One of the concerns I hear frequently from serious job seekers is: What are hiring managers thinking about me? I thought I did well in my interview, but what is my potential next boss thinking about me after I leave?

The nerve-wracking part of your job campaign revolves around wondering what happened as a result of the interview. The nail-biting pressure can get intense if you're under pressure to find a job.

I asked that question of some typical hiring managers. What do they think about after an interview. You'll be surprised to learn that the biggest complaint coming from hiring managers is that candidates fail to follow up! In other words while you're obsessing about what an employer is thinking about you, he/she is wondering why they never heard from you again!

Here's the unbreakable rule of job search success: FOLLOW UP!

First, you want the opportunity to confirm the key points and benefits you brought to the table during the interview. Remember, the managers you're talking to have other business on their plates besides sitting around and wondering about you. If you fail to bring your credentials to their attention one more time, you just lost!

So, send a professional follow-up letter. In it you restate the solutions you bring to the table that address issues that were brought up in the interview. You want to recap your credentials that support your responses. The tone of your letter should be frank but friendly rather than stiff and formal. Be sure to allude to some personal exchange that occurred between you.

Secondly, professional follow through will be interpreted as a sign of how you work. The expectation within management is that you will follow up. You want to send the message that says you're a serious candidate as well as to reinforce your commitment to make a difference in some very specific ways (which you then list).

That means you follow up your letter with a phone call. Don't be put off if your contact can not speak to you at the moment. Ask when it would be convenient to call back. Suggest after hours as a possibility. Or early in the morning before the start of the business day.

Over the years I have heard from countless managers just how many opportunities were lost because they forgot about a candidate in the midst of other more pressing needs. And since the candidate never took the initiative to get back in touch . . . well, out of sight, out of mind.

Being in tune with hiring manager's thinking and needs is extremely important in a sensible job search plan. In fact, a careful, step-by-step plan should be the starting point of any intelligent job search--not the resume. With a proven plan can get up to speed in a matter of hours. And it can have you talking face-to-face with your next boss in a matter of days!