Etiquette regarding sending a thank you letter following the job interview continues to baffle job seekers. Here are the most common questions I get regarding thank you letters.

1. Do hiring authorities really read thank you letters?
2. What information should be included in the letter?
3. How long should it be?
4. Should I send a thank you letter via email or snail mail?
5. Which is more appropriate; a typed or handwritten letter?
6. If I interview with more than one person, do I have to send each of them a thank you letter?

You can read my responses at AOL Jobs

According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, 22 percent of the 2,800 employers surveyed said they were less likely to hire a candidate who neglects to send a thank you letter. Of that 22 percent, 86 percent said it showed a lack of follow through and an additional 56 percent said that it sends the message that the candidate isn’t really interested in the job. Since you never how much of a factor the thank you letter may play in the hiring manager’s decision, it’s always best to send one. Here are some tips for crafting a thank you note that scores points with the hiring manager and keeps you on their radar.

A thank you letter creates an opportunity to reconnect with employers.

Chances are you are one of many candidates being interviewed for an open position. Writing a follow up letter allows you to build a relationship with the interviewer and develop rapport. By expressing your gratitude for the interview and recapping the highlights of the meeting, you revisit the reasons you believe there is an appropriate fit between you and the organization.

Following up keeps your candidacy “top of mind”.

Often candidates make the mistake of putting too much control in the interviewer’s hands. They believe that if they are the best candidate, the interviewer will remember them and keep them in the loop regarding the selection process. But this is often not the case. It’s critical that candidates remind prospective employers of their interest in a position and the thank you letter is the perfect vehicle for communicating this.

Written correspondence allows you to sell your strengths again.

While part of the reason for the thank you letter is to express gratitude for the meeting, the document serves a much more strategic purpose. It provides an opportunity for the candidate to repackage their skills and accomplishments into another format and market their value added to the employer.

The document enables you to address points you neglected to discuss during the interview.

Many candidates report that after they leave the interview they think of all the other things they could have said during the meeting. Rather than labeling this a liability, turn it into an asset by discussing these points in the thank you letter and remind the reader of your ability to produce similar results for their organization.

A letter helps develop rapport and increases employer’s comfort level with your candidacy.

A good strategy is to recap a part of the conversation where you and the interviewer shared similar views on a job-related topic. The thank you letter can also be a forum for demonstrating your consultative problem solving skills. By addressing current issues the employer is facing and proposing solutions, you are contributing to the company’s success even before you are on board.

Thank you letters continue to be an important component of a successful job search campaign. But the focus has shifted from a simple courtesy and show of appreciation to a targeted self-marketing tool. By creating letters that validate your candidacy, build rapport, and remind the reader of your value added, you can significantly influence potential employers and increase your chances for subsequent interviews.

In honor of Halloween, this month’s Career Collective topic is scary resume and career mistakes. Here are the top ten mistakes I see job seekers make.

1. Inflate their qualifications or lie on their resume. While a resume is not a legal document, it should be an accurate representation of your experience and achievements. I advocate for showing your employment history in the best possible light, buy lying is never wise.
2. Forget to proofread their resume. One of the easiest ways to show an employer you don’t pay much attention to details is to submit a resume with a typo. Check, double-check, and triple check your document. Use spell check and ask a few different people to proof the resume before sending it to employers.
3. Send the same generic cover letter to every employer. The cover letter is the perfect opportunity to make a connection with the employer and explain how you can help solve their problems. Don’t go vanilla here. Tailor your cover letter to the employer and position you are applying to.
4. Neglect to research the company before the interview. With so much information on the Internet there is no excuse for not knowing about the company you are interviewing with. Use Vault, Glassdoor, WetFeet, Jigsaw, and LinkedIn to unearth important information about the companies and people you are interviewing with and don’t forget to take advantage of the research resources available at many public libraries.
5. Ask everyone they know for a job. Unless you want your friends and colleagues to stop returning your calls, don’t just ask everyone you know for a job. Instead ask for information about a company, a person, an industry, etc. Let your contacts know you value their knowledge and insights. Through these exploratory conversations they may be able to point you in the direction of a possible job opportunity even if they can’t help you land that job directly.
6. Neglect to send a thank you letter following an interview. It’s not just a courtesy. It is an opportunity to make a second impression on the person you just interviewed with and remain top of mind. Send the thank you letter within 24 hours of the interview. A few paragraphs with a thank you and a recap of why you are the perfect match for the job can help keep you on the hiring manager’s short list.
7. Fail to leverage their network. Some people feel that reaching out to their network for contacts means asking for favors. It doesn’t. See #5.
8. Snub social media. Imagine being able to go into the offices of everyone you know and look through their Roledex (remember them). That’s what social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter allow you to do.
9. Complain. It’s easy to blame the company or the economy for your job search frustrations. But it won’t get you a job any faster. Find a few close confidents you can vent to and don’t spread your frustration to others. Keep a journal to help you chronicle your search journey and help get your feelings out.
10. Give up. This is perhaps the scariest one of all. And there are a lot of people out there that have given up. Unemployment benefits won’t last forever. At some point you will have to get back in the game. If you have dropped out of the race for several months, getting back in is much harder. Keep at it. Plan job search activities every day. You will be scheduling meetings with friends and colleagues, doing Internet research, building your online network, working on your resume, practicing your elevator pitch, etc. There is a lot to do. Job search is a full-time job. Now’s not the time to take a vacation.

