Candidates you recruit want you to connect and follow up with them, tactfully.  

Here are five tips to help you get started on the right track:

1. Deliver a business reason

Why is there a match?  Make sure that you are direct and transparent about why you are reaching out to your candidate.

2. Form a connection bond

...a Common Colleague 

...a Shared Passion

...an Interesting Event for Both

...a Common Hobby or Interest

This becomes your medium to build trust in your relationship.

3. Identify the personal reasons

Why would your candidate want to work with you specifically.  Why would they want the opportunity that you are offering? There are plenty of recruiters out there.    What makes you special?  How will your prospective candidate personally gain if he or she chooses to work with you?

4. Back up your conversation with data and documentation

Always deliver data that backs up your conversation.  Be honest about the strength of your relationship with your client.  Show (allowable) emails that prove your relationship and the exchanges that happen between you and your client.   Build your credibility.

Tell your candidate who you know, what competitive forces exist, and what obstacles might exist from you helping your candidate.  Let them know if you are representing other candidates.  

Definitely provide a compelling link like a job description or pamphlet on your opportunity.  Give them inside information about upcoming projects at your customers site.

5. Clearly outline your action plan

Explain to your candidate what your next few steps are going to be and when he or she can expect to hear back from you.  Mitigate risks in case the plan changes and explain what course of action you will take if it does.  Be sure to follow up even if you don't have any new information to share to keep them engaged.  Voila!

Read about our upcoming product SourcingTalent.Cloud, a job marketplace for talent professionals to post and find contract work.  Project-based assignments with a payment system built in by Paypal.  Finally, an Upwork for our industry!

Help us create the correct categories of work by taking this survey.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Chmielinski is a second generation recruiting veteran, former baseball player, and founder of Veruca.io, the first ever recruiting innovations lab. His company is built from two generations of sales and recruiting experience resting on the backbone of post-millennial technology.  

Last year, Veruca.io: Find (Mr. Chmielinski's inaugural software) attracted 178 active users in 114 cities from 17 countries.

This year, James created largest recruiting community on slack called "Recruiting Innovators", a hub-spot for recruiting jobs, networking, news, and best practices. 

His latest project, SourcingTalent.Cloud (http://sourcingtalent.cloud), is scheduled for a pilot program release within the quarter. Sign up for the pilot by emailing info@sourcingtalent.cloud.  Help us by taking this survey to make sure we include all work categories.

James aims to make life easier for sourcing and recruiting teams and hopes to achieve this by developing an innovation lab where teams convert the best ideas into products.