Thank You?

Today I had an interview for my dream job. I think it went well. I've interviewed with them before - and been their patient and featured in their fundraising video. So it's a lower-key interview since they know my story and they called me to interview for this part-time opening.

But I'm second-guessing the interview: Was I too casual? Too confident? Too informative? Did they walk away thinking I was far enough removed from treatment and professional enough to use my experience therapeutically? Or not?

Now, I'm trying to write a thank you note.

My mom raised me to write a proper thank you note. Trouble is, as grateful and gracious as I strive to be, I am horrible about writing thank you notes. I try to be thankful in person or via email or text when someone does something for me or gives me a gift, knowing that the likelihood of me writing a thank you note later is about 0.5%.

But after an interview for my dream job, I think it would be a nice touch.

I got out my professional notecards and a couple index cards for practice, and I made a good start:

"Rosemary, Wilma [her name's Wilma, right? I'd better double check], and Mary,
"It was a pleasure to speak with you today about your open nursing position."

(What did the job posting call the position? The manager said nurse navigator, but I'm not sure that's what they called it in the interview...)

And then... writer's block. 

I just need two sentences. Something to charm them further, to show them I'm smart, insightful, even witty, and perfectly suited for their team. Some example of my fabulousness that we didn't cover in the interview to close the deal by convincing them of my undisputed suitability for this position. 

I could remind them that I'm an eager, ready-to-be-trained pup of a nurse: a blank slate to indoctrinate, without preconceived notions or other ways of doing things. Plus I have all that business experience: I can make things happen and guide persnickety execs and artists onto mutual ground, so stressed patients and grumpy doctors don't scare me. Not to mention my cancer survivor status, giving me a unique window into the patient experience that everyone says is so valuable... but I secretly wonder if that's actually a barrier.

Or I could tell them about what a great patient advocate I am. But that would require admitting to my somewhat ballsy middle-of-the-weekend-night emails to doctors and directors, passing along patient requests or providing gentle comment on the lamer aspects of new policies or botched patient communications. Emphasis on gentle because, of course, I was much more fired up when berating the issue with my co-workers earlier in the night.

There's also the possibility of highlighting my strengths as a team player. Which would require revealing that I potentially, albeit politely, step on my busy boss' toes by sending more middle-of-the-weekend-night emails to my fellow nurses, letting them know what I learned that day. [This is valid, I believe, because otherwise one of us learns something and no one else knows. I hoped others would follow my example, but, alas, no one else is sharing their nuggets of knowledge with the team. So we stumble along, making things up as we go.]

Alternately, there's my habit of using quiet night shift hours for helping the team by tying up loose ends. But this would uncover my best Minnesota passive aggressive tactics. For example, the other night I left an anonymous note asking "Whose pants are these?" on the yoga pants sitting on top of the shredder. [Since I'm the only one who uses writing to convey information, it's only semi-anonymous because I'm assuming they recognize my M.O. and my handwriting.] Undoubtedly these pants belong to a patient, since they include a forbidden drawstring (potential self-harm/suicide tool). But the underlying questions are, "Do we have ESP?? How is anyone supposed to know what's going on here?? How hard is it to put a patient label on the pants and maybe even put them in the closet [two doors down] where we store contraband belongings??"

Well, none of these ideas seemed suitable for my formal thank you note. Fortunately, we had dinner plans with friends tonight, one of whom is a very savvy businessman with lots of hiring experience.

I asked his advice, thinking he surely would provide a guiding light and practically write two inspired sentences for me.

But no.

He dismissed the thank you note, saying it would never influence his hiring decision. It might, he admitted, help someone stand out from the crowd, but that was it.

So much for my magic answer. And now I wonder... should I even bother? Is this a silly, antiquated tradition?

But these are nurses. Who communicate benign or malignant results to scared, anxious women. Who work in a small, tight team. So, however worthless, a handwritten note will probably say important things like "thoughtful" and "thorough" and "sweet." Which might make all the difference. If they haven't already made up their mind.

At least the negligible effectiveness of a thank you note takes some pressure off. I think this goes into the "It's the thought that counts" category.

Alright. As my clock speeds toward midnight, I'll give it one more try:

"Rosemary, Wilma [her name IS Wilma!], and Mary,
"It was a pleasure to speak with you today about your open nursing position. I would love to join your team and learn to provide essential support and education to women who are navigating a stressful diagnostic process. As I have participated in survivor groups, it has been a privilege to listen to women share their stories and to validate their experiences. The breadth of these stories creates a rich behind-the-scenes perspective that I believe will be an asset to your team and your patients. I look forward to hearing from you.
"Warm Regards,
"Lynne"

Too cheesy? Probably. These "Hire Me PLEASE" communications always feel like a bunch of BS to me - just a lot of schmoozing. But it's the acceptable way to say: I really, really want this position, you're gonna love me, please-please-please hire me right now because this schmoozy letter makes me sound irresistible. :)

Stay tuned - they said they'd make a decision "soon." Which could be big-corporation-speak for two months from now, even though I think their intention is the next couple weeks. When I find out, I'll be sure to let you know how effective my thank you note is.