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Mary Ann  writes:  
I was wondering how one would go about composing a letter to someone they already met but forgot to give their business card to.

I typed up a letter and simply stated that we met at such and such meeting, and that I was interested in adding him to my network. I stated that I am a job skills instructor and that I teach my students to network and I try to follow my own advice. I included my business card. We work for the same department and have mailboxes in the same area, but I don’t have his contact information so I gave him mine and asked him if he would be willing to share his with me.

I just wanted to know if this was the right way of going about this.

And it’s a great lesson to your students – and now to my readers. So, even if you forget to exchange business cards at any kind of networking or organizational event, it’s never too late to follow-up with the people you want to add to your network.

Simply do as you did… a short letter or email reminding the person where you met, asking permission to add the person to your network, and including your key contact information.

You might follow-up your letter – after you receive the person’s (hopefully) positive response – with more detail or with an offer for coffee.

What if you don’t have business cards? Create your own networking cards. Almost any print shop offers deals on cards (and you can even print them from a computer with special paper).

Networking cards are the same size and shape of business cards (3-1/2” wide and 2” high), contain key contact information like business cards, but instead of listing a company and job title, a networking card focuses on your job objective or unique selling proposition. Be sure to include all your pertinent contact information, including your name, phone number, email address, postal mail address; and Web site address, cell phone or fax numbers (if you have them).

Keep your business or networking cards clean and crisp and bring them EVERYWHERE you go -- to networking events (obviously), career and job fairs, professional meetings, social gatherings, parties, weddings, and anywhere else you may run into potential contacts…everywhere.

See a sample networking contact letter.

Read this article published on Quintessential Careers: Networking Business Cards: An Essential Job-Search Tool for Career Changers and College Students When A Resume Just Won't Do.

The key for you is your last line. Assuming you really did leave on good terms, tearful goodbyes and such, then it is at least worth putting some feelers about your interest in returning to the company. It might also matter whether you left to go to a competitor or not.

Keep in mind that there may already be a person in your old position… and even if there is not, the employer may not feel comfortable just giving you your old job back.

And while there may be good feelings about you, you are still going to have to sell yourself all over again – and not so much on what you can offer the company (because they know this) but more so that you plan to stay a while.

So, assuming you kept in touch with people from your old firm, now is the time to perhaps meet for a meal and float the idea and see the response you get. If it seems positive, then more aggressively pursue it.

Now, I am not saying that each letter has to be completely original. I think there can be plenty of overlap – the paragraph about fit with the organization can be the same in each letter – but for any thank-you letter to be most effective, you need to show you made a connection with the interviewer.

So, with a thank-you to a panel of interviewers, you need to take note of something each one said and use that information to personalize the thank-you letters.

And send those thank-you letters right away. I am dealing with a friend who was raised in South America and just does not seem to get the urgency of sending thank-you notes promptly – nor the nuance that the thank-you letter is another marketing opportunity… another chance to sell yourself. The rule of thumb is to send the thank-you letter within 24 hours of the interview.

Read more in this article published on Quintessential Careers: FAQs About Thank You Letters.

Being too bored sounds very similar to being over-qualified… and it might have been his hint to you that the position is below you, but it also may be that you did not do as well a job as you had hoped on selling him on what you could do for his group.

So, besides the usual information in a thank-you note, you should include a paragraph that specifically deals with the issue – in your case the comment about being bored.

After our interview, I'm convinced that I have all the ingredients you're looking for in your group manager. I know you expressed some concern in our meeting that I would be too bored in this position. I want to stress, however, that I am the perfect candidate for this position – with the right mix of skills and experience to make an immediate and lasting impact on the group and the organization.

Check out all the sample letters we have in this section of Quintessential Careers: Sample Job Interview and Career Thank-You Letters.

Dr. Randall S. Hansen is currently Webmaster of Quintessential Careers.

Dr. Hansen is an associate professor of marketing at the School of Business Administration, Stetson University. He has been a published career expert for the last 10 years and an employer and consultant with hiring/firing decisions for the past 15 years.

Through his experience as a professor of marketing, Dr. Hansen uses proven marketing techniques and applies them to job-hunting. He is currently working on such a book. Some of his work can be seen at his personal Web site.

He and Katharine Hansen co-wrote the very successful job-hunting book, Dynamic Cover Letters, published by Ten Speed Press. You can order copies from Barnes and Noble of this cover letter bible. He is also author of several career-related magazine and journal articles.

Finally, Dr. Hansen has been an employer and has firsthand experience in the hiring process. He also stays active in the field by reading magazine and journal articles and by talking with employers on a regular basis.