The Problem That's Costing Us Jobs
Picture this: You're actually good at networking events. You show up, have genuine conversations, exchange LinkedIn connections, go home feeling optimistic about the new people you've met.
Then you stare at your growing list of LinkedIn connections you "should" follow up with. Days pass. Connections go cold. Opportunities disappear.
This scenario probably feels familiar to a lot of people. If you have ADHD like me, it's especially brutal because of the executive function crash after social events. But honestly, most people struggle with consistent follow-up.
Here's what I realized: The problem isn't networking. It's the follow-up gap.
As an ADHD professional in 2025's brutal job market, I was great at meeting people. Terrible at following up. My follow-up rate was embarrassingly low. Every networking connection just... disappeared into the void.
The executive function crash after social events meant I'd get home exhausted. The social anxiety about reaching out made it worse. I'd sit there staring at LinkedIn, crafting and re-crafting messages for hours, then give up.
Meanwhile, other people were getting the meetings, interviews, and jobs. Not because they were better networkers, but because they actually followed up.
What I Built
I got tired of losing opportunities to a solvable workflow problem. So during my AI product management course, I built FollowUp Hero.
Here's how it works. You tell Claude: "Help me follow up with my recent LinkedIn connections."
[Demo video coming soon - showing the full workflow from connection extraction to message generation]
Browser MCP lets Claude navigate LinkedIn for you. Custom prompts I designed guide you through the process. Claude finds your recent connections, then asks you specific questions about each person: Where did you meet? What did you talk about? What stood out?
You're still doing all the thinking work. You're remembering the conversations, providing the context, deciding what matters. Claude just takes that information and helps you organize it into a message that actually sounds like you wrote it.
You review each message before it sends. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes for a week's worth of connections.
The key insight: You're being more authentic, not less. Instead of staring at a blank message box overthinking, you're systematically thinking through each relationship and what made it meaningful.
The World Where This Problem Is Solved
My follow-up rate went from basically 0% to actually following up consistently. Way more coffee meetings, interviews, and opportunities.
But here's what really matters: I'm not the only ADHD professional struggling with this. There are thousands of us in tech, losing jobs to a fixable workflow problem. We're good at our work, we're good at meeting people, but we struggle with the administrative follow-through that makes networking actually work.
FollowUp Hero changes that equation. Sarah doesn't have to choose between social exhaustion and career opportunities anymore. Neither do the rest of us.
This isn't about automating away human connection. It's about removing the tedious admin work so ADHD job seekers can focus on what we're actually good at: building genuine relationships.
What I Learned Building This
This started as my capstone project but became something bigger. I discovered I love building products that solve real workflow problems for real people.
The technical part was interesting (Browser MCP integration, prompt engineering), but the problem-first approach was what mattered. I built this for myself first, then realized other ADHD professionals had the exact same struggle.
A few important notes:
- Messages get reviewed before sending (you stay in control)
- This works because you're putting in real thought about each person
- Use responsibly and respect LinkedIn's terms
- It's alpha software, rough around the edges but functional
What's Next
FollowUp Hero is live and I'm using it every week. Other ADHD professionals in my network are testing it too.
The setup takes about 15 minutes if you're comfortable with Claude Code and Browser MCP, maybe 30-45 minutes if you're new to these tools. I'm happy to help with setup if you get stuck - just reach out.
The code's on GitLab with a setup guide. Fair warning: it's not polished, but it works.
The 2025 job market is brutal. But with the right tools, ADHD professionals don't have to lose opportunities to workflow problems anymore.
Built with ❤️ for people who struggle with consistent networking follow-up.
Header image by Marten Bjork on Unsplash
Content on this blog was created using human and AI-assisted workflows described here. Original ideas and editorial decisions by Justin Quaintance.