Contacts Template For Networking

Networkingis one of thekey factorsin thesuccess of most young professionals.

Whether it is gainingvaluable adviceor getting aleg up in the hiringprocess, networkingopens doorsandunlocks knowledgethat would otherwise be hard to find.

Best Way to Track Networking Contacts

As you meetcontacts in financeandbuild your network, you will need totrackandmonitoryourrelationshipswith these individuals.

It is importantnot to let a relationship die off, and it is also critical to remember certainkey components of conversationsof the past.

Attached at the end is afree networking templatethat helps you determine when you need to reach out to contacts and helps keep track of your databasebetter than LinkedIn.

Business Contact List Template Excel

The contact list in the template isbroken upinto "Senior Level", "Junior Level", "Coworkers", "In College", and "Family." It isimportant to differentiateyour contactlevels.

For one, it is ideal to keep yoursenior to junior level contactsaround50/50in order to maintain relations withexperienced and mature employeeswho may retire in the next 10-15 years and thosethat will grow with youin your career for the rest of your life.

There are two columns torecord both current and previous employers. This is because if at some point in the future you have aninterview for a particular company, it is beneficial to be able totrack down any contactsyou may have which would have aninsider's perspective to the company, or very well may be able to refer you to the people hiring.

You will notice in two of the columns, there is a differentiation between "Last contacted" and "Last in contact." The difference between the two is that "Last contacted" is thedate on which you wrote last, and "Last in contact" is thelast time they actually replied to you.

Following Up With Networking Contacts

The generalrule of thumbforfollowing up with contactsis to have at leastspoken to them in the last 6 months.

You can have itshorter or longer, there is no fixed time here. Keep in mind, however, that in our template, the months since the "Last contact" column willturn redwhen it ismore than 6 months.

We hope this helps set up a basic framework for each of your contact lists.

More Resources:

We hope these templates help you landthat dream IB job! Please check out the following additional resources to help you advance your career:

• Investment Banking Interview Questions
• Private Equity Resume Template
• Hedge Fund Resume Template
• Cold Email Template for Networking
• Investment Banking Cover Letter Template