A practical guide to networking III: Following up

This is Part III in a three-part blog series with practical tips for networking. Read Part I: Getting started and Part II: Reaching out.

When you finish a good book—the ones that really make you think about your life decisions—do you ever feel, well lost? We ask ourselves: now what do I do? You may feel the same after having amazing chats with people you contacted to network with. That’s normal. I made sure to do the following within 1–2 days after each chat to continue the connection.

• Write a thank you note. Thank them for their time. Perhaps call out a specific piece of advice or something that was mentioned during your chat. If you had a takeaway from the conversation, include it.
• Be conscientious. If you mentioned that you would share something with them during your chat, then make sure you follow through. Whether that’s facilitating a connection, sharing an article, or taking the time to explore and reflect on any advice that was given.
• Reiterate your ask if they offered. If they mentioned that they would introduce you to someone or that they had a job opening that would be relevant, then include a friendly reminder. Always be gracious.

Track your networking experiences

I’m a task-oriented person and keeping track of my networking was important for me. It helped me be organized and focused.  I felt more motivated if I could see the number of people I contacted and reached out to. During my last year of graduate school, I maintained a spreadsheet of folks I reached out to. Here are my stats going through my emails and LinkedIn messages.

Email

I sent 112 emails, often I was e-introduced to or connected with by a common contact.

I received 92 replies, 90 being receptive to meeting.

I met with 70 people in-person over the course of the year.

62.5% success rate

LinkedIn*

I sent out 100 LinkedIn messages, often cold-messaging people.

I received 25 replies, with 25 people being receptive to meeting.

I met with 10 people over the course of the year.

7.7% success rate

*Approximate, since LinkedIn doesn’t allow for filtering.

Being e-introduced personally via email was more effective in getting replies and setting up meetings. For me, I started off with meeting my initial contacts. By asking them for recommendations and introductions, my list of contacts snowballed from there.

Throughout the year, when I had the capacity and energy to meet others, I averaged sending 3–6 requests a week and meeting with 2–3 people every week. Set attainable goals for your networking (i.e., targets of who/how many people you’d like to talk to). Your average may be higher or lower than mine—it’s whatever works best for you.

Be flexible with your networking goals. Networking is a skill you exercise, and you can have on and off periods. There will be times where you have more (or less) energy to meet. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself to have to keep to a regimented schedule or targets and schedule your networking chats when you have the capacity for them. In the case of virtual networking, be aware of Zoom fatigue and respect your comfort levels of meeting people in-person.

Networking allowed me to realize what I wanted to do (and what I didn’t want to do). It introduced me to organizations I was interested in, and I learned more about the requirements for, challenges of, and benefits to different roles. When I finished graduate school, I applied to 7 jobs, interviewed for 4 roles, and received 3 offers. Networking was instrumental in allowing me to focus where I was looking for jobs, write informed applications when applying, and achieve career satisfaction by finding a match well-suited to my interests and skills.

I hope you apply one (or more) of these tips to your networking process. In the spirit of networking, if you read this far, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn. Good luck!

About the Author: Connie Tang

Connie Tang has always loved talking, thinking, and learning about career resilience and professional development. She’s worked in the workforce innovation and skills training sector provincially and nationally, and currently manages a research impact network at York University. Connie also volunteers as a career mentor for experienced newcomers to Canada and serves on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Region Conservation Authority.