Sooner or later, every job search becomes mostly follow-up. It gets to a point where it's poor marketing to continue to initiate new contacts, because you spread yourself too thin. It's better to hammer two or three opportunities to conclusion than to begin in a dozen new directions. Aggressive follow-up often ends a job-hunt quickly, and there are literally hundreds of creative ways to follow up without pestering.

For example: clip pertinent magazine or journal articles and send them to your friends and prospects as a subtle reminder that you're still around. You need not mention your job situation. Attach a note that says, in effect, "Just thinking of you." Or "Thought this might help."

It's important to pick the right article for the audience. Don't send a technical scientific publication full of equations to general managers; and don't send The Art of Leadership to Ph.D. research scientists (unless the scientists are also managers).

Following up means not letting things slip through the cracks. A letter that arrives the day after an important event says, "I really care. This is important to me." I'm amazed that job hunters can wait days, sometimes weeks, to send important follow-up letters.

A letter that arrives late says either, "I don't care very much," or, "I'm slow." If that's the case, it might be better not to write at all.