Follow Up on All Outstanding Networking Outreach
Many people send networking messages and never follow up when they do not hear back. One follow-up sent 10 days after your initial message is completely appropriate and significantly increases your response rate. It also demonstrates the kind of persistence and professionalism that people notice.
Many people send networking messages and never follow up when they do not hear back. One follow-up sent 10 days after your initial message is completely appropriate and significantly increases your response rate. It also demonstrates the kind of persistence and professionalism that people notice.
Step by Step
Open your tracker and find all outstanding outreach Look for any networking messages, outreach messages, or informational interview requests sent 10 or more days ago with no response.
Send a brief follow-up to each one Keep it short and warm. Never express frustration or impatience.
Template: "Hi [Name], I wanted to follow up on my message from [approximate date]. I completely understand if timing has not worked out. I remain very interested in connecting if you have a few minutes at some point. Thank you either way."
Mark anyone who has still not responded after this follow-up as closed Do not contact the same person more than twice. Move your energy toward people who are responsive.
Send thank you messages to anyone you have already spoken with If you completed any informational interviews or networking calls in the past two weeks and have not sent a follow-up thank you do it today. Reference something specific from the conversation.
Tips for success
A well-timed follow-up often converts a non-response into a conversation. People get busy and genuinely forget to reply. One reminder is appreciated more often than not.
The thank you message after a conversation is one of the most underused tools in job searching. Most people do not send one. Doing so makes you immediately memorable.