Three Easy Ways To Keep In Touch After Networking
Think about all the conferences, happy hours, and parties you went to this past year. It’s likely you met at least a handful of people who you thought were interesting – the MBA student who just finished up a cool summer internship at Google; the financial aid advisor who just started her own college scholarship website; the teacher who is piloting new education technology products in his classroom. The connections you make and maintain can lead to valuable advice, introductions, job leads, and, most importantly, lasting friendships.
But how do you keep in touch with such amazing people? You can’t just reach out to them when you’re on the job hunt – you need to cultivate these relationships.
Here are our tips for stress-free ways to keep in touch with the people you meet:
1.
At least once a year, invite your contacts out for coffee just to catch up. Ask questions about how they are doing and fill them in on what you’re up to.
2.
When you read an interesting article that’s relevant to one of your contacts, email it to them with a quick note telling them you thought of them when you read it.
3.
Make sure you are connected with your contacts on LinkedIn – when they get a new job or a promotion, send them a note of congratulations.
MPOWER Pro-tip 1
Remember that relationships are a two-way street. If you are in a position to help someone in your network, do it. Even small actions can go a long way.
MPOWER Pro-tip 2
Dropped the ball and haven’t kept in touch with someone in a while? A life event or holiday make for great opportunities to reach out to your contacts and reconnect. Drop them a note when you start a new internship or to wish them a Happy New Year.
Remember, you might get this kind of response from someone if you don’t keep in touch regularly.
One thing which works for me is creating chat groups on whatsapp and on facebook groups. This will keep everyone informed about their current activities.