I have met a lot of contacts over the past 2 years of college. How often should I be "touching base" with contacts who were at least interested in who I am? Many firms don't have work now that thought they might before Fall 2008 happened, but I think its important to nurture these relationships even if they don't have work opps.
What follow-up schedules have other WSO members followed so that contacts remember you when its time to get a job or make a move, but so that you're not annoying? How often do you email? When do you call instead?
There are 2 schools of thought. One says you should "ping" people every couple of months or so. Another says you should stay in contact, but try to add value rather than just dropping a quick line. I would send an email once a quarter maybe to the people you have a thin connection with and maybe a little more often for people you might be closer with. I don't have an excel sheet or anything (although I think this is a great idea). I just always try and think about how I can help or if I see something interesting pertaining to that other person and then I shoot them an email or give them a call.
What are your thoughts?
I have a few different methods. I have actually just started a spreadsheet to track contacts while looking for a job, but I wish I would have started it a while back. I send a hand-written TY note after informational interviews, job interviews, or when someone has paid me a sincere compliment during a conversation. Otherwise I send an email thank you after meeting someone. I did an internship at Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown in summer of 2008 and acquired about 40 contacts that summer. To make sure they remembered me, I sent the "top 25" formal, personalized Christmas cards with a hand-written note.
Obviously things got difficult in the fall of 2008, so I tried to tone down the contact a little because I knew people were under an enormous amount of stress. (I'm usually walking the line between aggressive and obnoxious, but aggression is and persistence is usually looked on with more favor when the economy and stock market is doing well). They knew I wanted a job eventually, so I thought the Christmas card was a nice touch. I sent several people postcards from Hong Kong or Thailand while I was on Study Abroad last spring, and tried really hard to meet as many people as I could over there. (Chinese culture makes that easy, as the presentation of the business card is the official start to any business or networking conversation).
I agree that once a quarter is a good idea, and I'd probably be better off if I had stuck to that for the past 2 years. However, during the current financial crisis I have extended that time, and I have re-introduced myself to several contacts recently, now that things have appeared to calm down a bit and because I've now graduated and I'm more aggressively looking for work.
Your idea about thinking "how to help" rather than "what can I get" is an EXCELLENT idea, and I believe that that state of mind will contribute more to building the relationship than simply trying to make sure people remember me.
The process of contact management often seems like a big mess and its always a chore, but one that definitely pays off.
Thanks for your thoughts.
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