#CareerAdvice : #Networking -Made A New Professional Connection? How To Follow Up When You Have Nothing To Say. #MustREad!

If you want to have a strong and supportive network, you need to follow up with people. You never want to be that person who only gets in touch when they need something. Furthermore, when you go to a big networking event, such as a professional conference, an effective way to maintain the momentum and distinguish yourself in the process is to follow up because too many people just don’t bother.

That said, exactly how to follow up is a stumbling block for many people. This reader captured the struggle best when she asked about following up with recruiters after an industry conference:

While I attended the convention and collected a lot of business cards from people at the job fair, I struggle with the content of the follow up email. Should I say something like, “Nice to meet you. here’s a soft copy of my resume, and please let me know if there are any Asia job openings?” Most of those recruiters were U.S. focused only. So many of the companies and I aren’t a good fit at all. Also, “let me know if there are any job openings” doesn’t sound proactive.

Here are five guidelines for continuing that professional connection and specific ideas for follow-up even when you think you have nothing to say:

1 – Do not make a request in your first follow-up

Sending a résumé unsolicited (i.e., when the recipient didn’t ask for it) is a request – to read it, to meet with you, to consider you for a job. Making a request for job search help is asking for too much too soon in a new professional relationship. Instead, make your first follow-up something that simply continues from where you left off. For example:

1.      Say thank you for a particular insight the person shared

2.      Send an article related to a specific trend or issue you discussed or you know the person is working on.

3.      Make a referral if the person mentioned something they needed, such as a service vendor or candidates for an opening.

Like this Article ?  Share It !You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network:   www.linkedin.com/in/fscnetwork

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type job search, resume, networking ) in Blog Search: https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

2 – Tailor your follow-up to the other person

The examples above build on the most recent conversation, but you can also follow up based on what you now know about the other person. This shows that you were listening and that you are genuinely interested in them and not just what they can do for you. For example:

1.      Make a recommendation about something the person mentioned as a personal interest (e.g., they love historical fiction and you highlight a book you read in this genre)

2.      Say congratulations if the person’s company is mentioned in the news

3.      Check in on how the person is doing after the conference, highlighting a session you attended together or something the keynote speaker suggested

3 – Make it easy for the other person to respond

Another benefit of the follow-up suggestions above is that they don’t require much, if any, effort for the other person. You recommend a good book or send an article, but you’re not asking for a report back on these. You offer a referral, but you don’t automatically cc the person you’re referring, in case the other person no longer has a need or doesn’t agree that your suggestion is a good match.

Focusing on the ease factor to the other person is why I don’t recommend inviting someone for coffee in an early follow-up. Asking for a meeting over coffee is a big ask, considering how much time a live meeting takes and how busy many people are. Do you have a lot of time for coffee breaks? How often do you see old friends, much less newer ones?

4 – Make it easy for the other person to help

When you do get to the stage where a connection has been established – i.e., you have gone back and forth with the other person at least a couple of times – then talk about your job search or business project will probably arise naturally. When that happens, be specific with any requests you decide to make so it’s easy for the other person to say Yes to helping you.

The reader was worried her request to “let me know if there are any job openings” was not proactive enough, and I agree it is lacking. Specify what type of job openings are of interest to you and a fit with your background. Ideally, have a specific job or companies that you’re researching and let the person brainstorm on similar type jobs or companies. Don’t expect the other person to develop ideas from scratch or to know what help you need.

5 – Remember that recruiters get pitched all the time

Good follow-up practices, like not asking for too much, tailoring your outreach and being specific, also apply to recruiters. Another consideration particular to recruiters is that because recruiters network constantly, they have seen poor follow-up more than most. As a result, they may be sensitive to it or impatient and write you off if you make a bad impression with your follow-up.

To stay in touch with recruiters, focus on helping them fill their jobs. For example:

1.      Make referrals to potential candidates if you discussed specific jobs or types of jobs they hire for

2.      Make referrals to potential clients if the recruiter is part of an agency that recruits for more than one firm, rather than in-house

3.      Share information about their market – this includes updates on what you’re working on if you work in the same field

Recruiters are not experts in every market. Limit your interaction to the industries and roles they hire for. If a recruiter doesn’t serve your market (for example, this reader is based in Asia but met U.S. recruiters), ask if their firm covers other geographies or practices so you know whether or not to put that agency on your radar, but don’t expect the recruiter to make the introduction for you. Some recruiting agencies keep different geographies and practices separate.

You do have something to say – and it shouldn’t always be about your next move

If you really focus on developing the relationship, then your follow up will naturally focus on the other person, and you will find something to say. The other person will inspire ideas for how to move forward. In addition, if you are a busy professional, then you’re working on things and hearing news and developing insights, all of which are ripe for sharing.

Follow-up is not about getting something to help your next move. People you meet, even in a professional context, may become friends. They may become vendors or business partners. The best follow-up is open-ended and lets the connection unfold. Let yourself be surprised.