Career expert Barbara Safani responds to job seekers‘ most common questions about post-interview Thank You letters.

• Do hiring authorities really read thank-you letters? Some do, some don’t. Some hiring managers feel that the thank-you letter is a good indicator of the candidate’s professionalism and proof of their interest in the open position. Others don’t read the letter, but still expect one. Some don’t expect them or read them, but it doesn’t hurt to send one. Since you never know what type of hiring manager you are dealing with, it’s always best to send one.

• What information should be included in a thank-you letter and how long should it be?
  • The first paragraph should communicate gratitude for the opportunity to meet.
  • The second paragraph should recap your strengths and draw a connection between those strengths and the needs of the employer.
  • The third paragraph should reference something specific from the conversation with the hiring manager that shows your interest in what the person said and proves that you understand their hiring needs.
  • The fourth paragraph should reiterate your continued interest in the job and express that you look forward to hearing from the employer regarding the next steps in the employment process.
  Keep the thank-you letter to four paragraphs and approximately a half page in length.

• Should I send the thank you letter via email or snail mail? While both methods are acceptable, I recommend sending the thank-you letter by email. It’s best to write the thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview. By using e-mail you expedite the delivery process and create another touchpoint with the hiring manager while you are still “fresh in their mind.” In addition, the email serves as an “electronic breadcrumb” that can be easily and quickly shared with others in the organization.

• Which is more appropriate: a typed or a handwritten thank-you? I recommend sending a typed thank-you letter. This way you can be sure that the receiver can clearly read and understand your message. I recognize that some hiring managers do like the personal touch of a handwritten note, but in general the typed note is a more effective strategy.

• If I interview with more than one person, do I have to send them all a thank-you letter? Yes! Send a thank you note to anyone who assists you in your job search, including networking contacts and recruiters. If you meet with several people for interviews related to the same position, try to pick out one specific highlight from your conversation that personalizes the letter. For example, you might write, “I appreciate the information you shared with me regarding the company’s global expansion plans and I am confident that my background is a strong match for your company’s future goals.”

If you have a question about your job search for Barbara or any of our recruiters, ask us in the comment section below or visit us on Facebook!

  Barbara Safani
  Career Solvers

This article originally appeared on the AOL Jobs Blog. Career Solvers is a career counseling service in partnership with The Execu|Search Group. Learn more about Career Solvers here!

Want to network your way to a new job but don’t know where to start? Check out these great starter tips from Nkrumah, an account executive here at Execu|Search!

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To begin referring friends and family, send them this link to apply online or contact Greta, one of our healthcare recruiters via e-mail, for more information. Make sure your nurse mentions you as the referrer so you’ll be able to win one of three exciting prizes!

Amanda, Director of Health Services in the temporary division, talks about some of the steps you can take to make sure your resume is tailored to each job you apply for!

Having difficulty passing the social work licensing exam? Having your social work license is an important factor when it comes to finding a great job.

Here are some important tips on passing your exam:

• Talk to people who already took the test and ask questions so that they can give you a better idea of what to expect

  

• Make sure you understand what areas, skills, and knowledge will be evaluated on the test
• Focus your studying efforts on your weakest areas
• Buy the summary study guides or borrow from a friend who already took the exam
• Set up a study group to maximize exposure to others’ knowledge
• Set up a schedule to organize your studying accordingly
• Take practice tests!

In addition, if you have taken the test before and have not passed, there are some great social workers who offer one-on-one assessments and tutoring services that can target your specific needs and help you improve. In addition, there are some very inexpensive classes that you can sign up for, and remember that your school is a great place to post and view flyers for study groups and extra classes. While it might seem like you are spending too much money preparing for the test, and you might feel frustrated that you have already spent thousands of dollars on your education, keep in mind that you have already started this journey and are almost done! Make one last effort to finish and get your license, you’ll be gaining the rewards for the rest of your career.

Jess Monterrey
Staffing Coordinator – Social Services

‘Tis the season for holiday parties, events, family trips…..and that means putting your job search on hold—but should it?

This is the time of year when job seekers tend to take a backseat approach to their job search. This reactive trend seems to be based on the assumption that employers will likely not extend offers or hire this time of year simply because they are on vacation or are too occupied with holiday parties and other commitments. In reality, this couldn’t be farther from the truth!

This presumptuous mindset will surely put your job search on the backburner come the start of the New Year! Why wait for more competition to get into the mix? Now is the time to conquer the job race! The Execu|Search Group is currently working with clients who are extremely eager to start 2011 off on the right foot with fresh new hires. Our clients, like many other companies and organizations, are wholly focused on receiving and reviewing new resumes and extending offers to great candidates!

Take this time to get your resume in order, research prospective opportunities and employers, and brush up on your interviewing skills. This way, you can submit your resume before the competition heats up in the new year and have an advantage when you do get called in for an interview! So if you’re going to make a list and check it twice this season….make sure to include “keep my eyes and ears open to new opportunities.”

After all, you don’t want someone else getting your dream job simply because you waited to make your job search part of a New Year’s resolution…..

Happy New Year!

