Thank You Notes After A Job Interview

We are living during a very competitive time, in which anything and everything you do can impact your current or future job. It’s quite difficult to stand out today among so many applications, all after that one position. But what if I told you there actually is a way to shine above the rest? It’s as simple as sending a Thank you note right after your interview. Yep, that’s right. Who would have thought something as simple as a Thank you card can go so far as to have you stand out at a possible job position?

Interview

Thank you cards show that you are genuinely thankful for the opportunity to have been interviewed at the job you applied for. It shows that you truly care about the position, and also shows you are the best candidate. It is very rare to receive thank you cards today. And so if you send one out to a possible employer, it shows you went out of your way to personally thank them for sitting with you on an interview. I have sent out thank you cards numerous times, and even if I hadn’t received the position I was always remembered throughout the years and was called first when a position opened up. It doesn’t take much time, but it leaves a lasting impression. Don’t be like the rest, take the time to write a thank you card…it won’t go unnoticed!

Saint Joseph Academy – Gallery Collection Charitable Donations

As part of The Gallery Collection’s charitable donation program, we recently made a donation of 100 holiday cards to Saint Joseph Academy in Bogota, New Jersey. These holiday cards will be part of a silent auction that takes place during their 5th Annual Mystery Dinner Theater fundraiser.

Maella Adoration of the Shepherds Peace Card

Saint Joseph’s is a well-established Academy with a legacy of 70 years educating the children of the Bogota /Teaneck area. The primary purpose of Saint Joseph Academy is to challenge and educate students spiritually, morally, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically for their future yet allowing them to be children in the present.

If you are interested in learning more about Saint Joseph Academy, please visit their website at http://www.sjsbogota.com/index.php.

 

Cheap Birthday Cards Can Leave A Bad Impression

I am a true believer in, “you get what you pay for”. Especially with, birthday cards. I understand people are very busy these days, But buying a cheap birthday card??? To me it means I wasn’t thought of at all. I got a birthday card last year that was not even cut correctly. I was a little upset that a very close friend of mine was the one who sent it.

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I know that choosing a birthday card shouldn’t be a hassle, but a little thought would be nice. I look through several cards before choosing the correct one for that person.  I even have an assortment box from The Gallery Collection for emergencies. They have very nice greetings in them. And I can add my own touch where needed. There are no excuses to buy cheap cards. There’s a reason why they are on sale. Most of them have boring greetings, or the writing is off center, or the whole card was cut wrong.

If you care about the person, you should care about the card you send. I’m not saying to buy the most expensive card out there, but put some thought in buying the card. You may even find that the sayings on the card match the person perfectly. Heck I’ve been known to actually change a few words on cards from time to time to make them say exactly what I need them to say. Let’s face it, most cards have most of what you want on them, but you may have to fix it a little. My family has done this for years. We look forward to seeing what changes have been made on our cards. So when looking for a birthday card for family or friends, please remember, would it be a card that you want???

Birthday Party Games For Your Office Party

Celebrating an office birthday party doesn’t just have to be about eating cake or goodies. Playing games is always great for office moral. There are several fun ways to celebrate a co-workers birthday in the office. Send around a questionnaire asking ten questions about the birthday man or woman. Make them simple such as, what is their favorite TV show or what is their favorite color. It’s a great way to celebrate a birthday and also to get to know your co-worker better. Not only does this help to become more familiar with your colleague’s, but it also helps to build team unity.

"The Christmas Party"

Everyone loves movies. This next game will have everyone willing to participate.  Using several sticky notes, write the name of a movie on each one. Each participant will then have one of these notes stuck to their back or back of their chair. Each person takes a turn in asking their colleagues a question such as who is the main star or when was the movie made. This game will continue until everyone has successfully guessed the movie title. The person to successfully guess their movie first becomes the winner.

Movies are a big part of our pop culture and movie quotes are repeated constantly inside and outside of the office. Here is another movie game for willing participants. Write down a list of movie quotes such as, “I’ll be back” and have everyone write their movie guess on a piece of paper. For each correct answer, one point is given. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game is announced the winner.  This also helps colleagues to bond as they learn of common interests. Playing games in the office also makes coming to work everyday a pleasant experience. It boosts office moral and employees are motivated to complete their office tasks.

S.A.V.E. Rescue Group – Gallery Collection Charitable Donations

The Gallery Collection, as part of our charitable donations program, recently donated 6 of our Birthday Assortment Boxes and All Occasion Assortment Boxes to the SAVE Rescue Group of Toms River, NJ for their 3rd Annual Spring Fling Fundraiser. SAVE is a non-profit rescue shelter that takes unwanted, homeless and abandoned animals and provides them with medical care and a safe and nurturing environment until they find their forever homes.

Assortment box

The assortment boxes provided will be used as part of their Trick Tray auction to raise funds for the shelter.

If you are interested in learning more about SAVE, or how you can help, please visit their website at http://save.rescuegroups.org/.

Thank You Quotes To Write In A Card

During ones lifetime there will be infinite reasons to send a Thank You card for so many different situations; maybe a job interview, a gift from Grandma or just being there. The easiest thing to do is to buy a Thank You card with the sentiment already inside, then all you have to do is sign your name at the bottom, mail it and boom you are done–but how much satisfaction can you get from that?

Thank You Cards

There is nothing wrong with buying a thank you card with the verse that expresses exactly how you feel but it is so much more rewarding not to mention appreciated to add a personal touch whether in your own words using some of the following suggestions.

