How do you maintain and nurture your relationships with alumni and former colleagues over time?

Everyone deserves an updated LinkedIn profile! I recommend 2x yearly tuneups just as you would go to the dentist! Or, celebrate your birthday week with a profile refresh and watch the new interest it sparks from old friends, as well as new folks, interested in your gifts. Linked it is the best SEO search engine for business, so update: 1?? headline with keywords, searchable terms, in the language folks with used to find your expertise 2?? services hashtags 3?? about section 4?? posts, thoughtful comments, polls, photos & short videos It’s a great process for self reflection, while letting others know about your thought leadership, big ideas, or fun projects that show how you bring value to the world in your authentic way.

Maintaining and nurturing relationships with alumni and former colleagues starts with updating your online profile regularly. Keep your LinkedIn, professional websites, and other social media profiles current with accurate information about your career, achievements, and interests. This ensures that your connections can stay informed about your professional journey and makes it easier for them to reconnect with you.

Pat Roque is right - Update your profile starting with updating contact information, location, and name record. All of these are helpful in letting your contacts know how to find you!

LinkedIn is such a great way to reach alumni and build out your network. Part of networking is having something in common and with so many Alumni Groups that focus on specialties but you can literally search Alumni that Work in a specific location with a specific industry, company, role, etc. and connect with them. I find that Alumni are some of the easiest people to create conversations with and build a relationship with and is absolutely one of the ways I encourage my clients to do to help them expand their networks!

One of the easiest ways to stay in touch is to use LinkedIn's notifications of any milestones in your network. Take a few minutes to add a personal message, e.g., after LI's 'Congrats on your promotion,' you could add, 'What a challenging opportunity!' or 'This is a great fit for you!'

Stay in touch with your alumni and former colleagues by reaching out regularly. Whether through emails, messages, or phone calls, take the initiative to check in, congratulate them on their achievements, or simply catch up on life. Regular communication helps keep the relationship alive and demonstrates that you value their friendship and professional connections.

Whenever someone comes into my mind, I drop them a quick message - for someone close this could be a WhatsApp voice note, or for a more professional contact a 'keeping in touch' e mail. People really value it and it is completely genuine, compared to the kind of networking people do when they reach out to you out of the blue, only when they need something. I read about a similar concept recently in the book 4000 weeks which referenced Goldstein's habit of 'acting on generous impulses right away'. ??

LinkedIn recommendations rock! Nothing beats a 3rd party testimony to lift someone up. Here’s the simple format: 1?? how/where did you meet 2?? context of work together 3?? note strengths, challenges they solved 4?? their impact on your career and life 5??closing comment on unique value they bring Don’t just say it: put it in writing in an email, and take that snippet of copy & reuse it on LinkedIn recommendations. Proactive support will brighten their day with a wonderful surprise. Recipients can accept them as written, or reply asking you to kindly tweak it to emphasize their current goals (& fix typos). It’s enduring help, reminders of great memories & friends. If you’re stuck, see my 95 examples! ?? Write 1 today! ??

It's important to ask about interests to truly understand what a person will find beneficial. Sending articles, resources and opportunities that are misaligned, could create a burden. When endorsing someone, ask what aspects they'd like you to focus on. For example, "I'd like to write you a recommendation and thought I'd speak to your relationship-building and innovative ideas. Is this a focus you'd find valuable?"

It's been great to be able to do this more in my Intentional Visits Year (2023). I recently met with a mentee who lives in Portland when we vacationed there. It isn't always possible to get people's actual locations from LinkedIn. I have location lists of people I'd like to visit. Next up, I'm hoping to meet up in Rochester NY with an Evaluator I've been connected to for a decade, a career development specialist I 'found' early in 2020, and the U Roch Alumni Career services office while I'm at my UR reunion in October. And don't forget to write a LinkedIn post about the IRL meet-up. It's a celebration for your and for them!

This is very important and impacting practice if you can do. Whenever possible, arrange in-person meetups with your alumni and former colleagues. Whether for coffee, lunch, or networking events, face-to-face interactions strengthen connections and provide an opportunity for deeper conversations. Meeting in person allows you to share experiences, collaborate on potential projects, and foster a sense of camaraderie.