A thank-you note got me my first real job. As a newly minted college graduate with no work experience, I was having a tough time finding my first grown-up gig. I thought I’d never get a break ...

Now, if you think your thank you note is the follow-up, you're wrong. That was just a thank you note! Your follow-up actually begins after you press "send" on the thank you note.

I received a note just after Christmas from the head of a small nonprofit organization who was a little bit upset that gifts to her staff were not acknowledged with written thank-you notes.