Etiquette for writing professional thank-you notes

Why you’d write thank-you note/email:

• Thank-you notes: If someone, like your boss, has given you a reference or referral, helped you on a project or other endeavor, or spent time speaking with and/or advising you, you must thank this individual.
• Combination thank-you/follow-up notes: Frequently, you write BOTH to follow up AND to thank someone. For example, if your former supervisor refers you to his contact and this individual invites you to interview with him, you’d both thank your former boss and also let him know about this upcoming meeting.

Writing thank-you note/email:

• Analyze your situation: Let’s say that a former professor advised you on how to present an idea to your company’s CEO. Whether or not your presentation goes well, you should send your professor a note that both follows up on your presentation AND also thanks him for his help. To do so, you assess your professor’s perspective. He’s interested in your progress and eager to know whether you were able to persuade your CEO concerning your idea. Your purpose is to tell your professor that the presentation was, indeed, successful and that you appreciate his guidance.
• State your main point: In this example, you might write, “Thanks to your invaluable advice, I was able to persuade my CEO concerning my idea.”
• Email or written note?: These days, most people use email. If, however, you’re thanking a senior-level executive or older individual, you may want to write (using legible handwriting, of course) your thank-you note.

Thanking someone in person:

• Make an appointment:If you think that your reference or other person you're thanking would prefer that you thank him in person, you should call or email to schedule a brief appointment to do so.
• What you'd say:In your in-person meeting—as in a written thank-you note—for example:you’d tell your reference that you received a job offer and whether you’ll accept this position. You’d also say how much you’ve appreciated his support of your job search.