In the last blog, you saw a list of affiliations where you most likely know people in your life. By now, you’ve developed a list of nearly 200 people, if not more. Now how do you manage the contacts you’ve listed? How do you keep track of who you talked to, who s/he referred you to, who was helpful, and with whom you followed up?
My idea of keeping things organized is throwing everything about the topic or person in a folder. As you can imagine, I have a lot of very thick folders, but it works for me. Everything is in one place. One of my colleagues has folders within folders within folders. Some people like a lot of detail; some people don't. Some people feel like a nut...never mind.
Here are three different samples of networking contact logs that can be developed on a spreadsheet or in a table. Each contains a different degree of detail. Which one will work for you?
Sample 1
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Contact Name
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Date of 1st Contact
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First Name
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Last Name
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Contact Information
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Notes*
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Follow-Up**
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For Sample 1, you want to make sure you include how you made contact (e.g., phone call, email, LinkedIn, etc.), when you made contact, what was discussed, and the outcome. Also include the dates that you sent thank-you notes and when you can/should reconnect with the contact (more about this next time when we talk about follow-up).
If you want to keep more detailed records about your interactions with your contacts, develop an individual networking log page (Samples 2 and 3) for each important contact and keep a log of each and every interaction with that contact.
When you get a good start on organizing your job search network contact list, it's much easier to use it effectively.
So now that you have a system for organizing your job search network contact list, be sure to read next week’s JohnsCreek.Patch on developing a communications plan. Learn what to ask for when you connect with your contacts.
Many people use electronic/on-line methods, including ACT! What on-line methods do you use and how effective are they for you? I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Peg
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