Most recruiters have a pipeline that is half real and half fiction. Deals that have not moved in six weeks. Candidates marked as active who went cold months ago. Roles that are technically open but realistically dead. A pipeline audit with Claude clears the noise and tells you where the real opportunities are.
Step 1: Export Your Pipeline
Export your current pipeline from your CRM as a CSV or copy the relevant records. You need: client name, role, stage, last activity date, and any notes.
Do the same for your active candidate list: name, status, last contact date, role they are being considered for.
Step 2: Run the Audit Prompt
I'm going to paste my current pipeline and candidate list. Audit both and tell me what's real and what isn't. > For my pipeline: 1. Flag every deal with no activity in the last 4 weeks 2. For each flagged deal, give me a one-line read on whether it's worth chasing or worth closing 3. Identify any deals that are stuck at the same stage they were at last month 4. Tell me which three deals I should prioritise this week and why > For my candidate list: 1. Flag every candidate I haven't contacted in 6 weeks or more 2. Group them by whether they're worth re-engaging now or parking 3. For the ones worth re-engaging, give me the angle to use > Pipeline: [paste pipeline export] > Candidate list: [paste candidate list]
Step 3: Schedule It Weekly
The real value of this audit is running it every week, not once. Set it as a Scheduled Task in Claude Desktop so it runs every Friday morning before you start calls.
Where to find it: Claude Desktop app → Cowork → Schedule a task
Why It Works
"Whether it's worth chasing or worth closing" forces Claude to give you a binary read rather than a hedge. Most pipeline audits just tell you what is stale. This one tells you what to do about it. The candidate re-engagement section links directly to the dormant candidate prompt if you want to take it further.
The Point
A clean pipeline is not a smaller pipeline. It is a more honest one. You stop spending time on deals that were never going anywhere and start spending it on the ones that are. Run this every Friday and your Monday morning call list writes itself.