Joy Kahlenberg
Human Resources / Office Support

As part of our ongoing Resume Writing Advice series, we asked our recruiters for their top tips for perfectly produced resumes. Our recruiters see hundreds of resumes each week and have become experts at eyeing great resumes in a flash. Here are some more important “Don’ts” to consider when penning your resume:

• Don’t use clichéd adjectives to describe your experience. Words like “dynamic” and “self-starting” fall flat on a resume because you are describing yourself, and because it looks like resume filler. Your accomplishments and resume should speak for the mselves. If you are applying through a recruiter, let us describe you! We will describe your personality to an employer so you don’t have to.

• Don’t list hobbies or interests on your resume. This information was once used for interview small talk, but now looks like trivial resume filler.
  

• Don’t lie or exaggerate on your resume. Degrees, computer skills, and language fluency can all be checked, and whatever can’t be checked will be discovered during the first few days on the job. Better to be honest and hold out for a job that suits your skills rather than take on a job for which you are unqualified, or being let go for falsifying information.

• Don’t list references on your resume. Always provide references if asked, or if filling out an application on an interview. But if you list references on a resume, it allows employers to call your references while deciding to bring you in. This way, they can “interview” you without having to meet you, and you have less control over your first impression. Plus, if you are actively looking for a job, your references may get many calls and grow weary of referring you for jobs you may not seriously consider taking. These references will be less likely to pleasantly refer you for that job you really want.
  

• Don’t worry about making your resume one page. As a specialized employee, it’s more important that you cover all of your experience and skills rather than confine your resume to one page. Also, if you are using a recruiter, companies expect that your resume will be thorough.

Alison Kuhns
Director – Healthcare

As part of our ongoing Resume Writing Advice series, we asked our recruiters for their top tips for perfectly produced resumes. Our recruiters see hundreds of resumes each week and have become experts at eyeing great resumes in a flash. Here are some important “Don’ts” to consider when penning your resume:

• Don’t use an email address that is too personal or unprofessional

Your email address should be some version of your full name, ie dsmith@gmail.com or donna_smith@yahoo.com. “Princess368” or “Jakesmom” may reflect negatively and cost you an interview

• Don’t automatically include an objective at the top of your resume

Most of the time objectives are either too general to be relevant or too specific for the job you’re applying for and will hurt your chances. Employers often take objectives very literally, so you may not get an interview if the job listed in your objective isn’t available or you don’t have the right skills for it, even if there’s another (possibly better) job you might be a better fit for. Plus, many employers keep resumes on file for years, and your objective might change. You don’t want them to refrain from calling you because you limited yourself in your resume.

• Don’t use the first person when writing a resume

“I worked as a staff nurse on a medical-surgical unit where I sometimes acted as charge nurse” does not sound as professional as, ”Worked as a charge nurse on a medical-surgical unit, occasional charge nurse duties.“

• Don’t list incorrect contact info, or forget to check your voicemail or email

Listing a cell phone number that is inactive will make you look careless, not to mention you will not be reachable to schedule an interview when you actually get one! Likewise, if you take more than a day or two to respond to an inquiry it will make you appear disorganized or disinterested. If you are applying for jobs make sure you check your voicemail and e-mail regularly.

• Don’t include personal information

Information such as age, religion, race or ethnicity should be left off the resume, even if it influences when you can work or what work you can do. This information should be brought up in person, or after an interview has occurred. If you are applying through a recruiter, one of the benefits is that they can bring up any special needs you may have in an appropriate way.

Be sure to check back for Part II of ”The Don’ts“ as well as other great resume writing tips! 

Alison Kuhns
Director – Healthcare

The Summary of Qualifications section of a resume is where you will show what sets you apart from other candidates. Your Summary of Qualifications should be written in 5 statements or less. Bullet formatting is best for this section of your resume, since it is easier to read.

The Summary of Qualifications is not designed to summarize your duties at in your past roles. Instead, this section should include your title and years of experience, the populations that you have worked with, the settings that you have worked at, the treatment modalities you have used, and the skills and/or tasks that you have mastered.

Here is an example:

• LMSW with 5 years of experience as a social worker
• Experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and geriatrics
• Previously worked at hospital inpatient, outpatient clinic, nursing home, and home care settings
• Facilitated individual and group counseling, case management, crisis intervention, brief therapy, and cognitive behavioral treatment
• Proficient providing psychosocial assessments, developing and implementing treatment plans, linking to wrapped-around services, and discharge planning

If you have just recently graduated and have no post-master’s experience, but have been in the field for a while, you might want to consider revising your first statement to read something like this:

• LMSW with 5 years of experience working within the social services field

Also, if your only experience is from an internship, make sure to highlight the skills that are most relevant to the job you are applying for. Make sure that you understand what the requirements are.
 
These items will allow the employer to quickly review what you have done. This is your first impression, so make sure to include everything that is relevant while still keeping it to a maximum of 5 statements. In addition, if you have included a cover letter with your resume, make sure that your Summary of Qualifications is consistent with what you wrote in your cover letter.

Jess Monterrey
Staffing Coordinator – Social Services