Networking & LinkedIn

The Networking Reception, Design Portfolio Review and Recruiting Day provide great opportunities to network with professionals. Collect business cards and consider staying in contact with those you met with.

 

If you were unable to meet with reviewers in person or did not get a business card or email address from those you met with, you may be able to find them in the ArtWorks Employer Directory. View this guide on how to use the Employer Directory to find contact information.

 

Join LinkedIn!

 

If you have not already established a profile in LinkedIn, now is a great time to do so. LinkedIn was created to facilitate professional connections and it is an excellent way to stay in touch with professionals you met with or would like to introduce yourself to. Use the Career Center's Networking Professionally Online handout to guide your approach to creating and using your LinkedIn profile.

 

 

Thank You Follow-Up

Follow-up is a form of professional communication that you initiate after meeting with someone in a professional context. Ideally, follow-up is done via an email message or a hand-written note to the person within a day or two of meeting them.

 

Follow-up after an initial meeting helps you to build rapport and develop lasting professional connections. These connections can be a great advantage and support your search and application for internships and jobs. Thoughtful, well-crafted follow-up can demonstrate your genuine interest and sincere appreciation of others. 

 

Your message should include:

 

• A thank you for meeting and talking with you.
   

• A reminder about the context in which you met.
   

• A comment about a particularly meaningful point that came up in your conversation, information they shared with you, and/or tips or advice they provided.
   

• Close your email message by thanking the person again and letting them know you look forward to staying in touch. In some cases, you may want to include a link to your online portfolio and/or attach your resume to the message.
   

• If you did not get a business card or email address from the person you met, you might be able to find them in the ArtWorks Employer Directory. View this guide on how to use the Employer Directory to find contact information.