to my experiences with ——–, I also —-”.
   2. You can discuss attributes that you already possess that will help you be more than successful in the role.  Worked with cross-functional teams? Led company initiatives? Win some awards? Served as a chair for some relevant committee? TELL THEM ABOUT IT.  And tie it into how it will be relevant to the job.
   3. This is also a good time to mention other positive attributes that you may have inadvertently left out during the interview.
   4. I like to keep this one between 2-4 sentences.
6. Paragraph 4: Thanks & Have a Great Day!
   1. Reiterate your appreciation
   2. Did you enjoy learning more about the position & company? Tell them that too
   3. Give them a way to contact you.  “If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me at {phone number}
   4. Tell them you are really looking forward to hearing from them soon
7. Closing – Sincerely, or Best Regards, work great
8. First & Last Name

TA-DA! You’ve just written a thank you letter!!

A few words of caution:

• Watch your sentence structure.  If you find yourself using a ton of commas, it might be a good idea to make one of them a period & start another sentence so that your thoughts are coherent.
• DO NOT copy thank-you templates off the Internet.  That’s so generic! You want your thank-you’s to be as specific as possible so that it applies to YOU.  The more specific it is, the more effective it will be… and wouldn’t it be soooooo embarrassing if you forgot to change a field in the template? 
• Don’t be afraid to bust out a thesaurus if you find yourself using the same word over and over

Good luck!

Before you even think about writing a thank you letter/note to the hiring manager, there are a few things you should think about:

1. Timing
2. Delivery

Timing:

It’s very important to determine what the hiring manager’s timeframe is for making his/her decision.  If they don’t offer up this information, you should ask.

It is my personal belief that if the hiring manager doesn’t offer up the information on what the next steps in the selection process is, you should ask, because it will show him/her that you are interested in the job and want to know what the next steps are to get that job.

You can do this by saying something like “After everything we’ve discussed, I really feel like I’m a great fit for the position and am eager to hit the ground running.  What is the timeline you are looking at to fill this position?” You can also offer up the best way to contact you.

Knowing the hiring manager’s timeline will help you determine how you are going to deliver the thank you letter.

If, for example, he says he is going to make a decision the following morning, it might be a better idea to email the thank-you and follow-up with a short handwritten notecard similar to the one that you plan on writing for other non-hiring managers that interviewed you that day.

If it’s going to take him a week or so, it might be a better idea to mail the thank-you letter instead.

Delivery:

I change up my thank-you strategy based on how I feel the hiring manager’s personality is or the feeling I got from the interview.

For example, there was a woman that I interviewed with who seemed a little bit more laid back than your typical hiring manager, so i felt a formal thank you letter just wouldn’t work with her.  I went to Target & bought a card in their card section that was blank inside and was very cute and tasteful on the outside.  Instead of writing a 3-4 line thank you that I would typically write in a non-hiring mgr’s note, I got a little bit more detailed (6-8 sentences).  It was short & sweet – it reiterated my interest in the position, and my qualifications and yet it wasn’t a stuffy formal letter.  That worked for her, and I got hired the following week.

My new position however, I just wasn’t really sure, so I erred on the side of caution.  Since he said he would be making a decision the next day in the afternoon, I knew I didn’t have time to mail him a physical formal letter.  I typed up the formal letter (tomorrow’s lesson), and I emailed it to him.

Some people will say that you should NEVER email a thank-you, but I personally believe that if it is well-written and you know that a physical copy will not get to him/her in time for their decision, you should email it.

That very same day, I also wrote a thank you notecard and mailed it with the cards I had written for the others I interviewed with.  While the emailed letter was formal and said everything you should say, the thank you card was just a little something extra.  “Mr. LastName, Thanks again for taking time out of your schedule to speak with me about ——— position.  I really enjoyed learning more about ——— at -Company Name- and I firmly believe that my skills and experience will be an asset to your team.”

I figured, even if he decides tomorrow not to hire me, when he gets that notecard in the mail the following day, he’s going to wish he did since I made the effort to write him something extra.

The following day, I received a phone call at 9 am in the morning informing me that the position was mine.  Keep in mind, the hiring manager told me the decision wouldn’t be made until the late afternoon because he had another candiate to interview.

