Fillable Printable Career Services Handbook
Fillable Printable Career Services Handbook
Career Services Handbook
77
VIII. FOLLOW-UP CORRESPONDENCE
A. Sending Thank You Notes After Interviews. One of the most commonly asked questions is
whether or not to send a thank you note after an interview. While it is generally appropriate to send
a thank you letter after an interview, please be aware that a sloppy or poorly constructed letter may
actually hurt your chances.
Remember that just as with your cover letter, your thank you note is a sample of your writing.
Make sure it is well-written with no typos. Whether your thank you is hand-written or typed makes
little difference unless you have horrible handwriting. If that is the case, the thank you letter should
be typed. A thank you letter should be relatively short and should thank the interviewer for his/her
time and mention something specific that you spoke about during your interview. If you really want
the job, it is a good idea to send a thank you to all of the attorneys whom you met with and to the
Recruiting Administrator, if the firm has one. Generally, you do not need to send thank you letters
after on-campus “screening interviews.” However, if you had a particularly memorable
conversation or felt that the interview went particularly well, send one.
In the thank you letter, you can mention that you enjoyed your meeting and thank the individual for
the opportunity to discuss opportunities available, etc. Be sure that the letter(s) are personalized by
referring to something you discussed during your interview. Never send the same form thank you
letter to all of the attorneys you met with at a particular firm - the letters will all be placed in your
file and the impression created will not be a good one. When sending thank you letters, do so within
24 hours - that way you will still be fresh in their minds and your letter may reach the firm before
they make a hiring decision. It is a good idea to jot down some notes as soon as you leave the
interview about what you talked about with the various attorneys.
You can base your own thank you letters on the samples included at the end of this section.
B. Letters Confirming Job Acceptance or Rejecting a Job Offer. Once you have received an
offer, it is appropriate to ask questions you could not ask during the interview. Therefore, before
you accept or reject an offer, contact the person who made you the offer to arrange for a follow-up
meeting or telephone call to clarify your unanswered questions.
After all of your questions are answered to your satisfaction, verify that the employer will put the
offer of employment in writing. This will assure you that the offer is formal. You should then
accept the offer first on the telephone and then in writing. Your acceptance letter should set forth
your understanding of the terms of the offer - salary, starting date, length of employment (if
applicable), and hours per week (if applicable). If you are rejecting an offer, it is also courteous to
put your rejection in writing.
Sample acceptance and rejection letters are included below.
78
SAMPLE LETTER OF CONTINUED INTEREST
Evelyn Waugh
2 Brooke Lane
Washington, PA 15237
(724) 796-3309
Brideshead@revisit.net
October 23, 201*
Mr. Moriarty L. Holmes
Peacock Keller
871 Main Street
Washington, PA 15237
Dear Mr. Holmes:
Thank you for your offer of a summer clerkship with your firm. I enjoyed my visit to your offices
and especially appreciated getting to meet so many members of your labor law section.
I am very interested in your offer and am eager to finalize my plans for next summer. I anticipate
concluding my interviewing by early November, and I will make my decision shortly thereafter. I
will definitely contact you prior to December 1.
Thank you again for hour hospitality.
Very truly yours,
Evelyn Waugh
79
THANK YOU FOR INTERVIEW
Your Name
Your Address
City, State Zip
Phone number
Email Address
Date
Name of Interviewer
Firm or company name
Street address
City, Sate Zip
Dear Mr. /Ms. _________________:
I enjoyed speaking with you on (date) about the possibility of clerking with your law firm.
The professional and cooperative attitudes of the members of your firm were evident
throughout the conversations we had at the reception on Thursday evening and the interviews on
Friday.
I respect the manner in which your firm approaches its responsibilities to its clients, the
community, and the legal profession. Your investment in library resources demonstrates to me
your commitment to providing only the highest quality of legal services to your clients.
I look forward to visiting your office on (date) and further discussing the summer clerkship
program. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Typed Name
80
THANK YOU FOR ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEW
Your Name
Your Address
City, State Zip
Phone Number
Email Address
Date
Name of Interviewer
Firm or company name
Street address
City, Sate Zip
Dear Mr. /Ms. _________________:
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me at Duquesne Law School on (date). I was
primarily interested in your firm because of its diversity of clients, and specialization in the
environmental litigation field. I was delighted to learn that you also provide continuing legal
education programs for firm lawyers and other area attorneys.
I have enclosed the writing sample, which you requested, and have taken the liberty of also
enclosing a recommendation from Professor Smarts, my Land Use Planning professor. He knows
my work well, and has been kind enough to offer his recommendation.
I am excited about the possibility of spending next summer at your firm. Please let me
know if I can provide any additional information.
Very truly yours,
Your name
Enclosure
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THANK YOU LETTER
Robert Student
121 Murray Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15111
Phone: 412-980-2371
Email: RStud@duq.edu
January 6, 201*
Ms. Eugenia Salem Gorman
Assistant Ohio Attorney General
30 East Broad Street, 17
th
Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Dear Ms. Gorman:
It was a pleasure to meet with you today to discuss the possibility of my becoming a summer
law clerk with the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Your questions were unusually challenging and
focused. I genuinely appreciated and enjoyed the opportunity to discuss my background and goals
with someone whose career path has so closely paralleled my own aspirations.
