The biggest pipeline most recruiters have isn't the candidates they're actively working. It's the candidates they spoke to six months ago and never circled back to. This prompt fixes that without you having to remember anyone.
The Prompt
Look at my CRM exports, candidate spreadsheets, or saved candidate lists. > Surface every candidate I haven't spoken to in the last 8 weeks who fits one of the roles I'm currently working. > For each one, give me: 1. Name, current role, and how long since I last spoke to them 2. The role they're a fit for and why 3. The last thing they said to me, pulled from my email history 4. A one-line reason worth re-engaging right now 5. The angle I should use when I reach out > Group by role I'm working. Limit to the 10 strongest matches. Save as 'Dormant Candidates - [date]' on my Desktop.
Why It Works
Most "find me dormant candidates" prompts give you a list of names and ages-since-contact. Useless. This one cross-references against the roles you're working now, and pulls the last thing they said to you so you've got context the moment you pick up the phone.
The "10 strongest matches" cap is deliberate. A list of 50 dormant candidates is a list nobody calls. A list of 10 with a reason for each is a Friday afternoon's work.
How to Set It Up
This works as a one-off prompt, but the real value is running it weekly.
Set it as a Scheduled Task for Friday 4pm in Claude Desktop. The list is on your Desktop ready for Monday's call sheet.
Where to find it: Claude Desktop app → Cowork → Schedule a task
You'll need Gmail (or Outlook) connected for the "last thing they said" line to work, and your CRM data needs to be accessible. Either as exports in Google Drive, or via a CRM connector if your system supports it.
Where to find it: Settings → Customize → Connectors
How to Tweak It
If you want to focus on candidates you placed before, add: "Prioritise candidates I've placed previously who might be open to a move now."
If you want to filter by sector or seniority: "Only include candidates at [sector] or above [seniority level]."
If you want Claude to score them: "Rank each candidate from 1-10 on how likely they are to engage based on tone of last conversation."
The Point
Your dormant database is worth more than any list you'll buy. You just need a system that surfaces the right names at the right time. Set this up once and you've got a fresh re-engagement list every Monday morning, ranked, contextualised, and ready to call.