How to Write a Thank You Card

How to Write a Thank You Card

Step 1 – The Rough Draft

  • Always do a rough draft in order to present a final error-free message.
  • Write your message out by hand or computer.
  • Use the steps below to compose your message.

Step 2 – Greet the Recipient

  • Start with “Dear” or “To” and then the person’s name.
  • Make sure you spell the person’s name correctly and include everyone who helped you.
  • If there are too many people, address the person who signed your contract and supervised you, and the team.
    • Example – Dear John Smith and Team,

Step 3 – Express Your Thanks for the Work Experience Placement

  • Start with the two most important words – “Thank you.”
  • Be sure to name their business.
    • Example – Thank you for allowing me to do a Work Experience placement at your business, ABC Tires.

Step 4 – Add Specific Details

  • Tell them what you enjoyed about your Work Experience placement.
  • List at least 3 skills they taught you.
    • Example – I enjoyed working with your very welcoming staff who went out of their way to teach me some of the skills needed in your business. I appreciate learning how to change seasonal tires and rims, torque tires, and change the oil.

Step 5 – Restate Your Thanks

  • Add details to thank them in a different way.
    • Example – Again, thank you for taking the time to teach me about the tire business.

Step 6 – End with Your Regards

  • End with “Sincerely” or “Many thanks,” and then your name.
    • Example – Sincerely,  Mary Jones

Step 7 – Proof Reading

  • If you wrote your message out by hand, have a friend proof read it for you.
  • If you wrote your message using a computer, always use the Spell Check feature to go over your spelling and grammar. It is always wise to have a friend proof read it for you because Spell Check does not find all the errors.

Step 8 – Select Your Thank You Card and Envelope

  • Chose an appropriate thank you card with an envelope.
    • Some schools provide their own thank you cards with envelopes.
    • Other schools provide a selection of cards with envelopes from greeting card companies.

Step 9 – Transfer Your Prepared Message

  • Open your card.
    • If the card opens with the “hinge” between top and bottom sections, write on the bottom section.
    • If the card opens with the “hinge” between right and left sections, write on the right section.
  • Make sure the card is not upside down.
  • Use a pen with blue or black ink.
  • Carefully copy your rough draft onto your card.
  • Make sure your writing or printing is very legible.
  • Should you make a mistake, carefully apply white-out. Do not scribble out your mistake.
  • Sign or print your name at the bottom of the message. It should be very clear what your name is, so this determines if you should sign or print it.

Step 10 – Check Your Message for Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation

  • Proof read your message for any errors.
    • Try reading the message backwards to check for spelling errors.
    • Identify all the punctuation used in the message and make sure it is correct.
    • Double check the spelling of the person’s name and the business name to ensure they are correct.
    • Ask a friend to proof read your message.

Step 11 – Adding Enclosures

  • Photocopy your completed thank you message and any enclosures, such as the Student Evaluation of the Placement.
    • Save the photocopies to give to your Work Experience teacher.
  • Carefully fold the originals of any papers to be included with the thank you card. This includes any contract originals you may have forgotten to give to your supervisor.
    • All the corners of a paper should line up.
    • The folds should be crisp.
  • Put the folded paper(s) inside the finished thank you card.
  • Put the thank you card open side first into the addressed envelope.
    • See How to Address an Envelope.
  • Seal the envelope. 

Step 12 – Final Step

  • Take the envelope and the After Placement Package paper from your placement paperwork to your school’s secretary.
  • Politely ask them to check your envelope.
    • If you have addressed your envelope correctly, the secretary will keep your envelope to mail and will sign the After Placement Package
    • If you have not addressed your envelope correctly, they will not sign the After Placement Package paper, and will return both to you. Ask your Work Experience teacher for help with addressing your envelope.
  • When your envelope passes, give the After Placement Package paper and the photocopies from Step 11 to your Work Experience Teacher

References

Field, J. (2016). How to write a thank-you note. Hallmark. Retrieved April 18, 2019, from https://ideas.hallmark.com/articles/thank-you-ideas/how-to-write-a-thank-you-note/

wikiHow Staff. (2019). How to write a thank you note. wikiHow to do anything. Retrieved April 18, 2019, from https://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Thank-You-Note