For those of you still skeptical about the value of a thoughtfully written thank you note to those you interview with, I present the story of an anonymous Cleveland executive (let’s call her Jane Doe) who was told yesterday that she received a six-figure job over her competitors because she was the only candidate who followed up her interviews with individually tailored thank you notes to each person she met with.

In a job search that took nearly a year (not that unusual for someone seeking a six-figure income), and required dozens of interviews, the thing that stood out, that separated Jane Doe from the rest of the executive candidates wasn’t her degree (everyone has those), her experience (everyone has that, too), or her network (though her network helped her tremendously). What separated Jane Doe from all the other educated, talented and networked candidates was her ability to connect with each interviewer.

Her thank you notes were printed, not emailed, and were each tailored to include observations and concerns expressed by each individual interviewer. She didn’t send the same note to everyone. They checked with each other to make sure. And her ability to demonstrate her capacity to connect with each of them, to understand their priorities and concerns and to express how she would work with them to reach their personal and departmental goals made her unique. Made her stand out. Made her memorable. And made her necessary.

Assuming that her new position lasts for at least 8-10 years means that the value of her thank you notes will exceed $1 million. Not bad for a few hours work.

Are you doing the same in your job search?