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Reactivate disengaged talent pools

Building a talent pipeline from scratch isn’t just time-consuming — it’s expensive. And you run the risk of sourcing the same talent over and over again.

If you’re trying to make the most of your resources, reengaging your existing talent pipelines is the way to go. These candidates have some familiarity with your brand. Even if you don’t have a role for them today, they’ll be ready to convert when you do. Finally, you can automate the outreach process rather than having to craft individual messages for each person.

Channels run:
Email | Text | Video

KPIs affected:
Average sourcing cost | Cost per hire
Time to source | Pipeline engagement levels


Set-up steps

  1. Create a campaign. We recommend naming it something like “Reactivation Campaign: Java Software Engineer,” depending on the role and/or skills of the people in the pipeline.
  2. Add at least 2-3 emails or texts to the campaign. See below for suggested templates.
  3. For each email, turn on conditions for campaigns based on open and click-through rates. For example, if the candidate clicks a link in an email that directs them to your YouTube page, send them a follow-up email with information on your benefits.
  4. Identify a pipeline with candidates that haven’t received communications in three months or more.
  5. Add that pipeline to the campaign and start communications.

Here is how you can start your campaign and gauge interest. Start with something that is more general to your employer brand and/or some news about the organization.

Subject: Let’s reconnect!

Body: Hi [candidate first name],

It’s been a while since we’ve connected, so I’m just saying hi. I also wanted to let you know how we at [organization] are working to create a world-class culture and make work a fun, safe and inclusive place to be. To do so, we are focusing on how we can better live our values every day. These values are:

  • [Value 1: Description]
  • [Value 2: Description]
  • [Value 3: Description]
  • [Value 4: Description]

Check out our blog to read more [link].

Best,

[Signature]

If you get some engagement from the candidate, they may want to learn a few more specifics about the department they’d be a good fit for. Example: 

Subject: Employees at [organization] love this about [organization] 

Body: Hi [candidate first name], 

We’ve been getting feedback from employees to hear what they love about working at [organization], so I wanted to share a bit about what people in the [department name] department love about their jobs: 

“[Testimonial]” 

[Name], [Title] 

The leadership in [department] is committed to taking employees’ feedback and bringing it into the culture of the teams. If you’re interested in hearing more about their plan, set up some time on my calendar here. [link] 

Best, 

[Signature] 

Pro tip: Send an employee-generated video instead of a written testimonial for extra authentic and eye-catching content. 

If a candidate doesn’t open or click through the previous email, you may want to provide them with some more content about your organization and culture, since they’re likely not ready to receive any department-specific or role-specific information. Example: 

Subject: Some exciting things coming up at [organization] 

Body: Hi [candidate first name], 

Have you heard about [organization]’s social good program? We believe in the power of making a positive impact and are passionate about giving back to the community. 

Many employees decide to join us so they can actively contribute to meaningful projects and initiatives related to helping provide aid for: 

  • People experiencing housing insecurity 
  • Environmental issues 
  • Mental health organizations 

If you’re interested in learning more, check out our blog post here [link]. 

Best, 

[Signature] 

If your audience responds to texts more frequently, feel free to reengage them with a friendly text message about some organization news, like CEO announcements. See below for examples. 

Message idea 1: Hi there [name], it’s been a while, so I wanted to check in. Our CEO recently addressed our organization to talk about our newest [product/initiative/location], so I wanted to share the press release with you here. We’re doing some innovative things this year, so text me back if you want to hear more about it. 

Message idea 2: Hi [name], I wanted to check in with you. Where are you at in your job search? We at [organization] have made significant investments in our employees’ career development. Read more about it on our blog/career page/social media [link]. 

Pro tip: If your text marketing software allows, make sure to filter candidates using criteria like “Last contacted date” and tags. If a candidate was contacted by a different recruiter recently, you won’t have to worry about your top-of-the-funnel message going to them. 

To make a more compelling campaign, you can embed or link videos in your emails or text messages. Ask employees to answer one or more questions that help them explain what they like about working at your organization, in their department and/or on their teams. Examples: 

  • Why did you decide to join [organization]? 
  • What’s your favorite tradition at [organization]? 
  • What aspects of [organization]’s culture keeps you at the company? 
  • What were you pleasantly surprised by when you started working in [department]? 
  • When was a time you remember a teammate went above and beyond to collaborate with you? 


Next steps

The campaign doesn’t stop there. The more a candidate engages with your content, the more interest they are expressing in your employer brand and potential open roles. For those candidates, you’ll want to set up a condition that continues to send them more department, role, and then team-specific information until you get to the point where you can promote the open roles and convert them to applicants. 

For those that are less engaged with your previous content, you still want to keep up communications. Add them to a campaign that sends a monthly or quarterly newsletter or highlights blog posts. That way, they have the option of getting to know your brand ahead of any open roles that may open up that match their skills and experience. 

Pro tip: If you have marketing automation technology, you can automate the if/then conditions with behavior-based campaigns, which helps you hyper-personalize follow-up emails based on their location, experience, interests and more. 

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