Nowadays more companies are making it "against the rules" for employees or HR to give out references including anything more than job title and dates of employment. Therefore, it is more essential now than ever before, to maintain relationships when moving from job to job. If you don’t stay in touch with friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and clients your request to reconnect with them after the relationship has been dormant may be met with suspicion. If you only reach out to your network when you need a favor, your network will dry up very quickly.
Find ways to remain involved in the lives of your acquaintances, colleagues, and clients and plan to give more than you get. Create natural touch points for staying connected. Send articles that you think might be of interest to your network or create a personalized e-card to recognize someone’s birthday. Invite people for coffee and attend events at professional associations.