Hi Everyone,
I have been fortunate enough to have many coffee chats with individuals from different firms. I am wondering how do I continue to maintain these relationships. What should I talk about with them as well as how often should I keep in contact?
Thanks
Hi,
Here are some tips (not exhaustive at all) you can keep in mind when it comes to maintaining contact with different consultants
1. Make sure you follow up with gratitude: After each coffee chat, send a thank-you email expressing your appreciation for their time and insights. This simple gesture shows that you value the conversation and their input.
2. Request occasional check-ins: You could politely request a brief catch-up call or meeting to chat and see how they are doing every few months. Make sure to respect their time and availability.
3. Ask for advice: If you are facing a challenge or decision in your career or education, you could ask them for advice. Consultants love being asked for their expertise, which keeps the connection alive.
I hope this helps.
Bilel
Hi there,
Great to hear you got to meet a lot of people!
One way is through LinkedIn. This way you can have their contact handy and keep up with changes in their professional lives and also contribute / react to some of the content that they post.
The next steps depend very much on your aspirations from these relationships.
Trying to ‘check in’ with them once in a while without a good reason might seem a bit forced, so I would advise against that.
See if you have any common goals or projects that you could work together.
And if you happen to be based geographically within the same area, then reach out to them.
Best,
Cristian
Hello,
Great to hear that you're having lots of successful coffee chats! First, be sure to send a thank you email a day or so after your coffee chat. If you feel like the coffee chat went well and you established a connection, you could then get in touch with the person closer to your application timeline to get some guidance on your application - ask for details about their work, advice on your application, and so on. Connecting over LinkedIn is also a good way of lightly maintaining connection. Don't do anything that feels forced.
Hi there,
Quite honestly, you don't.
They don't want you to keep pestering them and they are not a connection.
There is a difference between short-term networking for the purposes of applying to a job and a REAL network.
A real network with real connections is founded on real work you do over many many years.
Let me put it this way, I have many close friends/contacts from my MBA and consulting days. I have zero from my networking/coffee chats.
For coffee chats: In the call you need to make it count (give a strong impression, “hint” at a referral if it makes sense, get put in touch with others, etc.). Then, send a followup thank you email. You might be able to send a final, “last attempt” email before you apply. But, please don't try to “maintain this relationship”…it's not one!
