How To Write An Effective Follow-Up Email
By: Jordan Bucknor ‘22
If you do not write follow-up emails on the regular, you are probably missing out. Networking is a huge part of the college experience and a great way to foster those relationships with future employers/possible mentors is through follow-up emails. Even if you are writing them to every recruiter, speaker, or alumni you meet, you may not be going about it in the best way. So, if you want to learn the most effective method to express your self, thankfulness, and career aspirations through email, keep reading!
An successful follow-up email has four basic components:
An Introduction
A “Thank You” Component
A “Key Takeaways” Component
A “Future Endeavors” Component
“Reintroduce yourself!”
If you are writing a follow-up email, you have probably met the recipient before, but you should not just assume that they will remember you. Take a couple of sentences to remind them of your name, how you met, your major/minor, and a quick snapshot of your aspirational goals. This would also be a good time to highlight any ways you relate to the recipient of your email, whether they are a fellow Trojan, were in the same program as you, or even from the same city.
“Say thank you!”
There is a pretty prevalent stereotype of younger generations not being grateful for the things they have or the things others do for them, so make sure you are not proving that stereotype right! If someone took the time out of their day to talk to you, give a presentation, or simply just help you in some way, make sure you say thank you! Be specific and let them know their efforts were appreciated. It will go a long way.
“What did you take away?”
It is also a good idea to spotlight specific things you learned through the conversation or seminar. Did they remind you of something? Did you learn something new? If so, how do you plan to implement that information? Let them know! It will relay how serious you were about taking heir words to heart.
“What’s next?”
If you are writing a follow-up email, you probably want to collaborate to some degree with the recipient in the future. Try to pitch an idea of something you could do together, but don’t jump the gun with anything too big or time-consuming, especially if you did not get a a lot of time to talk to them before. Coming off as too pushy will turn them off, but you should not be afraid to reach out! If you’re not sure exactly what to suggest, going out for coffee is always a good start. Remember that it is up to you to begin and maintain a mentoring relationship, and the If you never ask, the answer is already no.
Random Tips:
Try to limit your email to a few paragraphs — you are not trying to write an essay here! Be mindful of your subject’s time and just try to write enough for them to get a sense of who you are, what you learned, and what you would like to do.
Try your best to follow up with the person you have met after 24 hours. It is not always possible, but the sooner you do so, the less chance they have of forgetting about you.
No matter how well-written your email is, there is no guarantee that you will get a response. Don’t sweat it! People are busy. What is important is that you have made the effort to reach out and eventually you will get a positive response!
Needless to say, none of these components are set in stone and you are free to write more or less about anything you please, but this is a great way to get started. A huge bonus of being a student at USC is being apart of the Trojan Family and having access to that network, so do not overlook the importance of utilizing it!
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