Read what my colleagues have to say about scary resume and career mistakes here.

• Where Are the Wild Things, Anyway?, @WorkWithIllness
• Is Your Job Search Making You Feel Like a Smashed Pumpkin?, @DebraWheatman
• Hiding in Plain Sight, @WalterAkana
• Don’t make these frightful resume mistakes, @LaurieBerenson
• How Not to Be a Spooky Job Seeker, @heathermundell
• A Tombstone Resume:Eulogizing Your Experience, @GayleHoward
• Oh, Job Search Isn’t Like Trick or Treating?, @careersherpa
• A Most Unfortunate Resume Mistake No One Will Tell You, @chandlee
• Oh no. Not the phone!, @DawnBugni
• Halloween Caution: Job Seeker Horror, @resumeservice
• Boo! Are you scaring away opportunities or the competition? @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes
• Your Career Brand: A Scary Trick or an Appealing Treat?, @KCCareerCoach
• How to avoid mistakes on your resume, @Keppie_Careers
• Sc-sc-scary Resume Mistakes, @erinkennedycprw
• A Flawed Resume is a Scary Prospect, @KatCareerGal
• Job Search Angst: Like Clouds Mounting Before a Storm, @ValueIntoWords
• Does Your Career Costume Fit You?, @expatcoachmegan

I’m excited to announce that my second book, #JobSearchTweet will be released shortly. The book delivers 140 tweet-like tips on just about every aspect of job search. It’s a book that you can read quickly but continue to reference for the duration of your career. Resumes, cover letters, thank you letters, references, recruiters, networking, social media, interviewing, and salary negotiation are all addressed. Here’s a sneak peak at a few of the tweets.

• When writing a resume, include graduation dates; omitting them raises suspicion and calls more attention to the very thing you are trying to hide.
• Half of hiring managers read cover letters and the other half do not; but you never know which half you are dealing with so always send one when applying for an open position.
• Have a phone interview? Sit in front of a mirror to anchor you during the conversation and make you feel like you are talking to someone (even if that someone is yourself!)
• When networking, ask people you meet a lot of questions about themselves. People think you are a great conversationalist when you let them do most of the talking.
• With traditional networking you can only be in one place at a time; with online networking you can be interacting in multiple communities simultaneously.
• The negotiation process begins the moment you submit your resume and continues until the offer is finalized. You can’t position yourself at one level on the resume and expect to be compensated at a higher level later on.

Interested in the other 134 tweets? Learn more about the book here and for more job search tips follow the #jobsearchtweet hashtag on Twitter.

For this week’s Ask the Recruiter series I interviewed Laura Lashbrook of Clarity, a boutique staffing firm in New York City specializing in temporary and permanent administrative, support, and entry-level positions.

• What are the three most important interview questions you ask candidates?

1. “What would your current/previous manager say about you in terms of your personality, skills, and strengths?”
2. “What was your favorite job and why?”
3. “What is most important to you in your next position-the industry, people, environment, duties, salary, etc.”