Even though my formal thank-you was emailed, it still had a positive impact on their impression of me.  The HR Manager discussed the feedback they all had about me and he said it was all very positive, and he added that the hiring manager was very impressed with the thank you letter I sent immediately following the interview.

So, in summation, if you have several days until the “decision date” you should probably mail the thank you.  If you have less than 48 hours, email the thank you, and followup with a short thank-you note card.

Rule #1 of Thank You letters: Do not ignore the “little people”.

Maybe it’s the southern belle in me, but I think it’s important to thank everyone and not just the hiring manager after an interview.

Every single one of my job interviews that I’ve had since graduating from college involved more than just the hiring manager.  You do want to thank the hiring manager (and we’ll talk about how tomorrow),  but you can’t forget the other people who were involved with the interview.

For example, the hiring manager might want to have his team interview you as well.  These people will be your peers and your team if you are the successful candidate.  You should send them thank you notes for several reasons:

• It will give them a good impression of you
• It is professional
• The hiring manager will ALWAYS meet with his team or others that also interview you and will ask them what they thought of you.  Even if he speaks with them immediately after you leave and they receive the thank you note 2 days later, they will say ‘Hey! Remember Cee? I just received a thank you note from her.  That’s really nice of her!”  Your effort won’t go unnoticed.
• It usually makes people smile.  Wouldn’t you like to work with someone who makes you smile?

I also send a thank you note to the HR person/Talent Acquisition person.  I honestly can’t say for sure what they do, but they are involved with your interviewing & hiring process: screening candidates (and they picked you!), scheduling interviews, scheduling background checks, setting up drug tests in which they chop off a chunk of your hair, etc etc.  It’s nice to know your work and effort is appreciated and that’s exactly what the thank you note does.

Since these aren’t the main decision-makers, you want to keep it short & sweet.  I have a box of tasteful blank note cards that say “Thank you” on the front and I hand write the note inside.  I think it’s nice and it adds a little personal touch.

What to write-

1. A salutation – Dear Mr/Ms {Last Name}
2. Thank you – Thank you for meeting with me today about the {position title here} position at {Company}.
3. Write something that relates to what your discussion was about – Did they tell you more details about their position? Or show you what they actually do? What caught your interest the most about what they had to say? Don’t be afraid to tell them that you were impressed with what they showed you, or what they had to say about the company.
4. {Optional} I always reiterate my appreciation for their time
5. Closing sentiment & signature – Best Regards, {Your Name}

Yep!  It really is that easy!  It doesn’t need to be a novel or even a full paragraph. Just a little something to say thank you and to show that you really listened to them.

I mentioned before that I use small blank note cards.  I always write their name in the front of the envelope (Mr/Ms First Name & Last Name) and place that envelope into a standard size envelope.  I always get scared that the postal service or even the company mail room will misplace tiny envelopes.

TIPS:

• Write clearly.  If you have chicken scratch* for handwriting, you might want to reconsider the hand-written route.
• Send the thank-you notes the SAME DAY as your interview.  Write them in the car immediately after your interview if you have to, and stop by the post office that same day.  (If you’re going to write them immediately after the interview, do so while the car is PARKED and not while you’re driving!)
• Before the interviewers leave the room, ask them for their business card.  This has contact information AND gives you an idea of how you need to address the thank you note.  You only really need one, because once you have one, you can determine how to address the others.  It’s important to get either the department or mail stop info because not having that could slow the delivery process in the mail room of the company if it’s a large office.

Addressing the envelope:

Company Name

c/o Mr/Ms First & Last Name, Department or Mail Stop

# & street name

City, State Zip Code

* I love the phrase “chicken scratch” and I’ve always wanted to use it in a blog.  I remember back in the 2nd and 3rd grade, my teachers would tell the class to write clearly so they could grade work and that they couldn’t understand “chicken scratch”

The Thank You Letter, in my opinion, is one of the most important aspects of your job interview process. (Second only to not making a complete buffoon of yourself during the actual interview)

I think it’s under-rated and I would guess that most people don’t actually take the time to craft the perfect letter that can help you close the deal and land that job.

