Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

The Art of Following Up

This blog post was written by Peer Career Ambassador, Pranjal Joshi ‘19.

Hopefully, some of you had the opportunity to visit our Spring Career Fair and meet Babson alumni and other recruiters! Although this is an essential first step, we encourage you to keep in touch with those you met to further develop your professional network. The first step to doing so is sending a follow-up email. Keep reading below to learn more about how you can send an ideal follow-up!

First, you have to define your objective as to why you are sending a follow-up email. There are four primary objectives:

Ask for information

Example: You met with Company Z at the Career Fair and talked about a position you have already applied to. The recruiter asks you to send an email with your resume. Your follow-up email would fall in this area because you would be asking for a status update on your application.

Request a Meeting

Example: The recruiter at Company Z works near Wellesley and you want to learn more about training programs for entry-level positions. You can send a follow-up email requesting a call or an informational interview.

Say Thank You

Example: Imagine you got that internship or job at Company Z. You would want to send a thank you email to the recruiter that answered your questions and gave you advice at the Career Fair.

Catch-up

When you haven’t spoken to a particular contact in a while, you heard exciting news about their career, or you want to share a milestone that you have achieved, you can send a follow-up email.

Example: You spoke to Company Z recruiter about a shared hobby. You could send an interesting article related to that hobby to the recruiter.

Second, create an appropriate and concise subject line that’s intriguing enough to get the attention of the receiver. It could be about a particular topic you talked about.

Example: “Great talking with you about (topic).”

Third, include specific content and clearly state the objective of the email. Make sure to include how you met, where you met and what you talked about. Ask questions on internships, full-time position, connections, and applications.

Fourth, make sure to end the email with professional closing phrases.

  • Please contact me again if you need further information.
  • Thank you for your time.
  • Let me know if you need anything else.
  • See you in (location) or Talk to you on (time).
  • Take care.
  • Sincerely,/Best regards,

 Finally, send the email in an appropriate time frame.

Final Reminders:

  • Make sure to double check the email for spelling and grammar errors.
  • Ensure your message is clear and action-oriented.
  • Attach any documents if needed such as resumes or cover letter if they asked you to do so.

By following the aforementioned steps, you will send the perfect follow up email!