Job Search Desirability Strategy: When and How to Invest Your Time.

It’s important to get the balance right. Courteous, appropriate follow up after the interview can help increase the employer’s commitment to you, but you need to leave it in their court to respond. The person who continues to call and text and call and text after a date is a pest. No one wants to hire and work with a pest.

During the hiring process, what you do and when you do it matters.
You wait anxiously. Obsessively look at your phone waiting in anticipation that the person you met will call you. There was definitely interest, you said all the right things, you gave off the right vibe, and there was an attraction. Almost a week has gone by and you’ve heard nothing. Finally, late Friday you receive an email,” We’re sorry, but we’ve decided to go in a different direction.” It feels like you’ve been dumped.”

You second-guess yourself. Was there an attraction? Maybe things didn’t go as great as you thought. You thought you made it clear you were interested. Maybe you were too much too soon or maybe not enough?

To be successful at dating and searching for a job you need to be in sync with the potential partner; knowing when and how to invest your time to get the commitment you want. Giving all you’ve got when the person isn’t ready to make any commitment or backing off just when s/he is at the height of engagement can destroy the relationship. In your job search, what to do and when to do it I call the desirability strategy.

As with dating, in a job search there are investments and commitments. Job search investments are financial (such as the expense of flying candidates in for interviews) and temporal (such as how much time spent interviewing candidates) while commitments are emotional (preferring one candidate over another). During the hiring process, there are times when an employer is fully invested in the process but not ready to make a commitment, and times when the commitment is high and there's no more investment needed at that time. Your job search efforts need to work in synergy with the employer’s hiring process. What does this mean?
 
The employer is just starting the hiring process. Low Commitment/Low Investment.
Hanging out on campus, you spy someone, your eyes lock there’s an initial attraction. Your friends may know their name, the dorm they live in and perhaps some of their friends. You manage an introduction. It’s the same with job searching. There needs to be an initial mutual attraction. You are attracted to the employer’s reputation, product/service, and send off your resumé and cover letter in hopes, a) it will make it through the employer’s applicant tracking software (the match.com of job searching,) and b) that an actual person will read your resumé land find the initial attraction. Someone does and is attracted to your education and experience, but attraction is not commitment and the employer’s investment in the process is still low.

Attraction is also not a guarantee you will get an introduction, so you need to manage your expectations. However, there are things you can do to get the employer to invest in you as a candidate. For example, just as you found a friend to introduce you to the person you saw on campus, find someone who can make an introduction for you. Doing too much more when the employer hasn’t commitment time and resources to the process will likely go unnoticed.

The employer is interviewing select candidates: Low Commitment/High Investment
Now that you’ve had an introduction, determined there’s a mutual attraction it’s time to see if you have chemistry. Think about it—the anticipation of the first date, nerves, excitement; emotions you also get prior to an interview. During a date, you normally know quickly whether there’s chemistry and if the relationship has potential. It’s exactly the same during an interview. You need chemistry with your potential employer, so it’s important to find where there is common ground. You meet, talk and question to learn if there is more than just an attraction, is there’s a fit.

So the first date has gone amazingly well. You want to make sure they feel the same way you do and perhaps persuade them to make more of a commitment to you over the other people they are dating. Think of employers in the same way. Here are ways you can put yourself ahead of the competition.

• Before you leave the interview, know the employer’s interviewing process and timeframe. This helps you time your follow-up efforts.
• Send a separate and different post-interview email to everyone you spoke with highlighting the value you bring to the position and company and send it out within 24 hours.
• Ask to connect with the interviewer(s) on LinkedIn e.g. “Enjoyed our meeting, regardless of the outcome it would be great to stay connected.”
• Do you have a mutual acquaintance? Ask the person to send an email/make a phone call on your behalf to reiterate your value.
• If you haven’t heard back within the time frame they’ve provided, it’s appropriate to send an email to your primary contact e.g. human resources or hiring manager. Your email needs to be concise and friendly. Don’t necessarily remind them that they haven’t gotten back to you, but rather use the time frame provided as the reason for your follow up. Something along the lines of: “You mentioned in the interview, you were planning to make a second-round decision by the end of the month. I’m just checking in to see where you are in that process.”

The employer has narrowed down the candidate field: High commitment/High Investment
You’ve had a second and then third date. You’ve met mom and dad. Both of you are investing a lot to keep the relationship moving forward. Are you ready to date exclusively? Are you ready to marry? Your job search moves in the same direction.

An employer doesn’t commit after the first or second interview nor should you. If there’s an interest, the employer will continue to invest in you as a top candidate. The more interviews you have and the more people you meet in the company, the greater the commitment is to you. Some steps you can take when the employer is fully invested in the hiring process and high on 1-2 candidates.

• Make sure all your questions are asked and answered. Because you have established a relationship with the hiring manager, It is appropriate to call him/her with lingering questions.
• Put together and send a 90-day plan—here’s what you’re going to do as soon as you start to learn the company and job.
• Find more ways to keep yourself top-of-mind with the hiring decision-maker. For example, send a link to an article you think s/he will find interesting based on what you learned during the interviewing process. This shows you're keeping the job opportunity top-of-mind. It’s as simple as: “…I recently read this article about (relevant subject) and thought you would find it interesting as well.”
• Have your references ready to talk about your strengths and character.

The employer has selected the candidate: High Commitment/Low Investment
You’re at the point in the relationship where everyone’s needs are being met, there’s high relationship satisfaction, and commitment to only one—you.