Sending a thank you note is a must after every meaningful professional encounter. Blow it off and your candidacy could be DOA or your reputation tainted. A poorly written thank you could produce the same results. So what may seem like a quick and easy afterthought, the content of the thank you—what you say or don’t say—can play a much bigger role than you think. I have counseled scores of legal professionals on the art and skill of saying thank you—and over the years, have learned a great deal about what resonates … and repels employers. So before you put pen to paper or fingers to keys, I recommend that you give the content of your thank you some careful consideration and consider my advice below.

There is no secret sauce to writing the perfect thank you—as there are many ways to write an effective note of appreciation. But there are a few key guidelines to keep in mind:

  • Keep it short
  • The tone should be positive, friendly, professional and not overly formal or familiar
  • Express appreciation for the person’s time in meeting/speaking with you
  • One or two sentences about what you enjoyed about your conversation
  • Reiterate interest (if interviewing for a job)
  • No typos!
  • Fonts:  Should not be too big or too small, black color preferably, conservative/common font style
  • Refrain from emojis, smiley faces, winks and too many exclamation points (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
  • No ALL CAPS
  • Send within 24-48 hours of your interaction
  • Email is the standard form today, but if you’d like to opt for handwritten, go for it