By Christine I. Pangan
As a new year of networking begins and the plethora of holiday events fade, we take a look at new contacts. How do you reconnect or stay connected? The easiest way can be social media, but in an era of impersonal quick-swiping and auto-response buttons, you could lose a potentially great connection due to lack of social media care.
The Mentor
You viewed this former supervisor as a mentor but did not keep in touch. Now you’ve met again at a recent event, so you try to connect on social media. Your request is ignored. Don’t assume that your former supervisor remembers you! Many supervisors have had numerous interns or mentored more new attorneys over the years than they can count. They may be involved in various organizations, attending events daily and meeting people constantly. While they may like you and could even give you a good reference, you may need to jog their memory. If you send a LinkedIn request, add a personal note reminding this person of who you are. For example, “Hi Brenda, it was great to see you again at the MLK breakfast. I was one of your summer law clerks back in 2016. Your mentoring made the internship one of the best experiences I had in law school and I’d love to stay in touch.”
But You’re Famous
You’re involved in various committees and organizations. You are well-respected by your colleagues and an expert in your field. You come across someone you think could be a potential partner in some of your projects and want to keep this person on your radar. So you send a LinkedIn request. Surely, this person would feel privileged to accept the honor of connecting with you! Nothing happens. You might not have lost that connection had you included an introductory message such as, “Hi Casey, we haven’t met in person but I’ve heard some great things about you. Judge Doe was just telling me about your work in X. I’ve been involved in X as well and have been thinking of doing a training on X and Y this year. I’d like to stay in touch and perhaps collaborate on a project in the near future.”
From seeing useful posts to keeping in touch regularly, connecting on social media can be highly beneficial and enhance existing relationships. Whether or not someone accepts your request, it is always a good idea to send a personal note to create a stronger link. The auto-template “I’d like to join your LinkedIn network,” is typically inadequate. Lay a good foundation for your request so your social media connection can be solid, long-lasting, or simply even exist.
A New Contact/Friend
You were at an event last month and hit it off with Bob. You feel a real connection, plus he practices in an area that you want to pursue. But you were out of town during the holidays and work got hectic upon your return. Now it’s the new year, you’re thinking about new possibilities in your practice and you remember Bob. But does he remember you? If you want him to, don’t just follow his public social media profiles and like his posts, especially if you have an unrecognizable handle. Send a personal message reminding him of who you are, “Hi Bob, it was great meeting you at Michelle’s holiday party last month. What are the odds we’d be wearing the same ugly sweater? I’d like to stay in touch, and perhaps we can collaborate on one of those cases you were talking about. When you have a chance, let’s get coffee next week.” Having such a message in your inbox also helps future you remember why you connected with Bob in the first place.
An Old Colleague/Friend
You saw this friend comment on a mutual friend’s post. Or you saw this person speak at an MCLE but had to rush out and didn’t get a chance to say hello. In any case, you want to reconnect, so you send a friend request. Again, don’t assume this person will recognize you and accept. Perhaps your name changed, or you look different from seven years ago. Send an email or Facebook Messenger note as an introduction such as, “Hey Carla! It’s Chris from law school (my last name used to be Smith but I got married last year). I saw you on the panel yesterday at the SDCBA but didn’t get a chance to say hi. It would be great to catch up!”
Christine I. Pangan (cipangan@yahoo.com) is a lead attorney at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego and Co-Editor of San Diego Lawyer Magazine.
This article was originally published in the Jan/Feb 2019 issue of San Diego Lawyer.