It’s that very reason that this is THANK YOU WEEK here at PCI! You will get all kinds of wonderful tips & tricks since I know a lot of my FUNemployed Brethren are in the midst of a job search.

I also want to encourage you to add your own tips & tricks as the week progresses

Neil Sadaka had it right when he said ‘breaking up is hard to do‘.

Lesson Learned in Unemployment #4:  Getting RIF’d is a lot like breaking up; handle it accordingly.

Involuntary unemployment sucks and even though you probably had some warning before that cuts would be made, it doesn’t quite take the sting away.  I’ve found that it’s a lot like breaking up with a long-time significant other.

I’ve once compared my job to a very unhealthy relationship I used to be in, and it’s the same exact case when your employer breaks up with you even though you wanted out anyway.  There is just something more satisfying when you end it on your terms… kind of like that age-old advice “break up with him before he can break up with you”.

It might be a little crazy at first, but handle it just like you would any other break up – occupy your damn time! Don’t sit around all sad.  Do stuff that would make your coworkers jealous.  Wake up late.  Lay out by the pool everyday. Do something… anything, but don’t let it bug you because just like in real life, if you’re sitting around being all sad thinking about your lost love you can almost guarantee your former Significant Other is out having a good time NOT thinking about you.  (That means after your Former Company gives you the pink slip and your severance, they don’t give a furry squirrel about you, and you shouldn’t care about them either)

It gets a little tricky if you still have friends there, just like it’s tricky if you have mutual friends in a real-life breakup, so try to manage that as best you can.  If you need to, set up some boundaries – like you don’t want to talk about certain people, things, etc that are work related that might bother you, don’t.

Like in real relationships, time heals all wounds.  Most of the people who got RIF’ed in my Former Company have moved on to bigger and better things, so when that happens, it makes it a little sweeter.. it’s kind of like dating a way hotter & nicer guy after that idiot who broke up with you

Lesson Learned in Unemployment #3:

Enjoy your time off!

Jeff Kubina

Americans are probably the worst in the world when it comes to taking vacation days off that are given to them by employers.  When we do go on vacation, our phones, Blackberries, and/or laptops almost inevitably join the ride and distract us from what is supposed to be time OFF.

I definitely see this time off as a gift because it gave me time to de-stress, decompress, and just kind of chill out.

I’m probably never going to get this time off again (unless I get laid off again… that would suck! haha) so I didn’t spend it worrying about money, or bills, or anything really.

I slept without an alarm clock.  The first couple of days I woke up at 6 am automatically, but before I knew it, I was sleeping until 10 am with no problems.

I didn’t think about climbing the corporate ladder. I didn’t think of the evil coworker that I REALLY didn’t like.  I didn’t think about my inadequate boss.  I didn’t think about any of the reports I used to run.  I’ve just kind of enjoyed every day at the dog parks or the driving range.

So, moral of the story is – when you are on vacation be on vacation.  Don’t let your job distract you from that.  Your company won’t crumble to the ground without you there.

Lesson Learned #2: It pays to have a financial safety net

Up until about 2 years ago, the only savings I had was my “Christmas savings” — the $75ish dollars I put away every two weeks in anticipation of holiday travel and Christmas presents.  I was a carefree 25-yr old who spent every penny I made on beer, wine and other miscellaneous things that I can’t even recall.

I figured that at the age of 25, I had to get serious about my finances so I started my “emergency fund” with $1000 and started to really pay off the credit card debt I accumulated while in college. 

When I got laid off 2.5ish months ago, I didn’t have any credit card debt and my emergency fund was big enough to carry me over around 7 months without any income.  With my severance and all that, it’s grown to a little over a year.  Since I was fortunate enough to find a good job in a short amount of time, I can take the extra $$ and put it towards my Someday-I-Might-Actually-Get-Over-My-Committment-Issues-And-Buy-A-House fund.

I think if I didn’t have my emergency fund that I started a couple of years ago, I would NOT have enjoyed my FUNemployment as much as I did.  Before I interviewed for my new job, I even considered just taking another 2-3 months off to just hang out, and explore the museums and things in my area because I wasn’t worried about not being able to pay rent or anything.