Stand out by staying in the hiring manager's inbox

Getting an interview is harder than it's been in years, yet most candidates who get one fail to do something simple that the savviest candidates always do:

They stay in the hiring manager's inbox.

They know that we're all now "businesses of one," in which we're offering our skills and services to customers (employers) in exchange for money.

Savvy job seekers know that we're all now "businesses of one," in which we're offering our skills and services to customers (employers) in exchange for money.

And every business needs to do smart marketing.

Smart marketers know that potential customers need to see something frequently—7 times is the most commonly cited number—before they take any action at all.

Yet most job candidates don't even send a thank you note after an interview.

Here's how to stay in the inbox and get ahead of 99% of other job candidates:

1. Always, always, always send a thank you email no later than 24 hours after a job interview. Keep it short and highlight something unique about the interview so it doesn't seem like you just copy-pasta'd a template. End with "Where should we go from here?"
2. Email something valuable to the customer/employer 48 hours after the thank you email, regardless of whether you've heard from them or not. Make sure it's 100% for them—a challenge they're facing, an article about one of their competitors, a comment you noticed a customer left in a review—and not a "just checking in" email (those are all about you, not them). End with "What's the next step in our conversations?"
3. Send a 3rd email 48 hours after the 2nd highlighting a challenge they're facing—ideally one discussed in the interview—paired with an example of how you've solved it in the past E.g. "I remember you mentioned you're having a hard time growing your social following—that's not easy, but I managed to figure that out for company XYZ and I know I can do it for you. Where should we go from here?" <- Use that exact closing line; it keeps a good balance of power and ensures you don't come across as desperate.
4. At this point, if you haven't heard from them, reduce your frequency to 1x per week, but continue to send short notes that focus on something valuable to them, while asking "Where should we go from here?"
5. If you haven't heard from them after the 7th email, then send a break-up note saying "I've tried to reach you a few times but haven't heard back, so I assume the timing isn't right. All the best in your search!" Remember, your time is valuable too, and if someone hasn't responded to you after you've sent 7 value-focused follow-ups, they're not worth your time.

Some may say that a candidate shouldn't have to go to this much trouble to move the process forward.

But remember, you're a business selling a service to a customer who has more options than ever, and that means you need to be a savvy marketer and stay in front of that customer frequently.

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