• What level of follow up do you expect from your job applicants? How much is too much? “Generally once a week is good. Three times a week is too much for a general check-in.”
• What is your opinion on sending a thank you letter after the interview? Do you prefer they be sent via email or snail mail? “Candidates should always send thank you letters. It shows courtesy and doubles as a way of showing personality and writing skills. Email is acceptable but snail mail is always a nice touch.”
• What is your biggest interview pet peeve and why? “My biggest pet peeves are when candidates bring coffee into the interview (brought from the outside). Gum-chewing and a lack of eye contact are also distracting.”
• What is your biggest resume pet peeve and why? ”My biggest resume pet peeve is paragraph format. Bulleted format is much more clear and concise.
• Do you notice significant stylistic differences between your gen Y, gen X, and boomer candidates? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each group? In general we find that those in the Boomer generation desire stability and are more open to change in terms of advice, feedback, and making accommodations. Longevity and loyalty are typically most important. Gen Ys tend to be more concerned with having their needs met. They are good at projecting and communicating their wants and desires but aren’t typically as willing and open to figure out how to get there. Gen X tends to be a combination of the two.”
• Are you using business or social networking tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook to source candidates? Do you Google candidates or check out their online profiles before interviewing them? Is there something that you could see in a networking profile that would make you think twice about calling that person in for an interview? “We use LinkedIn regularly but do not use Facebook to source candidates. We do not Google candidates or view their online profiles before interviews however I would hesitate to call a candidate if I saw excessive use of profanity or intoxication. It would make me question his/her maturity level and ability to be responsible.”
• If someone has a gap in their chronology, how do you recommend they deal with that issue on their resume? “The gap should always be addressed even if it’s just a quick bullet with a sentence or summary explaining the gap.”
• Do you read cover letters? Why or why not? “As a general practice, no unless the candidate is applying to a specific position or if one has been requested by a hiring manager. I use the cover letter more as a tool to get a sense of communication skills and personality versus why the candidate is a strong match for the position. Generally the experience listed on the resume, our phone conversation, and the in-person interview are better tools for us to determine if the qualifications and skills match the job requirements.”

You can read last week’s Ask the Recruiter interview here and be sure to check back next Monday for the final installment in the series.

For this week’s Ask the Recruiter series, I interviewed Lorri Zelman, Managing Director, Human Resources Practice for Solomon-Page Group, a permanent recruitment and temporary staffing firm in New York City.

• What are the three most important interview questions you ask candidates and why? 

1. Tell me something about yourself that I won’t be able to discover in a one-hour interview.  If people have something to hide, they often panic when asked this question and get defensive. That’s not at all the purpose, but it’s an interesting outcome. It’s often telling to see what topic they choose (i.e., something about style, an experience, personal – relevant or not).
2. Tell me about a mistake you made and what happened.  This helps in determining what they consider to be “good and bad” and demonstrates problem solving abilities – some tell you the mistake without a clear outcome/resolution. It tends to also distinguish between those that are tactical and those that are strategic. I also find this is much more helpful and targeted than asking about weaknesses.
3. When you think about all the factors that go into making a decision about a job (personal and professional), what is most important to you at this point in your life?  This helps to understand the readiness of the person to leave; sometimes this answer is something completely new that didn’t come up in the interview; sometimes this brings up something that could be a deal-breaker down the road or something that will be tough to accomplish (e.g., leaving every day at 4pm, an incredibly generous benefits package that’s hard to be replicated, the fact that they work 5 minutes from home).

• What level of follow up do you expect from your job applicants? How much is too much? Once a month is fine. Once a week is too much. I think you need to understand if the recruiter uses a database. If so, each time a new job comes in, candidates that are qualified come up in a database search, so you don’t have to worry about “out of sight, out of mind”.  For recruiters that don’t use a database, you may need to stay in touch more often to make sure you are not forgotten.
• What is your opinion on thank you letters after an interview? Do you prefer that they be sent via email or snail mail? My clients like when they receive a thank you that is specific to the role and draw a clear link, after learning about the position, as to why the candidate is a good fit for the job. I think most expect email thank yous, but snail mail can stand out more. Very often they are not sent if the candidate is not interested, so when very interested in a position, I’d get one out right away.  And make sure there are no typos or spelling errors!
• What is your biggest interview pet peeve and why? I can’t stand when someone goes through an obviously rehearsed script. I will usually stop them and ask a specific question to change direction. It makes me crazy when they do not answer my question and keep going with their script.
• What is your biggest resume pet peeve and why? Formatting errors, extra spaces, inappropriate “wrapping”. I just think it doesn’t look professional.
• Are you using business or social networking tools such as LinkedIn and Facebook to source candidates? Do you Google candidates or check out their online profiles before interviewing them? We use LinkedIn all the time because it is more of a business networking tool. We do not search Facebook because you find out too much personal information that should not weigh-in as part of the interviewing process.  I recommend my candidates Google anyone they are going to meet as an Interviewer, but we do not Google our candidates.
• If someone has a gap in their chronology how do you recommend they deal with that issue on their resume? It depends on why there was a gap and whether or not what they did during that time was related to the type of job they are looking for. If it’s a long period, it may be appropriate to add a sentence that describes the nature of why someone wasn’t working. But there could always be a bias on the reasons. If it was less than a year, I’d say just put years on the resume instead of months/years and explain the gap once you are in the door. If it’s more than that, it may be necessary to put something down, but again it depends on the reason.
• Do you read cover letters? Why or why not? No.  My clients don’t read them and count on me for a summary of what they need to know. It’s rare that I get anything substantive out of them, distinguishing one candidate from the next. I do scan them, however, to make sure they are the appropriate length and to ensure there are no typos or formatting errors.

