Want to make an impact? Send a handwritten note

Handwritten notes, from thank yous to I’m sorrys, are one of my secret weapons for success [and yes, I am a d i g i t a l strategist sharing this insight]. Growing up, I was always into personalized correspondence - I was the kid in class who made custom valentines for classmates in their favorite color along with their lollipop flavor of choice, while also maintaining three pen pals in Japan, Canada, and Montauk. There’s a special touch - an energy - that can truly only be captured through actual pen to paper, and if you want to set yourself apart in any way, there’s no other comparison imo.

When I started my career back in 2006, handwritten thank you notes were a given. You would send an email thank you immediately after an interview, and follow up with a handwritten note in the mail afterwards. The thinking was that the added effort would set you apart in even the tiniest way so that if the offer came down to you and one other candidate, you would edge them out. And at the very least, it couldn’t hurt. 

I still subscribe to this today and insist that the 20 somethings I mentor do the same. After the inevitable hesitation in their voice, watching them think to themselves, duh I was going to write an email, and then come full circle to realize that I am, in fact, telling them to do both, is hilarious. Yes, demonstrate to me and to potential employers, that you are hungry and willing to go above and beyond for this opportunity, and that you are classy enough to handwrite a thank you note. I promise you it will win points.

When I got engaged in 2014, along with the deluge of congratulations gifts, I became even more passionate thanks to someone who is next level about handwritten notes, my mother in law Gayle Blum. She is my life etiquette coach - she and her girlfriends are absolute society life goals in San Francisco - and through my engagement and wedding, I learned from her the weight and significance handwritten notes carry. All starting with the beautiful gift of personalized stationery.

Guys, since then, this is my favorite place to order stationery. It’s called Gifts in 24 and I’m telling you, the cardstock is this amazing buttery quality, the embossing is chic, and the best part is that they ship in 24 hours. Not only do each of my family members have their own sets of stationary, I’ve also ordered this for some of my closest friends once they’ve gotten engaged. It’s so nice to have on hand - and whether you’re writing a thank you or a sweet “thinking of you” note - to send on your own beautiful stationery is literally the cherry on top. A metaphoric hug to pair along with the message.

Happy hand-writing ya’ll! 💌

Xo, Melissa