Be the First to Follow Up

By Lindsey Pollak, author of Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World
I spoke at a student conference this past weekend and gave out dozens of my business cards to the attendees. Over the past few days I’ve received several emails, which shows that the students took my advice to follow up with contacts who might lead to job opportunities. I love all the follow-up. But I have to be honest: After a while, all of the emails started to blend together in my mind. What can I say? I get a lot of emails and read a lot of them on the tiny screen of a BlackBerry.
But there is one email I definitely remember: the first one I received after the event. That person impressed me as a go-getter who was really serious about following up and connecting with me.
It’s not always easy to contact a person you may have met only once, especially if you are shy or super busy. But you must maintain momentum if you meet someone at a networking event with whom you’d like to develop a relationship. Make the first move…quickly.

The best time to follow up is directly after meeting someone, while you’re still fresh in his or her mind. This is the case if you’ve met someone anywhere—a networking event, during a volunteer project, at a neighbor’s barbecue, or on an airplane. Send a brief “It was so nice to meet you” email (phone calls can sometimes be intrusive) and suggest a specific next step. Remember, it’s easier for someone to say yes to a specific request, rather than a generic “We should get together!” You might invite the person for coffee, lunch, or a scheduled phone call for an informational interview.
If you’re not interested in meeting with or speaking to this person in the near future but you want to forge a connection, you can still send a short message saying that you would like to keep in touch, and ask the person if it’s okay to drop a note once in a while. Networking is about building and maintaining relationships. You can go out and meet dozens of people, but what’s the point if you never keep in touch with them?
I know that being the first to follow up sounds like a lot of effort, but I urge you not to sit around and wait for people to follow up with you. Never forget that at this stage of your life, you are the one who is seeking information and contacts. Most people will be happy to offer you guidance and information when you ask for it, but it’s doubtful they’ll contact you to offer unsolicited advice or job opportunities.
As a general rule, in the Real World lots of things will happen only if you make the first move. So go forth and follow up!
Lindsey Pollak is the author of Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World. She is a frequent speaker on college campuses around the country. For more information, visit www.GettingfromCollegetoCareer.com.