A Networking Question

Last month I delivered a presentation to a student organization at a local college on the topic of "Career Management." Part of managing one's career is to network, and part of the presentation discussed the importance of building inward (maintaining your current network of connections) and building outward (finding new connections).

When I was talking about building inward, I discussed that it's important to keep in contact  with past coworkers, supervisors, and colleagues and not just contact someone "when you need something." I gave suggestions of sending an occasional email or going out for coffee or lunch, but one student asked, "So how do I stay connected with a former supervisor, when I didn't know him that well? What would I say if I emailed him?"

This was a very good question. It's easy to maintain connections with people you know fairly well, but it's more challenging if you didn't know the person well. I suggested that (1) he could connect with the person on LinkedIn; (2) if he read an article that may interest the former supervisor, he should forward this on to the person; (3) if the read/heard about a career change/promotion for the past supervisor, to send a congratulatory email; and (4) if the past supervisor could provide guidance/mentorship with a career question, to send an email and ask for guidance (noting that most people are more than happy to provide career guidance).
 
On a side note, when you network and manage your career, don't forget to "give back." Networking is a two-way street, so always look for ways to help others.