I would like to reaffirm my interest in this position. My extended undergraduate internship
with the Iowa Public Defender's Office has given me a solid grounding in one form of public
practice, as well as establishing a record of my ability and an indication of my potential in the legal
area. You can be confident that the commitment you seek is matched in my established and active
desire to succeed as a legal professional in government service.
As we discussed, you expect to be making summer employment decisions before mid-
February. If I do not hear from you by then, I will contact you for an update. I look forward to
hearing from you.
Yours truly,
Robert Student
82
THANK YOU LETTER
John R. Student
121 Murray Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15111
Phone: 412-906-3311
Email: JohnRStud@duq.edu
May 9, 201*
Dominic Domenique, Esq.
Senior Attorney, Securities Department
First Bank of First City
6759 Wall Street
New York, NY 10002
Dear Mr. Domenique:
As I am aware that your schedule is a very busy one, I would like to thank you and your colleagues
for taking the time to meet with me today. Your comparison of the atmosphere and practice between
a corporate securities department and a typical large law firm was insightful, and I am grateful for
your candor in relating your experiences.
I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm my interest in the position and your institution.
My paralegal experience with Kleinman & Crouse has given me a solid grounding in the intricacies
of securities regulations and transactions that will allow me to produce work this summer that will
be both usable and indicative of my abilities. Furthermore, I believe that First Bank of First City
would provide an excellent environment in which to sharpen and refine my skills.
It was a pleasure to meet with you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely yours,
John R. Student
83
THANK YOU LETTER
Donna Moray-Student
6550 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15111
Phone: (412) 555-6789
Email: DMoray@duq.edu
May 1, 201*
Ms. Laura Blackacre
Miller & Kwisnek, PC
7500 Pacific Building
520 W. Yamhill Street
Portland, Oregon 97204
Dear Ms. Blackacre:
It was a genuine pleasure to meet with you yesterday. After speaking with Roger Fromsen,
I was looking forward to our meeting and found our discussion a pleasant change from typical
interviews.
Your positive indication about the needs of the corporate health law department was encouraging.
As you will remember, I am also from Portland and my goal is to work in this field and city.
Because of your description of the attorneys and working climate at Miller & Kwisnek, PC, I am
particularly interested in an associate position and hope that my application
will be considered further.
Thank you once again for meeting with me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours truly,
Donna Moray-Student
84
LETTER ACCEPTING FULL-TIME JOB OFFER
2709 Murray Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15555
(412) 555-8790
Morstad@pgh.net
February 29, 201*
Mr. Mark Milar
Milar & Associates, L.P.A.
123 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15111
Dear Mr. Milar:
I am very pleased to confirm in writing my acceptance of employment as an Associate
Attorney with Milar & Associates following my law school graduation and sitting for the Bar
examination. At this point, I expect to commence my employment on Tuesday, September 6, 201*.
Once again, I would like to emphasize my enthusiasm and desire to begin my legal career
with Milar & Associates, and I look forward to the challenges and experiences awaiting me as an
Associate Attorney with the firm.
Very truly yours,
Rachel F. Morstad
85
ACCEPT OFFER OF SUMMER EMPLOYMENT
Karen Marker
1000 E. Carson Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15234
412-222-8888
April 12, 201*
Thomas J. Matters, Esq.
Prison Counseling Project
P.O. Box 123
City, State 12345
Dear Mr. Matters:
I received your letter of April 6, 200*, and your offer of employment as a law clerk of 40
hours per week at $10.00 per hour. I accept your offer, and thank you for it.
I plan to arrive in town between May 10 and May 15. I can begin work at 8:00 a.m. on
Monday, May 17. I plan to return to Pittsburgh for the fall term on August 14. Please let me know
if those dates are not acceptable.
I look forward to seeing you next month.
Sincerely,
Karen Marker
86
LETTER ACCEPTING SUMMER JOB OFFER
George J. Student
34 Murray Hill, Apt. 345
Pittsburgh, PA 1555
(412) 555-0909
GeorgeJ@yahoo.com
March 1, 201*
Ms. Jeanne Darte
Consolidated, Inc.
55 Public Square, Suite 7200
Pittsburgh, PA 15999
Dear Ms. Darte:
This letter will confirm my acceptance of your offer for summer employment with the legal
department of Consolidated, Inc. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of your staff and
beginning my employment. At this point, I do not know when I will be free to start. I should be able
to let you know by the beginning of April after the examination schedule is distributed.
Thank you once again.
Sincerely,
George J. Student
87
DECLINE OFFER OF SUMMER EMPLOYMENT
Your Name
Your Address
City, State Zip
Date
James J. Jones
Firm or company name
Street address
Dear Mr. Jones:
I was flattered and honored to receive an offer of employment for the summer of 200* at
your firm. I enjoyed this past summer at the firm, and have learned much from the professional and
support staffs. Unfortunately, I must decline your offer. I have always had the desire to become
involved in public interest law, and I hope to spend next summer working in this field in order to
learn more about it, and to determine if this is the ultimate direction that my career path should take.
I feel that only by working in both the private and public law sectors will I be able to make an
informed choice regarding which field I should enter upon graduation from law school.
Thank you again for the opportunity you offered. My decision to decline the opportunity to
work with your fine people was difficult to make. However, I wanted to let you know of my choice
as early as possible so that you could better plan for the fall interviewing season.
I will look for you when you are on campus this fall.
Sincerely yours,
Your name
