No matter how you feel about networking, it’s critical, whether you’re a student or provider seeking employment, a provider hoping to expand their network, or an owner looking to hire.
You invest a lot of time and money for the opportunity to network and leverage contacts, and you’ll want return on your investment. But showcasing your skills, exchanging information, and collecting myriad business cards is only the first step.
Networking Is All About Follow-Up
Now comes the hard part: effective follow-up. When done with a little care, it can pay off in spades. How can you keep your connection momentum going, though?
To help ensure you get the most out of your networking, use these four tips.
Review your online presence
If you’re hoping for job opportunities, make sure your LinkedIn information is available, current, and accurate, and that your updated bio and résumé are posted. This lets contacts review your skill set, experience, and professional history in a less hectic environment.
If you’re a networking provider or a business owner, expand beyond LinkedIn. Understand how you come across online, whether in your provider listing on clinic web pages or in interviews on YouTube and elsewhere. If you own a practice, develop a sense of how your practice comes across in online reviews.
In short, be able to speak to anything your new contacts might learn from a quick online search of your name or clinic.
Start a networking file
It’s easy to forget names and professional details — even after just a few days! Be preemptive by carefully saving the information from relevant professional exchanges and business cards so you can reconnect.
Email each person whose information you saved
Keep the conversation going when you return home by emailing any contact you deemed worthy of putting in your networking file.
Express your appreciation for their time in engaging with you. Try to reference a specific topic or point that you discussed, if possible.
Remember, this specific person stood out to you for a reason. Even if they don’t meet your current networking needs, they may be able to help connect you with someone who can.
Give without expecting anything in return
Did the person with whom you networked have a need or a question? Are they seeking a job, for example, or more details on a given topic?
Take this opportunity to build trust, add value, and deepen your connection — provide a suggestion, helpful contact, or copy of an article while expecting nothing in return.
About Those Follow-Up Emails
If you’re attending another professional event soon, mention it in your email to increase the possibility of another networking connection in the near future!
Also:
- Make sure your auto-signature includes links to your Twitter, LinkedIn, professional blogs, or any other website you want to share.
- Remember that timing is everything. Your outreach should occur within a week of the networking event.
Focusing on follow-up after professional networking events can go a long way toward setting you apart from the crowd and expanding your professional influence. A little effort and attention to detail will help ensure long-lasting and rewarding connections.