Developing a professional network is vital for your career prospects. This rings true in nearly all industries, and the world of healthcare is no exception. Maintaining this list of professional contacts is one of the many reasons to stay connected with your old bosses and other managers.

You never know when it comes time to look for a new position, and being able to call on a robust professional network definitely helps during a job search. Here are some additional ideas for keeping in contact with a former manager.

Ways to keep Connected with a Former Superior

Thankfully, social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook make staying in contact with former bosses and coworkers a breeze. Try to focus your online professional networking efforts on LinkedIn, as it is the website’s main purpose. Remember, Facebook makes it too easy to share content better kept between personal friends instead of professional contacts.

Make it a point to stay up to date with your former bosses’ current online contact information — most importantly their email address. If you are announcing your availability for work, send personal emails to your contact list instead of a group email. Any extra effort spent in this fashion will probably result in more people willing to help you out.

If you keep home addresses for your old managers, consider sending Holiday and birthday cards for a nice personal touch. You can also send these cards to your former medical office or hospital provided they still work there. Once again, concentrate on the professional side of networking, but staying in touch outside of your work life can also help your future job prospects.

Getting a Great Reference might make all the Difference

In addition to finding out about a new job opening, former bosses are arguably the most important references you can use when applying for a medical position. They’ve worked with you closely and understand your strengths as well as the positive differences you can make for an employer. Be sure to contact the former boss in question before using them as a reference to ensure they are okay with it.

Whenever you need advice on any part of the job search process in the healthcare industry, talk to the experts at Pinnacle Workforce. As one of the top medical staffing agencies in the country, we can help take your career to the next level. Connect with us at your earliest convenience.