Strengthening Relationships and Building Networks with Thank You Notes

I am a strong believer in showing appreciation to co-workers, friends, family, and acquaintances who help and support you along the way.

Strengthen relationships that are critical to your career success by taking the time to express sincere gratitude whenever you receive help, says Robert Thompson, author of "The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable" (Jossey-Bass, 2008). It's a simple way to garner your peers' respect and ensure their future support. For instance, if your colleague stays late to help you with an important presentation, say thanks in a handwritten note, he suggests.

So few people take the time to say thank you and it can reap huge rewards.

For help with writing thank you notes visit Thank You Notes

Fewer Mass Layoffs

U.S. employers took 1,308 mass layoff actions in April -- 263 fewer than in March -- seasonally adjusted, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Industries most involved include:

• Temporary help services
• School and employee bus transportation
• Automobile manufacturing
• Food-service contracting
• Tax-preparation services.

Meanwhile, for the week ending May 17, initial unemployment claims dropped by 9,000 to 365,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to a separate announcement from the Labor Department.

Don't Waste Too Much Time on the Internet

Exploring job opportunities on Internet Job Boards is easier and less effective than networking your way into a job. Thousands of people are responding to jobs posted on the Internet. Instead of blasting your resume to posted jobs, you can:

• Plan to make 3, 5, or 10 telephone calls a day to professional contacts, business associates, people who would be your immediate boss at companies that you are interested in and have researched on the Internet.


• Keep your resume in front of you when you conduct your phone calls and be prepared with a 1 minute enticing description of yourself (including skills and abilities).


• Always speak in terms of what you can contribute to, not what you hope to get from an employer.


• Send out 3-5 resumes a day (or a goal that works best for you) to the person who would be your immediate boss at targeted companies for which you believe that you are the perfect fit; don't send out hundreds of resumes blindly.


• When you can, send a hard copy of your resume after you send an e-mailed Microsoft Word attachment, ASCII file, and / or PDF file.


• Follow-up with a phone call within a week after sending the resume.


• Send thank you notes to anyone who is or has helped you with your job search and ocassionally follow up with phone calls.

Getting a job is a job but if you put forth the effort you may achieve faster and better responses and gain the position you hope to secure more rapidly.