The Art of the Post-Internship Thank You Note: Building Bridges to Your Future

In a world of fleeting digital interactions, the simple act of sending a thank you note after an internship can be a powerful way to stand out, express genuine gratitude, and cultivate lasting professional relationships. As one employer aptly noted, "Whatever happened to thank you notes?" This seemingly small gesture holds immense value, both for the recipient and for you, the intern.

Why Bother? The Multifaceted Value of Gratitude

Sending a thank you note transcends mere politeness; it's a strategic move with several potential benefits:

Genuine Appreciation: First and most importantly, to genuinely thank those who have impacted you. It's an opportunity to express sincere gratitude to those who invested their time and energy in your development during the internship. You show respect for the person’s time, tutelage, and resources. It also acknowledges that you’re one of the lucky few who got the opportunity-and don’t take that lightly.
Relationship Building: It shows respect for the person’s time, tutelage, and resources. It is also memorable. Just as job candidates or networking dates come and go in the blink of an eye, so do interns. When you put yourself in front of your supervisor and peers one last time in a professional, compelling manner, you force them to remember you-often for months or years to come, and hopefully when important career opportunities pop up.
Future Opportunities: The thank you note opens the door for future communication and maintaining a professional relationship after your internship has concluded. When you eventually see the role of your dreams available at the company, leverage your supervisor and peers to get a referral.

Worst-case scenario, if every other intern sends a thank-you note, at least you won’t look silly having missed the boat. Best-case scenario, if they don’t send one, you’ll stand out in an excellent way.

Whom to Thank: Casting a Wide (But Targeted) Net

It's essential to be strategic about who receives your thank you notes. Consider the following:

Your Supervisor: Definitely send to your supervisor for their guidance and feedback.
Peers and Managers: Other peers, managers, etc. who you've worked closely with during the internship also deserve recognition.
Mentors and Contributors: It could be to the hiring manager for selecting you, a supervisor for their guidance and feedback, an employee for their mentorship or conversation, etc.

Don’t just leave thank-you notes on executive’s desks. If someone gets a thank you note from you and has no idea who you are - it’s a waste of time. However, if someone gets a thank-you note from you and DOES know who you are and is pleasantly surprised…BAM….you’ve done your job!

Crafting the Perfect Message: Content is King

A generic, impersonal thank you note is worse than no note at all. Here's how to create a message that resonates:

Be Specific: Provide specifics - how did feedback help achieve your goals, what particular career advice resonated with you.
Highlight Impact: I can confidently say I wouldn’t have grown and learned as much as I have these past [X weeks/months] without your [constant feedback/support/guidance/mentorship]. I’m so grateful for [advice or experience they gave you], and especially enjoyed [project or opportunity you liked]. As a result of this experience, I’m more excited than ever to pursue a career in [field] and feel well-equipped to take on [role or responsibility you’d like to take on].
Express Enthusiasm: Let them know you’d like to keep in touchMake it clear you’d love to stay connected by providing your personal contact information either in the body of your note or in your signature (hopefully they’ll do the same!). If it seems relevant, you can also add your phone number or social media.
Indicate a willingness to stay in touch. I’d love to stay in touch as I [finish up school/make my career change/some other transition you’re in]. And if there are any openings in your department down the road, I hope you’ll let me know so I can apply.
Tailor Each Note: Don’t Write The Same Exact Thing In Every Note. Of course, the thank-you notes you write to people that you worked with in the office are going to be similar. But pretend two executives are standing next to one another the second they get your note. If they open the card simultaneously and both cards say the exact same thing - it’s going to be a little weird. Change up the wording on your notes. They can say the same things but in different ways.

Here are some examples:

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to work on the [team] this summer.”
“It’s been a pleasure working with you these past [x weeks/months]. I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done for me…”
“I’m so grateful for all the feedback you provided on my articles and patience you had as I learned more about content creation. I know I’ve become a stronger writer and editor thanks to you.”
“It’s been so enjoyable to watch the recruiting process in action and help streamline how you onboard new hires. I look forward to taking what I’ve learned with me into my job search and applying these strategies to future HR roles I take on.”

