Using a Post-it note instead of an accompanying letter when sending documents

Question

I received a job offer on relative short term notice. Everything was settled by phone, but obviously I had to sign a contract and send it back to the company.

Instead of writing and printing a full cover letter, I simply stuck a small note (post-it) on top of the document-folder, saying something like 'Dear Mrs. X, as discussed on phone I'll hand in document Y later. Thanks, ...'.

Was this rude? When is it appropriate to use post-its instead of cover letters?

If it matters: country was Germany, the company quite large, the communication was with my future contact person in HR. We had contact via mail and phone about the contracting process beforehand.

Answer 1

When is it appropriate to use post-its instead of cover letters?

A post-it conveys, "FYI, this is not super important but wanted to remind you!" They are also, generally, not intended to be permanent.

A more formal letter conveys, "this is important."

Was this rude?

This is really a personal preference thing. Some people will see it as informal and find it annoying. But other people will not even consider this as a "rude or not rude" thing.

Also, I wouldn't worry about this. It's almost assuredly not a big deal to the person who received the mail.

Answer 2

I really don't think this can be answered in a general way, as it always depends on how the receiving person perceives it. In fact the only half way reliable way to check if it was considered rude is if you ask directly.

As a general rule Germans and especially larger companies tend to be more formal, especially if you have not met in person yet.

Answer 3

If they hire people by mail and phone and you didn't have to hand in a formal application, then this should be okay. The deal is done, you are one of them now and people use post-its there likely, too.