Thanking and apologizing are the essential skills showing a civilized and polite manner in social relationships. A thank you letter also shows respect and gratitude for the good things that others bring to you. So, how to write a letter of thanks that is both sincere and formal? Jobandedu‘s article can be an answer helping you learn how to say “thank you for reaching out to me” and send your full thanks!
Table of Contents
Why Should You Send “Thank You for Reaching Out to Me” Emails?
Cases To Compose A Thank You Letter
In everyday life, there are many reasons why you need to write thank you letters. Writing a thank you letter shows respect and is also helping you become more polite and professional in the recipient’s eyes.
It is necessary to compose a thank you letter in formal and professional circumstances, such as:
- After an interview;
- After receiving a job offer;
- (or) After receiving a promotion or a raise;
- (or) After receiving an opportunity to join an organization;
- After receiving a scholarship.
- After receiving support (financial or professional) from a colleague or company.
Or other informal situations:
- Expressing gratitude to a teacher, a friend, or a relative;
- Thank you to someone else for a gift;
- Thank you to others for an invitation to an informal event, such as a wedding.
Reasons For Using Thank You Letters
If this is a thank you letter for an interview, you can use the letter as a reminder of why you are the best choice. Remind the recruiter about something you said during the interview, or give them any new information you forgot to discuss. This letter serves as the first and only chance to make an excellent first impression on the recruiter.
Writing a letter of thanks can also be an act of impressing, demonstrating care and respect for the recipient.
In several cases, some companies or organizations (such as the Peacekeeping by the United Nations) appreciate letters of thanks because they can be used as a promotional message.
Thank you letters sometimes save both sender and receiver’s time, as face-to-face meetings or phone calls can be very inconvenient if their calendars do not coincide. Also, reading emails is much faster compared to listening to thanks.
Thank you letters or emails should be found in professional settings, following socially recognized standards and courtesy. This clearly shows respect for others, thereby making them respect those who show professional behaviors.
Hence, let’s discover how you can say “thank you for reaching out to me“!
Structure Of A Thank You Letter And Related Tips
Based on the reasons listed above, it is conceivable that you should write a thank you letter based on specific criteria. The thank you letter should also be short and concise and should not be longer than 1 page.
Depending on the recipient and the content to send, we can choose from different presentation styles. However, to make your letter more formal, it is crucial to adhere to the following layout:
Opening
Opening Address
The first sentence of a letter of thanks is about the Opening Address.
If you know the recipient’s name, write their name directly with the structure of “Dear + recipient’s title + recipient’s name”.
Regarding the recipient’s title, Mr. refers to a man, Mrs. indicates that the recipient is a married woman, and Miss shows that the recipient is still single. If the writer does not know the woman’s marital status, use the word “Ms.”.
If you do not know the recipient’s name, let’s write “Dear Sir/ Madam”. You may replace the name with the recipient’s location or the department’s name to receive letters; for example, “Dear Admissions Officer”, “Dear Human Resources Department”.
Never use “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Mrs / Mrs”. This phrase is considered too outdated and utterly inconsistent with modern style. Furthermore, using this word may give an indecent impression, as it may indicate that the writer is too lazy to thoroughly search the recipient’s name or location.
Opening Thank
Followed by the Opening Address is the Opening Thank, which expresses the sender’s appreciation to the recipient for their help.
Main Content
This part would go deeper into the acknowledgment of the sender.
The main content of the letter will specify the recipient’s helpful action and explain to the recipient how meaningful and influential their actions are. These will help the recipient see the effects of their help clearly, making the letter more impressive. They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
Depending on the length and content of this section, you can divide it into sections suitably.
Another essential factor to note is that the writer should be as honest as possible and should not make up, lie, or exaggerate in the thank you letter. This exaggeration will make the thank you empty and dishonest, thereby making the message less valuable.
An example is when a writer is writing a letter to thank a friend for helping paint the house. If the writer says, “I greatly appreciate your boundless enthusiasm and absolute mastery at painting the ceiling”, the letter will be more ironic, even more insulting than grateful.
Instead, the writer should say sincere thanks, such as, “Thank you for helping me paint the house”. Although simple, this thank you will be more effective because the recipient understands that this is a sincere and appropriate thanks to the circumstance.
Ending
In this part, thank the reader once again for emphasizing gratitude. Do not forget to wish the receiver good luck.
Sign-off
Like other letters, this part is where you send greetings and put your signature to end the letter.
Sample Phrases For Some Parts Of A Thank You Letter
Here is another word for reach out that you can refer to when writing a thank you letter.
Opening
- Thank you (so much) for…
- I would like to (take this opportunity to) thank you for…
- (or) I would like to express my most sincere/deepest appreciation/gratitude for…
- (or) I want/ would like to tell you how much I appreciate/ grateful I am for your assistance…
Ending
- I thank you again for… (Only for formal use)
- Thanks again,… (Only for informal use)
- I greatly appreciate/ Thank you again for your time/ generosity/ kindness, and support/assistance
Sign-off
The following will be some of the end-of-letter greetings that have been selected in the articles of Forbes and Grammarly that writers should use in their letter:
- (All the) best,
- Best/ Warm/ warmest regards
- Thank you,
- Much appreciated,
- Respectfully yours,
- Sincerely,
Our Final Thoughts Of Thank You for Reaching Out to Me
The above article, in the Job Application section, has summarized the most critical factors that make up the thank you letter and another word for reach out that learners can use to show their gratitude to the recipient. Using the above structure, learners can write a complete thank you letter, thereby showing thoughtfulness and politeness towards relatives and friends and professionalism to superiors and colleagues.
