It's a forgotten art: handwritten thank-you notes. Not an e-mail, nor a typed letter, but an actual note card with sincere thoughts scribed on a page.

Colleen Kill, a regional sales manager for Amgen, who's hired hundreds of people during her career, offers some key advice. "When I was looking for my own position I did something I'd seen candidates I considered hiring do that impressed me. After I departed from the interview, I considered all I'd learned. Based on my knowledge of the job and what was discussed, I'd determine two or three of my specific abilities or skills and would link them directly to how the company would benefit. Then I'd compose a nice hand-written note and mention these benefits."

Colleen, who interviewed with CEOs and other top executives, wrote hand-written, personalized "strategic" thank-you notes to all. She got three job offers and had the luxury of comparing three terrific jobs before deciding where she wanted to work. She advises, "A well done thank-you can break you away from the competition. Employers typically have two to three really excellent choices and this extra effort can be the nudge that pushes them to select you. You'll seem a little bit better as a communicator-a key factor for success in any job." Jim Medzigan, who has also hired hundreds of employees during his career as a senior executive at Boeing, says, "I've always preferred handwritten notes. Then I can tell the person really wrote them themselves. I've interviewed people who left and sent letters they obviously did not write. You get a good gauge of their communication levels in the interview-especially with engineers or foreign workers-then this literary letter comes in, obviously doctored by someone else. They are only fooling themselves if they think we've missed the glaring difference."

Medzigan sat on the Board of Directors for a Renton technical college and was on the hiring committee responsible for finding a new president. They conducted interviews with all seven finalists and everyone wrote thank-you letters. Some were handwritten, some typed. "I personally liked the handwritten ones. It's a little bit extra, especially today, where everything we read is typed," Jim reports. "This small touch says you have that little extra you'll always bring to the job. Many board members said they felt the same way."

To create a strategic note: Select an appropriate card with the words "thank you" gracing the front in a professional, business-like style. Or, you can use personal stationery with your name or initials embossed. This can work perfectly, as long as it has a professional style-nothing artsy or cutesy.

Jot down a few lines in your own handwriting, (print if your writing is like chicken scratch), thanking them and reiterating the strengths you would add as a "valuable contributor to their team." Use this last chance to sell yourself. Notes must be mailed within 24 hours, preferably on the same day as the interview, if time allows. To insure you have the right address, ask the interviewer for a business card before you depart. If this was a panel interview, be sure to write a personal note to each person who was at the interview.