If the person you spoke with offered you helpful advice, sending a brief thank-you email is a great way to follow up on the conversation. The goal is simply to show that you paid attention and valued their insights, and remind them of who you are (since they may not have paid attention to your name). Look up their email address online and send a brief email such as this one:

Subject: Follow-up from our conversation on arc reactors at Supersuit Engineering Symposium

Dear Dr. Stark,

It was great meeting you at the Supersuit Engineering symposium yesterday. I really enjoyed our conversation about techno-organic restructuring machines, and appreciated your advice to consider an internship in arc reactors. As I mentioned, I’m particularly interested in digital memory backup, and was excited to learn that you think this is a growing field.

I’d love to stay in touch. Please let me know if I can ever be of help in connecting you to folks here at UCSF. In the meantime, wishing you all the best in your new project with Dr. Banner. 

Warmly,

Miles Morales

In most fields, working professionals maintain an active LinkedIn presence (though faculty are often the exception to the rule; thank-you emails such as the one above are usually a better way to connect with them). 

If you attend an event focused on entrepreneurship, business, industry research, science communication, etc., it’s both appropriate and a great idea to look up the speakers, workshop leaders, organizers, or attendees on LinkedIn afterward and request to connect with them. 

You can send a full direct message via LinkedIn using the same verbiage as the thank-you email above; or, you can simply “Request to connect” and then select the “Add a note” option, and include a brief message such as: “It was great hearing you speak about (topic) at the (XYZ) panel! I’d love to stay connected.” 

It’s a great idea to cultivate a wide range of mentors, both faculty and non-faculty, during your training (we recommend you find five!). If you sense that the person you spoke with might be a possible mentor, consider following up with them  after your initial interaction to request an informational interview – i.e., a 30-minute chat during which you can learn more about their work, and solicit advice. 

Here’s an example of how you could edit the thank-you email above to include an informational interview request:

Subject: Follow-up from our conversation on arc reactors at Supersuit Engineering Symposium

Dear Dr. Stark,

It was great meeting you at the Supersuit Engineering symposium yesterday. I really enjoyed our conversation about techno-organic restructuring machines, and appreciated your advice to consider an internship in arc reactors. As I mentioned, I’m particularly interested in digital memory backup, and was excited to learn that you think this is a growing field.

I’d love to talk more via Zoom about digital memory backup, and [edit this part to suit your intentions, e.g.: “learn more about your transition to industry research” or “discuss possible collaborations”]. Would you have 30 minutes in the next week to discuss further? Thank you and have a wonderful day! 

Warmly,

Miles

Sometimes, the best networking contacts you make at an event might be people at the same stage as you – fellow grad students or postdocs. Offering to support others – or simply letting them know you enjoyed meeting them – is a great way to follow up. Here’s an example of an email you could send to a fellow grad student:

Subject:  Follow-up from our conversation on digital memory backup at Supersuit Engineering Symposium

Dear Shuri,

Wonderful to meet you at the Supersuit Engineering symposium yesterday! I’m always excited to meet someone as interested in digital memory backup as I am, and I also really enjoyed hearing about your work with Black Excellence in STEM. 

You mentioned that BE-STEM is planning some events in the fall for new students. SACNAS is doing the same – let’s stay in touch in case there are opportunities to cross-promote. Also, let me know if you decide to attend the Philadelphia Digital Memory conference, it would be great to meet up there!

Warmly,

Miles