I was listening to a podcast with Tina Seelig, Stanford neuroscientist and author of What I Wish I Knew About Luck.

She shared a story about a young man who had watched her TED Talk on luck. He reached out and asked if she’d be willing to have a five-minute call. He was considering becoming a “Luck Coach” and wanted to ask a couple of questions.

She said yes. Who doesn’t have five minutes, right?

They had the call. Short. Focused. Done.

Afterward, he followed up, as you would expect, with a thank-you note.

But what he did next … that’s the part that caught my attention.

A few days later, he followed up again. This time with a list of ways he thought he might be able to support her work.

Simple. Thoughtful. Unexpected. And honestly? A total career gamechanger.

🪄 Your Career Gamechanger: Communication Magic

This got me thinking … what if more people approached their career conversations like this?

I got curious and pulled some rough data:

• 20–35% of job seekers actually reach out for career conversations (65-80% DO NOT)
• 30–50% send a thank-you afterward (50-70% DO NOT)
• 5–15% follow up again with something thoughtful or valuable (85-95% DO NOT)

Or said differently:

Out of 100 professionals:

• 20–35 reach out
• 10–18 send a thank-you
• 2–5 follow up in a meaningful way

While the percentages were not great overall, it is that last group that I feel can be a magical gamechanger.

Reaching out for that first call was uncommon.

Following up with a thank you after a call was a higher percentage but still not great.

Then you have the second follow up, the magical game changer, and you can see by the numbers that when you do this you put yourself in the rare category.

And my guess, those who do follow up after a thank you note are the ones who get:

• remembered
• referred
• helped
• and pulled into opportunities

And Guess What Else? After that second follow-up by the young man who provided ideas on how he could help Dr. Seelig, she did something she had never done before … she hired him as a research assistant.

That’s not luck.
That’s communication magic.

🪄 What Are the Ingredients of This Communication Magic?

Step 1: The Reach Out
He made the ask. Short, specific, and easy to say yes to.
(“Do you have 5 minutes?” works a lot better (and feels less icky) than “Can I pick your brain?”)

Step 2: The Thank You
He followed up and acknowledged that her time was valuable and he knew it.
And this part matters more than people think. Once someone has heard your voice over the phone or met you virtually or in person you have now become real. The “see” you in their heads when you send them future messages and that deepens the relationship.

Step 3: The Magical Gamechanger 🪄
He followed up again with something he thought she would find helpful. He did not ask anything more from her. He just added value.

For you this might look like:

• An article related to your conversation
• A quick insight about something happening in their company
• A thoughtful summary of what you took away
• A referral or connection to someone
• Or even 3–5 ways you could contribute to their team or work

That’s the magic. The shift from “Thanks for your time” to “Here’s something helpful I thought you might like.”

🪄 This Week Try This: Do Something Magical for Your Career

• Reach out to one person for a short, focused conversation
• Send a thank-you to someone you spoke with recently (because it is never too late to say thanks)
• And if you want the real edge … follow up again with a few insights, ideas, or a short summary of what stuck with you

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just the act makes a huge difference and sets you apart.

You saw the numbers. So play them. Give yourself the advantage.