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Keep in touch after search
OK, so you know all about networking. You know how to ask one person for the name of another person, you know how to introduce yourself at a gathering of professionals, and you even know how to distribute business cards while balancing a plate of hors d'oeuvres.Aside from a job offer, how can you tell if your networking is productive?
One sure sign of success is when your contacts call you without being prompted. When someone you've met for the first time follows up with you, you know a relationship has begun.
Building relationships is a key element of successful networking. This is a fundamental concept that very often escapes job-seekers. On a hunt for information and job leads, they often treat contacts as steppingstones rather than new connections.
The problem with the steppingstone approach isn't that bridges are burned; for the most part, job-seekers are adequately polite and professional.
Missed opportunities are the problem. Every new contact has the potential to become a colleague - or even a friend - but only if you invest the energy to build a lasting connection.
If you're ready to invest in the people you're meeting, here are some steps to add to your colleague-building plan.
1. Devise a method to keep up with your contacts during your job search. At this stage of your relationship, you need more from your contacts than they need from you. To ask for their ongoing help gracefully, consider a simple communication tool, such as a biweekly group e-mail in which you give a quick update on your progress and ask for specific job leads.
One job-seeker used this idea so well that she effectively created a circle of acquaintances among people who came to know one another through her.
2. Find ways to connect professionally, outside of your job search. Are you planning to attend the next association meeting in your field? If so, why not call or e-mail one of your contacts and invite him or her to join you? If he or she doesn't accept the invitation, you can pass along your information from the meeting in a later e-mail.
3. After you start your new job, send an update to your contacts. This isn't just a "here's where I work now" e-mail. Considering that you are now in a position to help your contacts, note your role with the company as well as the main products or services that you are involved with and offer to provide a tour or introductions to co- workers once you are settled.
4. Meet at least one of your contacts for lunch or coffee every month. The worst thing you could do after getting rehired is to become complacent. Don't assume that you won't need friends in the field or that your job search is over. If this is a career path, and you are taking the long view, you will want to stay as connected as you can, both inside and outside the company.
5. Remember your contacts at the holidays. Send a card with thanks for their help and good wishes for the new year.
Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or 1071 W. Seventh St., St. Paul, MN 55102.
