Whether you’ve recently attended a networking event like Meet the Firms or plan on attending one like BizCareers, congratulations! You’ve taken a positive step to invest in your career success. 

You can think of “networking” as simply having authentic conversations with people and being intentional about staying connected. Just as with interesting people you meet in social situations, you’ll want to continue those conversations with your professional contacts. 

Here’s a simple checklist to help you put this into practice:

◽ Before the event: think of questions that will allow you to follow up later.  For example, if you ask the recruiter or alum what they read/watch/listen to stay current in their field, you can look up that resource and circle back to thank them for referring you to it.

◽ During the event: ask for business cards and/or if it’s okay to connect with them on LinkedIn.

◽ Within 24 hours of the event: send a LinkedIn connection request or an email and include a memorable detail about your conversation. For example, if you discovered you both like the same sports team, you can mention their recent win or loss. 

◽ Ongoing: block out time on your calendar every three months to send updates to people in your network by email, LinkedIn, or whichever platform you connected with them on. For example, each term after you’re done with finals, spend an hour or two sending out update emails to your contacts. Then you can enjoy your break knowing that you’ve taken action to deepen your network!

Explore more advice and tools to support your professional networking efforts on our website here or make an appointment with one of our dedicated career advisors.