The Devil's In The Detail: Follow Up

With the bar results out, I've had several young attorneys contact me regarding jobs. The majority of them,  I've met through various networking functions at the Association City Bar of New York.   
With a tightening economy there's even more pressure for them to make certain all their networking efforts are fruitful, that means paying attention to  details when out in the market-place.

One of the biggest areas why networking fails is follow-up.  Successful networking strategy whether its online or off-line   requires consistent follow-up with out being unobtrusive. For example, whether you are attending a networking event, or giving a presentation, anticipate on planning at least several hours in the following up phase. Albeit this will be spread unevenly throughout your contact with the individual, which  may range from forwarding an email with an fyi, to having a one to one meeting. This is where the final payoff will come. It takes time to cultivate relationships.

Trust has to be built and more importantly MAINTAINED. The old axiom of it takes years to build a reputation and a second to destroy holds true. So, remember those first impressions DO count.