Over on the Microsoft JobsBlog, there is a post about thank you letters. The blogger states that no one expects you to write a thank you letter and you will never be offered or denied a position based on a thank you letter. Perhaps it is not the culture of Microsoft to expect a thank you letter following an interview, but I am sure that many employers still see value in them and here’s why:

• A thank you letter is a way to reconnect with the interviewer and express gratitude for their time. The letter deepens the relationship established during the interview and gives the employer a reason to continue the dialog.
• A thank you letter reminds the employer of your value add. A recruiter or hiring authority meets many candidates. By briefly reiterating your accomplishments and success stories, the thank you letter can help differentiate you from your competition, make you more memorable, and get you noticed.
• A thank you letter showcases your written communication skills. Employers want to hire people with strong writing skills and the ability to influence others through a persuasive writing style. A well-crafted and thoughtful letter can build a strong case for your ability to do just that.
• A thank you letter demonstrates good manners. Employers want to hire people who are gracious, show respect for others, and work well in teams. A thank you letter suggests a propensity to embrace these important traits.
• A thank you letter reminds the employer of your interest in the job. By reaching out to the person you interviewed with, you are letting them know that you want to contribute to their team and help them solve their problems.

I’ve certainly never heard a recruiter or hiring manager say “Ugggh! I can’t believe this person wrote me a thank you letter!” On the other hand, I have heard recruiters and hiring managers comment on the value of an authentic and well-written letter. While it’s true that some hiring authorities may view the letter as inconsequential, why take a chance?

Frequently job seekers ask me if it is appropriate to email a thank you letter after an interview or if snail mail is the preferred method. It is perfectly acceptable to email a thank you letter and sending the letter electronically carries many benefits including:

• Immediacy. I recommend sending a thank you letter within 24 hours of a job interview. Email allows you to reconnect with the hiring manager quickly following the interview. Doing so helps you remain top of mind with the hiring manager.
• Reciprocation. There is a greater likelihood that a hiring manager will respond to an email than snail mail. By keeping the dialogue open with the hiring manager, you strengthen the relationship and improve your chances of being called in for the next round of interviews.
• Efficiency. When you email your thank you letter, the hiring manager can follow your response electronically and easily share it with other members of the team. There is less chance of the document getting lost or misplaced as well.

Thank you letters are an excellent self-marketing tool and a critical component of your job search strategy. The time spent crafting a targeted thank you letter after an interview will be well spent and can contribute to a more credible and efficient search. Here’s why.

A thank you letter creates an opportunity to reconnect with employers.

Chances are you are one of many candidates being interviewed for an open position. Writing a follow up letter allows you to build a relationship with the interviewer and develop rapport. By expressing your gratitude for the interview and recapping the highlights of the meeting, you revisit the reasons you believe there is an appropriate fit between you and the organization.

Following up keeps your candidacy “top of mind”.

Often candidates make the mistake of putting too much control in the interviewer’s hands. They believe that if they are the best candidate, the interviewer will remember them and keep them in the loop regarding the selection process. But this is often not the case. It’s critical that candidates remind prospective employers of their interest in a position and the thank you letter is the perfect vehicle for communicating this.

Written correspondence allows you to sell your strengths again.

While part of the reason for the thank you letter is to express gratitude for the meeting, the document serves a much more strategic purpose. It provides an opportunity for the candidate to repackage their skills and accomplishments into another format and market their value added to the employer.

The document enables you to address points you neglected to discuss during the interview.

Many candidates report that after they leave the interview they think of all the other things they could have said during the meeting. Rather than labeling this a liability, turn it into an asset by discussing these points in the thank you letter and remind the reader of your ability to produce similar results for their organization.

A letter helps develop rapport and increases employer’s comfort level with your candidacy.

A good strategy is to recap a part of the conversation where you and the interviewer shared similar views on a job-related topic. The thank you letter can also be a forum for demonstrating your consultative problem solving skills. By addressing current issues the employer is facing and proposing solutions, you are contributing to the company’s success even before you are on board.

Thank you letters continue to be an important component of a successful job search campaign. But the focus has shifted from a simple courtesy and show of appreciation to a targeted self-marketing tool. By creating letters that validate your candidacy, build rapport, and remind the reader of your value added, you can significantly influence potential employers and increase your chances for subsequent interviews.