A Recipe for Crafting an Effective Holiday Networking Email

by Lindsey Friessnig

My friends and family will tell you I am no Ina Garten, but if you look through the screenshots of my phone there are countless recipes that I have collected over the years. So while I am typically the designated taste tester, I have adapted the organized nature of recipes as a way to approach writing a professional holiday networking email.

Before diving into the ingredients and directions (bear with me), first let’s cover why sending a brief, thoughtful email to your weak ties, family friends, former colleagues, and new connections is a win-win.

1. A personalized email greeting is an easy way to reach out to the professionals or alumni that you have spoken with this year. The primary goal of sending a networking email over the holiday’s is to simply demonstrate that you are genuinely interested in staying connected with this individual.
2. Consider this email update as a trojan horse for notifying your network about your future job search. This is important as students ramp up for just in time hiring in Spring, because according to the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), employee referrals continue to be employers’ top source of hires, delivering more than 30% of all hires overall in 2016.

Here is an example:

Below, are all of the elements you need to construct a genuine and effective networking email:

Ingredients. What you will need to include in your email:

1. Compile a list of contacts you plan to reach out to because it is important to personally address each email.
2. Create a specific and concise subject line. According to researchers from Carnegie Mellon, effective email subject lines are those that appeal to one of two things: utility or curiosity.
3. Start writing and begin your email with a warm, inclusive holiday greeting.
4. For acquittances, like alumni or weak ties, remind the the professional of when you last met or spoke with them.
5. Write a brief update since the last time you connected with the respective connection and what is ahead; for example, graduating with your masters degree in June or linking information about a recent project you have completed.
6. Finally, close the email with well wishes and your name.

Optional: Consider adding a festive image or if you are comfortable, a photo you have taken recently of family, friends, or even your pet!

Directions. Putting it all together:

1. Combine ingredients 1–4; adding the 5th is purely optional
2. Proofread and consider sending your email on a Tuesday between 8-Noon for a prime spot in your network’s inbox.
3. Voila! You’ve sent your holiday networking email! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the correspondence to follow.