Plan to spend the day after each networking event working on custom letters for each contact you met. In these letters, you should make sure to reference the topics you discussed and express your appreciation for their time. Sending an email message is fine, but, if you have the time, a paper letter sent by mail is a good way to get the reader’s attention.
Alumni Follow-Up Letters
It is essential to remember that these letters are intended primarily to give thanks for advice and conversation. While it is fine to express your hope that you’ll keep in touch and even to mention that you are actively pursuing a career in the alumni’s industry or at their place of employment, this is not the time to directly ask for a referral or a job interview. Instead, use this letter to start the conversation necessary to ultimately build an ongoing, mutually beneficial professional relationship. Review information on what to include, and examples of a paper letter and an email message sent to follow up after meeting with an alumni contact.
What to Include in Your Letter
When you follow up with alumni you’ve met at an informational interview or a networking program, it’s important to start your letter or email with a reminder of who you are and how you met. Networking programs can be busy, and it can be hard to keep track of everyone you connect with. It will make it easier for your connect to reply if they know who you are and why you’re writing. When you send a follow-up email or letter, include the following:
A reminder of how you metJob or internship search status updateThe type of help you’re seekingThanks and appreciation for the helpContact information
Follow-Up Letter to Alumni Met at College Networking Event
Here is an example of a follow-up letter to send via snail mail to a contact you have met at a college alumni networking event.
Email Follow-Up Message to Alumni Met at College Networking Event
If you send the letter as an email message, include your name in the subject of the message so your contact knows who the message is coming from. It is not necessary to include the recipient’s contact information in an email, but you should provide all of your own contact information so that he or she has multiple ways to respond to you. May 1, 2021 Mr. Daniel MirandaXYZ Publishing House456 7th AvenueNew York, New York 10018 Dear Mr. Miranda,It was a pleasure meeting you at the ABC College Alumni Networking Dinner last week. I truly enjoyed speaking with you about current career tracks in the publishing field.Your description of a typical workday at the XYZ Publishing House only increased my interest in a publishing career. Our conversation started the wheels spinning in my mind about how I will be able to transfer the writing and editing skills I’ve learned as a journalism major to a “real world” employment setting after my graduation this June. I am currently beginning my search for summer internships in the publishing field. I believe my communications skills and the experience I gained as a writer and then senior editor for our college newspaper and its associated website would make me an ideal editorial intern. Please let me know if you hear of any internship opportunities at XYZ Publishing House, or if you have any suggestions regarding people or companies to contact. I can be reached at 555-111-1234 or lindsay.shia@gmail.com. Thank you so much for your willingness to help students from ABC College.Sincerely, Signature (hard copy letter) Lindsay Shia Your message will have a better chance of being opened and read if the recipient is aware of who is writing. Here’s an example:
More Networking Letter Examples
Here are more resume and cover letter examples for college students and grads that you can use as a starting point for your own correspondence: Dear Ms. Jones,Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me during our recent Alumni Networking Conference at ABC College.Your description of the opportunities and challenges you enjoy at XYZ Software has reinforced my intention to place them on my “A list” of companies I’d like to work for after I graduate with my computer science degree this May. I was particularly interested in learning how you yourself started as an intern with XYZ Software and steadily earned promotion to your current position – it’s exciting to see how the company supports the career growth of its employees. If you hear of any internship opportunities that are opening with XYZ, I’d be more than grateful if you would forward the listing to me. Thank you so much for your willingness to help students from ABC College.Sincerely,Greg Ellesworth576 S. Mercer Ave.Seattle, WA 08170555-111-1234greg.ellesworth@gmail.comlinkedin.com/in/ellesworth-greg
Career Networking Email and Letter Samples Career Networking Thank-You Letter Referral Emails for Career Networking