Choosing Your Medium: Digital vs. Handwritten

The method of delivery depends on the company culture and your personal preference.

Handwritten Notes: If you think it’s appropriate or want to make it super personalized, go for a handwritten card. Especially if you work remotely and still want them to get your thanks quickly and easily. It’s all about feeling out the situation and what your boss or supervisor might appreciate.
Email: Email is also acceptable, especially for those you didn't work with as closely.

Navigating Confidentiality: Client Names and Sensitive Information

When writing about your experiences, be mindful of client confidentiality.

Omit Specifics: For client confidentiality, would it be unwise to write out the full name of the company/client? Why do I even need to mention the client names in the first place?
Focus on Skills: Instead of naming specific clients, focus on the skills you developed or the types of projects you worked on.

Dos and Don'ts: Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Keep these points in mind to ensure your thank you note hits the mark:

Read also: Crafting Perfect Thank You Notes

Do Proofread: You don't want your last impression to be stained by typos or grammatical errors. After assuring everything is correct, sign and send. You can use any closing you want (e.g.
Don't Exaggerate: Don't exaggerate your compliments. As much as you want to express your gratitude and how much you loved your experience, being too over the top with your compliments will sound phony and disingenuous. So, tone it down.
Don't Ramble: Don't ramble. Try to stick to three or four paragraphs max.
Don't Mention Negatives: Don't mention negative experiences. It may sound obvious, but you shouldn't use a thank you note to express frustrations about negative experiences.

Beyond the Note: Nurturing Your Network

The thank you note is not the end, but rather the beginning, of a potentially valuable professional relationship.

Stay in Touch: The Thank-You Note is Only the Beginning! Remember my Intern Queen rule, you stay in touch with your professional contacts 3 times per year! The thank-you note counts as one time! Make sure to find a way to get in touch with them in the fall. If you see something that makes you think of your old colleagues, shoot them a note. If you notice they got promoted or changed jobs, send them a “congrats!” on social media.
Holiday Greetings: Getting in touch around the holidays to check-in and wish your former boss and former co-workers a happy holiday season is usually a solid plan.

Example Templates

Here are a couple of templates to guide your writing:

Template #1: To Your Supervisor

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be your production assistant. I can confidently say I wouldn’t have grown as much as I have these past six months without your detailed feedback and unwavering support. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I had to shadow you on set and see video production in action, and especially enjoyed filming the shampoo commercial-I can’t wait to see all our hard work pay off when it airs! As a result of this experience, I’m more excited than ever to pursue a career in film production. I’d love to stay in touch as I maneuver my career change. And if there are any openings in your department down the road, I hope you’ll let me know so I can apply.

I wish you and the ProductionWorks team all the best!

Template #2: To a Person You Directly Worked With

On the last day of my internship, I wanted to thank you for being a wonderful [teammate/mentor] and support network. I’ve really enjoyed [experience you had together], and can’t wait to take [knowledge you gained from them] with me to my next role. I’ll especially miss [some memorable experience you had together].

Read also: Examples of Thank You Letters

While I won’t be in the office anymore, I’d love to stay in touch and possibly meet up for coffee the next time I’m in the area. I’ve really enjoyed building our consumer offering with you, and can’t wait to take the skills and best practices I’ve developed along the way with me to my next role. I’ll especially miss our Monday brainstorming sessions-they made coming into work after a weekend that much more enjoyable! While I won’t be coming into the office anymore, I’d love to stay in touch and possibly meet up for drinks the next time I’m in town. While I’m sad to be heading off, I’m grateful I had the chance to grab lunch with you several times over the course of my time here. Those lunches really helped me get a better sense of what it’s like to be an accountant and refine my future career goals.

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