Follow-Up Is a Life Skill: What Recruitment Teaches Us About Real Relationships

A recent conversation at our Virtual Growth Summit stuck with me.

It wasn’t groundbreaking or controversial.

Honestly, it was something I’ve believed for a long time.

And hearing it again showed me that students still ask the same question.

“What’s the ROI of joining a fraternity or sorority?”

And they’re not necessarily talking financially.

They’re wondering…Personally. Professionally.

→ How will this shape me? 

→ How will this prepare me? 

→ How will this help me after graduation? 

And honestly?  All fair questions.

When we answer these questions, we’re often point out the obvious. Leadership positions, Exec board experience. Event planning. Budget Management. Alumni networking.  The kinds of experience that look great on a resume. 

And, while all of those things absolutely matter. I think we’re overlooking something even more valuable. The skills students are building every single day while they’re having those experiences.

Because the real value isn’t just the titles you held or the committees you chaired.

It’s the person you become along the way.

Here’s what I mean. Let’s use follow-up as an example.

It’s recruitment season. Chapters are thinking about names lists, text messages, coffee dates, conversations that need another touchpoint, and more. It’s easy to think of follow-up as just another recruitment tactic. Another box to check. Another thing you have to remember to do.

But, I don’t think follow-up is just a recruitment skill. I think recruitment simply gives us the opportunity to practice one of the most transferable skills we’ll ever develop.

Think about almost any profession.

A salesperson follows up with a client after a meeting because relationships close deals, not presentations. (People join people, right?) 

A teacher follows up with a parent after a difficult conversation because trust grows through consistent and meaningful communication.

A doctor calls with test results instead of letting their patient just assume “no news is good news” because people deserve to know someone is looking out for them.

 An engineer circles back after presenting a solution because great ideas become reality when people understand and trust them.

A nonprofit leader follows up with donors. A coach follows up with athletes. A manager follows up with a new employee. A friend follows up after someone shares they’re struggling.

The careers may look different. But the skill isn’t.

Follow-up says something.

→ It says, “I remembered.”

→ It says, “You mattered enough for me to reach back out.”

→ It says, “This relationship wasn’t transactional.”

And that’s exactly what recruitment and our follow-up during recruitment should communicate.

→ Not, “Did you decide yet?” 

→ But, “I really enjoyed getting to know you.”

→ Not, “We need you to sign up for our next event.”

→ But, “I wanted to see how your chemistry exam went.”

And it’s not just because it’s strategic. It’s because it’s human.

And, here’s what I think is ironic…

Students often tell us they want skills they can put on a resume. Communication. Leadership. People Management. 

But those skills aren’t built because you attended a leadership workshop or held an officer position. They’re built through hundreds of small moments.

Sending one more text. Making one more phone call. Remembering someone’s hometown.

Checking in after a tough week. Following through after saying, “Let’s grab coffee this weekend. How’s Saturday sound?” That’s where this skill is developed.

And the best part (to me…) is that it’s not in the title, not in the position, not in the officer retreat. It’s in the daily practice of showing people they matter.

From what I’ve seen, students who learn to build relationships well during recruitment (and beyond) often become incredible professionals. Not because they learned how to convince people to join. Because they learned how to stay connected to the people they met along the way.

The best chapter members often become the coworkers everyone wants on their team. They become the managers people trust, the friends who always remember to check in, the neighbors who show up.

And when I think about that conversation at Virtual Growth Summit when someone brought up ROI… to me, THIS is the return on investment.  It’s growing into someone people know they can count on.

So, when we think about ROI and what someone gets out of this lifelong experience, let’s think a little bigger. 

Encourage your members not to just practice follow-up because it’s required for recruitment.

Practice it because their future career will. Their future team will.

The world doesn’t need more people who know how to make a first impression. 

It needs more people who know how to make someone feel remembered after the first conversation is over.

So, let’s practice follow-up not just for recruitment, but for life. 

The real ROI is becoming someone others can trust, rely on, and remember.

Written by Colleen Blevins, Senior Director of Digital Products & Marketing