For a job interview: (whether you thought it was successful or not)

Thank you for your time

Thank you for seeing me

Thank you again for your consideration

 

For a gift from Grandma: (you probably don’t need help here, Grandma thinks you are perfect)

I so appreciate your thoughtful gift

Have you been talking to Santa?

How did you know I wanted it?

You are so thoughtful

You know me so well!

 

For an act of kindness (truly a time to be thankful)

I cannot express how grateful I am for your help

The gift of your time is very much appreciated

I could never have finished with out your help

Thank you for being the best friend anyone could have

What Are Some Good Ways Of Motivating Employees?

Monday mornings can be such a controversy. Monday’s are the start of a usual work week. While some are waking up dreading having to attend work others are anticipating on what great things are to come this work week. Ideally no one would drop a free day to have to work but if we enjoy were we work we enjoy going to work!

When motivating your employees it should start from the minute you walk into the door. As management you should provide a pleasant atmosphere for your employees. Having some one at the door greeting your employees with a simple “Hello, Good morning” can go a long way. It doesn’t just stop there it continues through the work day. You want your employees feeling excited and happy, knowing that their day will be stress- free. Employees are real people that deal with real live stress everyday. Work should be a place where they don’t have to deal with stress.

Employee

Another incentive that gives your employees motivation is; making sure that your employees have a spacious environment. Somewhere they are able to move around with fresh air and natural light. It’s very important to have lots of windows to give off that natural light so your employees don’t feel cooped up. Having that room gives them opportunity to spend an appropriate amount of time with other employees. As well as giving them the space in the kitchen or cafeteria to lounge on breaks; a place where the coffee and tea is always stocked.

In addition to being resourceful with your space using your walls can be another great idea.  Make sure you have an employee bulletin board to post events, birthdays, and motivational slogans. You may also want to post your company’s progress to encourage your employees to work hard. Add a recognition section to your bulletin board to recognize outstanding employees no matter small or big. Remember that whether you post something psychically or just take a walk over to your employee’s desk to tell them what a great job they do or done it’s guaranteed they will continue to work hard and they will strive for more.

Motivating your employees isn’t just about the work they do but about them as an individual. A great way to get to know your staff a little better and to keep them excited  about coming to work are events! There are many events you can do as a company. Many include food, such as a pizza day, cupcakes for employee birthdays, international food day, etc. This not only feeds your employees but gives them the chance to be social with one another. Don’t forget that that is another important aspect in the workplace; employees should know how to work as a team and be social with each other. Some more social events include having a casual dress day, dressing up for holidays, creating a softball or bowling team, etc.

Lastly but not least recognizing your employees and the work they do will always keep them motivated. Whether it be getting to know them on a personal level, complementing their work ethics, or rewarding them.  You are able to do this by social interactions or simply going to your employee’s desk to see how they are doing. Another example can be setting up contests or incentives to a reward for the fastest or the most sales by the EOM. As employers we should never forget that the employees contribute to a company’s success.

Congratulations to the Winner of our 7th Annual $10,000 Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest

Congratulations to Jill Ma of North Waterboro, ME! She is the winner of our 7th Annual $10,000 Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest! Jill is a senior at Catherine McAuley High School and is currently planning on attending a five year dual program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where she plans on earning a BFA in Studio Art and a BS in Science or Math. She has created her own festive vision of the classic holiday bells that truly evokes the warm feelings of the season. Jill submitted a design that is 100% original and unique, and we can’t wait to see the finished product! Our judges had a tough decision to make as there were so many outstanding entries in the finalist pool, but we think Jill’s design will make a truly amazing card.

Here is the design Jill submitted:

 

Scholarship Contest Winner

Stay tuned for information about our 8th Annual Create-A-Greeting-Card $10,000 Scholarship Contest.

How To Increase Sales With Birthday Cards

I am the owner of a small flower shop and I am always looking for new ways to increase my sales. Of course advertising plays a big role in letting potential customers know that we can make any celebration a spectacular event in the presence of beautiful flower arrangements. Many of my new clients have told us that they were recommended to my shop by satisfied customers spreading their satisfaction by word of mouth. Although my company is doing well, there is always room to increase business, and I decided to put an item on our agenda for the next monthly staff meeting as follows: “Suggestions on How to Increase Sales.”

Increase Sales

During our monthly staff meeting, when we came to Item 2, “Suggestions on How to Increase Sales”, one of my employees suggested we send Birthday cards to our clients. This was agreeable to all and our next step was to find a company with special Birthday cards. After browsing through the internet we all agreed that The Gallery Collection offered an elegant selection of business Birthday cards.

The above suggestion proved to be beneficial in that we did receive a significant increase in sales from our “Birthday” customers, as well as personal thanks when they called in for orders or when they stopped in the flower shop. It was comforting to know how such a small, but special thought, could be so meaningful, and rewarding. In more ways than one.

 

Sympathy Messages To Write In A Card

Often times when a loved passes away it leaves us with a loss of words. We feel so much sorrow that the only thing we can do is sympathize. During these difficult times, a sympathy card with a heartfelt message is all we have to give to show someone we care. The Gallery Collection offers many sympathy cards with messages that would be appropriate for these situations. Some of the sentimental greetings that you might choose would be:

Silken Roses Sympathy Card

• “With deepest sympathy at this time of sorrow”
• “Sincere condolences to you and your family at this time of sorrow”

If you would like one that is religious there is also:

• “May God’s presence be there to comfort and guide you during this time”
• “Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this time of sorrow”.

Whichever you decide to choose, these are truly heartfelt sentiments to show others your care and sympathy for them during a difficult time.