[Ed. Note] This article features advice from various analysts working at Accenture. Please note that this article’s opinions and advice are not necessarily reflective of Accenture’s or Accenture Recruiting’s formal views.

Well, you’ve done it! You went to countless info session and career fairs, sent out the right LinkedIn invites and connected over coffee chats. You’ve finally landed that dream internship! But now what to do with all of the contacts you’ve picked up along the way?

Many of the connections you’ve made over the past few weeks are great people to stay in touch with as you grow your career. These are people that have been there and done that. They’ve excelled in areas you’re interested in, so don’t toss out those business cards yet!

Your network is one of the most valuable things you’ll build up over the years, but how do you keep your network from getting cold?

One of my biggest gripes with the word ‘networking’ is that it makes you sound insincere. Many people, after all, treat networking as a way to get something from someone. A ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ type of deal.

In reality, networking is about building relationships. It’s not about doing someone a favor so you can get one back. Rather, networking is about getting to know new people, learning about their interests, and sharing your own.

And of course, it’s not only about how you’re building relations, but also who you’re talking with! Most students often aim to network with the “big guys”, in other words, the managing directors, principals, etc. But keep in mind that your network doesn’t always have to be looking up. The interns of today could be the CEOs of tomorrow, so pay attention to those greeters, new joiners — even your very own peers!

Picture this. You’ve signed, sealed & delivered that dream offer and now you’re having a bit of commitment remorse. Through recruiting, you’ve met some brilliant people at other firms that you truly want to stay in touch with. You’ve already met them once, but how do you go from a one-time encounter into a meaningful professional relationship?

For each of the contacts that you’ve met or have helped you in some way through the recruiting process, be sure to follow up with your decision! Let your accumulated contacts know what you’re up to in the near future, thank them for their help and offer to stay in touch in some way.

Many candidates often drop off with a single email, but LinkedIn can be a great way to passively stay up-to-date. For the people you’ve talked to that you truly want to stay in contact with, feel free to send out a LinkedIn invite. But keep in mind that many of these people will have met dozens of students over recruiting — be sure to accompany your email or invite with a quick note reminding them of who you are and why you want to stay in touch.

So you’re friends on LinkedIn. Great! Just don’t let your follow-up be your last touchpoint. Relationships are not built over night and it definitely takes more than one interaction to build a strong relationship.

So stay in touch. With LinkedIn, you can easily stay up-to-date with their achievements. Don’t just watch — engage! Offer a congratulations when necessary, or even share a favorite book or article that’s relevant to their work. Chances are, some of your interests might overlap. So engage when they do and ask questions when they don’t. The closer you can get to having a genuine conversation, the closer you’ll be to growing your relationship.

Once you’ve built rapport, don’t be afraid to ask to meet up in-person! Whether it’s a chat over coffee or drinks after work, in-person meetups are the best way to talk genuinely to the people you truly want to get to better. Of course, if there’s a huge range in geography, feel free to set up a phone call! Either way, make the effort to push your professional relationship from the digital sphere into the real world.

These face-to-face interactions are your opportunity to learn more deeply about their passions and areas of interest, as well as share about your own accomplishments and projects. After all, you can learn more from a single conversation than you would ever read through an email or social media post.

Once you’ve finished up your first coffee chat, don’t be afraid to ask for more! For professionals, frequency of meetings can vary, but on average, once a quarter or once every 2 months is a good standard of measure for following up with your contact.

Networking is important. It starts with making connections and continues with creating relationships that are two-way streets. The relationships you build can not only help you pursue your interests, but also allow you to be the one opening doors for others!

For further reading on tips to grow your professional network, be sure to check out:

· How to Network Without Feeling Sleazy, Victor Cheng (author of Look Over My Shoulder)

· Your Network is your Net Worth, Porter Gale (American marketing expert & keynote speaker at Accenture International Women’s Day!)

Special thanks to Felix Huang, Lincoln Lam, Garrett Oliveira, Andy Tran, and Lucy Yin for contributing to this article.