Thank You Letter
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V. wrote:
when you walk into him in the office.
Egads! I'm hoping that he doesn't go to work that drunk! That's okay for accountants, but software developers are supposed to have some understanding of ethics; showing up knee-walking drunk isn't on the approved list of behaviors, unless you're working for a start-up in Silicon Valley. Or working in Marketing.
Will Rogers never met me.
Roger Wright wrote:
Or working in Marketing.
For them it's mandatory. I never turn up at the office drunk. Now leaving, that's another matter. :laugh:
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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Of the answers you've received so far, the one from Josh is the only one that is phrased in proper English, if that matters. In the West, we do not use a lot of "Dear" phrasing, and find it unpleasant to read, but I understand that in other parts of the world it is considered properly respectful. Use your own judgement. It is entirely proper to express appreciation to a supervisor for a beneficial assignment, if it is done in a professional manner. Don't let the "ass-kissing" comments throw you, but don't become overtly subservient, either. In many cultures, this is a sign of respect, and there is nothing unprofessional about it. In fact, I think it's quite thoughtful, and respect is a value that I've watched fall into disuse in western society over the past few decades; the loss has lessened us all. Carry on!
Will Rogers never met me.
Roger Wright wrote:
In the West, we do not use a lot of "Dear" phrasing, and find it unpleasant to read
Speak for yourself. :) I receive a lot of business correspondence starting "Dear" and unless you know the sender well, I think it looks too informal, and not business-like, without it.
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Rather than be very generic and make a "thank you" letter, I recommend merely expressing your excitement and conveying some of the knowledge you gained. This is a less obvious way to kiss ass show appreciation. For example:
CodingLover might write:
Hi Boss-Man-John-Doe, I just got back from the Internet Security workshop I attended over the last two days. Wow. I cannot wait to dig through our code and implement a few best practices to patch up our rocket surgery software. I've seen a few people on the team use string concatenation to form SQL queries. At the workshop, one of the presenters, Jack Johnson, explained exactly why this puts software at risk and how to remedy it. I myself have written similarly vulnerable code. Once I explain this and similar concepts to the rest of the team, I'm sure we'll be well on our way to having rock solid security. I learned a lot at this workshop and I can't thank you enough for ensuring I got the chance to attend! Thanks Again, CodingLover
Some key points to keep in mind: have a purpose other than kissing ass (but feel free to kiss a little ass in the process), use a clear example of how the workshop will help the company, you can be both casual and professional at the same time. It lets your boss know that he made the right decision (opening you up to future opportunities) while making it appear as if that's not your motive (even if it isn't, the letter you wrote might convey that as an underlying motive). Also make sure to consider your audience... if your boss isn't highly technical, you wouldn't want to mention something like "forming SQL queries with string concatenation".
Somebody in an online forum wrote:
INTJs never really joke. They make a point. The joke is just a gift wrapper.
I wouldn't put "Hi" and "Wow" into a formal or semi-formal business letter like this.
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Of the answers you've received so far, the one from Josh is the only one that is phrased in proper English, if that matters. In the West, we do not use a lot of "Dear" phrasing, and find it unpleasant to read, but I understand that in other parts of the world it is considered properly respectful. Use your own judgement. It is entirely proper to express appreciation to a supervisor for a beneficial assignment, if it is done in a professional manner. Don't let the "ass-kissing" comments throw you, but don't become overtly subservient, either. In many cultures, this is a sign of respect, and there is nothing unprofessional about it. In fact, I think it's quite thoughtful, and respect is a value that I've watched fall into disuse in western society over the past few decades; the loss has lessened us all. Carry on!
Will Rogers never met me.
I feel that you might be mixing up respect with politeness. But I'm probably wrong.
Light moves faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright, until you hear them speak. List of common misconceptions
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Of the answers you've received so far, the one from Josh is the only one that is phrased in proper English, if that matters. In the West, we do not use a lot of "Dear" phrasing, and find it unpleasant to read, but I understand that in other parts of the world it is considered properly respectful. Use your own judgement. It is entirely proper to express appreciation to a supervisor for a beneficial assignment, if it is done in a professional manner. Don't let the "ass-kissing" comments throw you, but don't become overtly subservient, either. In many cultures, this is a sign of respect, and there is nothing unprofessional about it. In fact, I think it's quite thoughtful, and respect is a value that I've watched fall into disuse in western society over the past few decades; the loss has lessened us all. Carry on!
Will Rogers never met me.
Well said.
Just along for the ride. "the meat from that butcher is just the dogs danglies, absolutely amazing cuts of beef." - DaveAuld (2011)
"No, that is just the earthly manifestation of the Great God Retardon." - Nagy Vilmos (2011) -
I feel that you might be mixing up respect with politeness. But I'm probably wrong.
Light moves faster than sound. That is why some people appear bright, until you hear them speak. List of common misconceptions
You may be right, but I do think that respect for others and politeness are two side of the same coin.
Will Rogers never met me.
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I wouldn't put "Hi" and "Wow" into a formal or semi-formal business letter like this.
I would call it a "note", not a "letter". This would be entirely acceptable if I sent it to my boss, but we are comfortable communicating somewhat casually (e.g., he has sent me an email saying "I so want to incorporate this into our site!" with a link to something neat).
Somebody in an online forum wrote:
INTJs never really joke. They make a point. The joke is just a gift wrapper.
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Instead of putting this stuff on paper, mention it to him personally when you walk into him in the office.
V.
This is sounds good actually.
I appreciate your help all the time... CodingLover :)
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You may be right, but I do think that respect for others and politeness are two side of the same coin.
Will Rogers never met me.
Roger Wright wrote:
You may be right, but I do think that respect for others and politeness are two side of the same coin.
I think they're different, to my mind respect is what you (may) have for someone you know - ie they've done something to deserve or loose your respect. Politeness (or rudeness) is something you offer to all, even those you don't know. It's polite to help an old lady cross the road but if you get to know her you may find you don't respect her.
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Heed it, and see my response to the same post for the reason why you should. Good luck! You're well on your way to learning how to properly manage managers. It's an art, not a science, so they don't teach it in school.
Will Rogers never met me.
This is really a good point. And going on all the comments above, I see that this is mainly depend on culture, and attitudes. As you said it cannot learn from college. We have to discover ourselves. Anyway, thanks for the comment.
I appreciate your help all the time... CodingLover :)