Has technology and lack of face-to-face contact eliminated the thank you note card? Is writing with a pen on a small card, stamping and dropping in the mail gone?
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| photo from The Job Stop |
I recently advised a young friend to send a thank you note to a potential employer. She laughed and told me no, that she would feel silly.
After thinking about it, she asked if I meant to write out a card and mail it.
I again said, yes.
She came over, wrote the card and commented that the employer might make fun of her.
I began to think, what if he does?
Have we gone away from personal contact? Have we eliminated the human aspect of careers?
Another strange aspect of the card writing process, my young friend did not know if she should put the addressee at the top or the middle of the envelope. (I need to note that my friend is in college and capable of living on her own.)
Her confusion lead me to wonder, is email, texting, IM, Skype and the other forms of computer-mediated communication drawing away from the written contact.
How can we help the younger generation see the value in hand-written notes and the personal contact of a well thought out card?
Does she ever RECEIVE cards or letters? There's something very special about receiving a letter or card in the mail that was hand-written by someone important in your life. I love it! The hardest part is willing myself to toss cards in the trash after I've admired them for a month. I have letters tied up with ribbon in my closet that came from my husband while I was on my mission (of course he was just a boyfriend then.) Maybe your friend needs to receive some cards or letters in the mail before the "gets it".
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