The 7/14/21 rule.
Day 7: The recruiter ping. If a recruiter is named in the role or you can find one at the company, send a 3-line LinkedIn message. "Hi [name], I applied for the [role] last week through your career portal. Wanted to flag my interest directly. Happy to share specific examples of [relevant experience] if helpful."
Day 14: The hiring manager ping (if applicable). Find the likely hiring manager via LinkedIn ("VP of [function] at [company]"). Send a 4-sentence message referencing something specific they posted/said. Mention the role briefly. Don't ask "did you see my application?", instead: "Open to a 15-minute call about [specific challenge they mentioned]?"
Day 21: The withdrawal signal. If still nothing, send a closing message: "Wanted to circle back, if the role is no longer active or has moved forward, no problem at all. Wishing you a smooth search either way." Removes you cleanly. Sometimes triggers a real response.
What NOT to do: 4+ follow-ups, "did you see my application?" pings, copy-paste outreach. The pattern signals desperation, which kills senior-level applications.
— Dr. Hosney Adel