There are many good reasons to keep in touch with former colleagues. From a professional standpoint, your network is the entry point to the hidden job market. If you’re looking to change careers, colleagues who know you in one field may be more willing to trust you (and take a chance on you) in your new target field. Even if you’re not looking for a new job or career pivot, keeping up with colleagues gives you market intelligence on what is happening in different companies, industries and geographies – and keeps your expertise and perspective from becoming too insular. From a personal standpoint, friendships keep you healthy.
Sure, it takes effort to connect with former colleagues whom you don’t see on a regular basis, but it doesn’t have to be hard or take much time. With the various social media platforms, you have different options to try if you don’t have their current email. LinkedIn is the social media of choice for professional interactions, so if you’re mainly trying to reconnect for professional reasons, start with LinkedIn or their direct email, before using the more personal platforms like Facebook. Don’t forget to update your own LinkedIn profile so that connections who need to jog their memory about who you are see the latest information!
The most important protocol to follow is to focus on building a genuine relationship first, well before you ask for anything. Don’t be that annoying networker who only gets in touch when they need something. Make your initial outreach about catching up in general, with no mention of your job search or asking for help. Here are five ways to get started with sample emails:
5 Ways To Reconnect With Former Colleagues
If you’re not already connected via LinkedIn, send an invite with a personalized note. If you are connected, see if your former colleague has recently posted something that you can mention as a prompt for getting back in touch. For example, if they mention a new job, you can message them congratulations:
Hi Jane, I saw your post about joining Company Spectacular — congrats on the new role! Can you believe it’s been five years since we worked at Company Previous? I’m currently training for a 10k [or catching up on Yellowstone or INSERT something fun and not job-related]. How are you?
A personalized LinkedIn invite can be similar:
Hi Jane, I can’t believe we’re not already connected since working together at Company Previous. Let’s connect here and catch up soon.
If it’s been many years and you’re not sure your former colleague will remember you, you can still start with LinkedIn. Your profile may be enough to remind your former colleague how you know each other. If you reach out by email, make sure you lead with your shared affinity so that your former colleague reads the email even if they don’t recognize your address. Put your LinkedIn profile URL in your email signature so that they can easily get more information about you. You can even use your shared affinity as the prompt for reconnecting. For example:
SUBJECT: Catching up after Company Previous
Hi Jane, we worked together at Company Previous – I was there from 2002-2005. I recently saw this article about them (got their annual report, saw their new ad campaign or INSERT some news) and thought about our time together. It’s been too long. I’m currently [INSERT something fun and not job-related]. How are you?
If you’d rather not think of a prompt, let the calendar do the work for you. The winter holidays and new year are the most obvious holidays. But asking about summer vacation plans or checking in during the kick-off to the school year for colleagues with kids can also work.
SUBJECT: Happy Spring from your cubicle neighbor at Company Previous
Hi Jane, I have included my contacts in my spring cleaning this year, since I haven’t been great about staying in touch. Can you believe it’s been five years since we worked at Company Previous? I’m currently [INSERT something fun and not job-related]. How are you?
As you reach out to more colleagues, it will make subsequent reconnections easier because you can build off your other networking. Mention others you know in common as the prompt for reconnecting.
SUBJECT: Company Previous mini-reunion
Hi Jane, I recently reconnected with Jim and Kate, and it occurred to me that you and I haven’t caught up in a while. Are you still in touch with anyone from Company Previous? It feels like a mini-reunion! I’m currently [INSERT something fun and not job-related]. How are you?
If the above four ideas still seem like too much work, you don’t need any prompt at all. I include the prompts because “What reason do I give for getting back in touch?” is one of the most frequent networking questions I hear. You don’t really need a reason because this initial reconnection is just about restarting the relationship.
SUBJECT: Hello from Company Previous
Hi Jane, we worked together at Company Previous — I was there from 2002-2005. It occurred to me that we haven’t caught up in a while. I’m currently [INSERT something fun and not job-related]. How are you?
Make It Easy For The Other Person
All of the emails above are short (easy to read), friendly (easy to digest), and include all the relevant information (easy to respond). Include how you know each other so that the person doesn’t have to think too hard about how they know you. Include your LinkedIn profile URL so they can easily get more information as needed. Keep your message concise to encourage a back-and-forth and build from there.