An underused job seeking practice – when someone you don’t know well helps/refers/puts in a word for you, stay in close touch with them regardless of the outcome.
This isn’t a note about this being the “decent thing” to do. I’ve heard that argument and think it is unfair – job seeking is hard/long/exhausting. It is easy to forget and, besides, the feelings associated with rejection in particular aren’t pleasant and can cause hesitation.
However, it is worth moving past the hesitation because things often come back full circle before you know it. The same people often end up working with us or moving to places we want to move to.
And, when that happens, it helps to be the rare person who followed up, closed the loop, and maybe even stayed in touch.
The best part about this practice is that it converts job searching into a great opportunity to connect with helpful people and to even build that occasional long term relationship when the chemistry is right.
(On a personal note, this practice is how I ended up finding my way to LinkedIn after being rejected the first time a year prior. It can work well. :))
