I am very happy for these folks and others who have successfully landed new jobs. But I also worry for them. Why? Because there is a high risk that they might go “MIA” from a networking point of view. They will become so consumed in their new work reality that they will abandon their networking friends and activity.

Why is this? Why is it so common that working professionals only tap into their network when they are looking for jobs? Why do you never hear from them again once they’ve landed new jobs? Why do they choose to disappear and abandon the networking relationships that they worked so hard to build?

Short term view of networking. I believe this is because they view networking as an activity, rather than a strategy for life. They “do” networking only because they have an immediate need. In essence, they take a transactional approach to networking (i.e., “can you help me find a job?”). They are thinking immediate need, short term thinking. They do not consider the long term value of networking – that is building and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships before you need them.

We want to hear from you. The people in your network who you have worked so hard to build relationships with care about YOU. They want to continue to hear from you whether you have a job or you don’t have a job. You can continue to grow and maintain your mutually-beneficial relationship over the course of time, no matter what your current circumstance. That’s the best part of networking!

So how do you prevent the travesty of being classified as “missing in action” from your network? The answer is – You stay in touch (even after you’ve landed that new job and are consumed with learning the new ropes)

5 ways to remain relevant to your professional network after you’ve landed a new job

Here are five ways you can continue to network throughout your career and remain relevant, visible and valuable to the people in your professional network.

1. Announce your success and share your new contact details. You have good news to share with the people in your network. You also have many people to thank for helping you achieve this success, whether that was from leads and connections or the support they extended to you during your job search. Plan to send personal thank you cards, mail out your new business card and/or email them with your complete new contact details (including phone, email and mailing address). Update your Linkedin.com profile and leverage Linkedin’s functionality to broadcast your good news message to everyone in your contact list. Make this a priority before or shortly after you start your new job. It’s news that the people in your professional network will want to hear!
2. Make yourself easily “findable.” Whether you are changing companies or moving houses, you need to take take and communicate your new contact details. Otherwise you will become “lost” to people in your network. Don’t make them wonder where you are or work too hard to find out how they can contact you. Include your new contact details with every communication: email signatures, voice mail messages (don’t make they guess whose voice that is or where to call you back), business cards, social media, etc. Be sure to include a current photograph on your Linkedin.com profile so people can easily recognize you. Distribute your new business cards like “candy” – get your new contact details in the hands of everyone who is important to you.
3. Check in your social networking site of choice at least daily. Having a presence on one or more of the major social networking sites (Linkedin.com, Facebook or Twitter) is great but only if you actively use it regularly. You have to balance the need for time management and the value of staying in touch with your network. I recommend that you visit your major social networking site of choice at least once per day and that you provide an update at least once per week. This let’s people in your network know that you are alive and kicking.
4. Stay in regular touch with your 50 most important networking contacts. You may not be able to keep up the same level of networking with everyone you did before, but there some people that you’ll want to stay in more regular touch with. I call this group your Top 50 Contacts. You will want to maintain a higher level of frequency of communication with them. Watch this video on the Angelo’s 50-5-10-2 strategy: