When someone changes jobs, send the congrats and then add the notes nobody else sends, one month in and again at one year.
The idea
LinkedIn made congratulating someone on a new job a one-tap push notification, and that lowered what a congrats is worth. Everyone sends one. So don't stop there: move part of your message in time, with a note a month later and another at the one-year mark asking how the role is going.
How to do it
When you spot the news, note the start date.
Send your congratulations as usual.
Set a reminder for one month out. Ask how it's really going.
Set another for the one-year mark.
For people who matter a lot, keep going: in the book I suggest a note at five years too.
Example
In the book I describe the program I'd drop people into whenever I noticed a new job: a check-in about a month after asking how the first month went, a reminder to call at the one-year mark to celebrate them making it a year, and even a nudge at five years joking that they must be running the place by now.
Script
One month (adapted): "How was the first month at [company]?"
One year (adapted): "Wow, you made it a year! How's [company] treating you?"
Watch out for
Using the late note to pitch. It's a check-in about them.
The Job-Change Campaign: A prebuilt sequence for when someone changes jobs: congrats at day 5, check-in at day 30, look for intros, then 'happy one year' at month 12.
Stand Out: Identical annual gestures become wallpaper. Change the occasion, the timing, the channel or the format, within reasonable bounds, so you get noticed.
The Channel Switch: Respond on a different channel than the one the news came through: a LinkedIn post gets a text, an email gets a call.
The Happy Almost-Birthday: If you're someone who likes celebrating birthdays, send your wishes the day before, when you aren't one of 200 messages.