I am so guilty of not doing this, it is not even slightly amusing, which is the whole reason I'm writing about it. If I give advice and insight, I am then forced to not be a hypocrite and actually practice what I preach, right? Right. Gen Y-ers usually, if they're anything like me, have their hands in a dozen projects at once. We're always on the go, always trying to connect with others, and always thinking about a next step. But do we ever really double back and do the follow up, or do it well?

There is so much out there discussing the initial how-to's, networking tips, doing better searches, writing better resumes, gaining people's attention - but then what? Well, hopefully you grab the interview, impress the client, or gain the mentor. Whatever your goal is - once you've gotten past the attention stage, what do you do?

You Follow Up.

I am so surprised that this is rarely talked about, because in my opinion, it is most commonly everyone's true weakness, and so darn important. Think about it... you participate in a weekly chat on Twitter - you don't have any real goal other than just discussing and "meeting" some other really cool people in twitterland. The chats are usually only an hour long, they have a number of pointed questions/topics, and hundreds of people.

If you have a couple of engaging side conversations, you might decide to start following said people. But what happens after that first hour? Do a few days later go by and you haven't said a word to your previous twitter friend? That's when you should follow up. Strengthen those bonds, keep the conversation going.

A few tips I can think of (and goals I myself want to try and reach):

-Add the people that were interesting & relevant.

-Follow up on a conversation maybe 1 or 2 days later. "Hey, I've been
thinking about what you said..." or "So I tried your advice, it was great!"
something.

-Give that person a #FollowFriday shout out. Give them props.

-Reconnect with them the following week during the same chat (assuming
they're there). Consistency is everything.

-Add them on LinkedIn

The same goes for projects, mentors, work, anything. In my case, I'm a recruiter and I have so many amazing candidates, but very few jobs to fill. Recently I have been attempting to find new clients & business for my firm, so I've created a list and have been reaching out to people. A week later I must remember to call back, keep the conversation going, otherwise it was just a cold call, and I have then taken away some of my firm's credibility. On my database, I mark down dates, conversation tips, and reminders of when to double back and check in. If I get in touch with people, I offer to send our materials to them in case they ever need us in the future, and make a note to call back in a couple of months.

Relationship Building takes time, and lots of following up - keeping on top of things.

That statement holds true especially for networking. If you meet a great person who took the time to talk with you, share a few tips, make sure to follow up! Send a warm email occasionally to check in. If you think of a few questions group them together and send it out with a "Hey, I got thinking about these... could you share some light on it when you have a moment? No rush, thanks" etc etc.

There are dozens of situations like this... can anyone tell me of a time that they followed up and landed the job/gained an amazing mentor/had success with a project solely because they took action and followed up? Would love to share some success stories...