How to stay in touch with a Recruiter: A Story
While I can make a list of tips, here’s a success story.
🌱 Year 1: I met a candidate who applied to a job I was recruiting for. His background seemed like a fit and he went through the interview process. At the end, we landed with another candidate who had more experience. He thanked me, asked to stay in touch, and did this by updating me on new projects he was working on at work, outside of work, and networking with me.
🪴 Year 2: I had another opportunity and the same candidate applied again. He also followed up with email. He let me know that he'd taken on additional work/projects in his current job. The scope was bigger, his responsibilities changing, and the teams he was working with. He interviewed with us again, but still didn’t get the job. He was still junior. I let him know and he thanked me again and said he'd continue to stay in touch. He continued to update me when his projects were done and when he was asked to lead new ones. He even changed jobs. It was a promotion so he was leveling up his scope, project, responsibilities, and skillsets.
🌳 Year 3: Another role. This time, I reached out to him. “I know you’ve interviewed with us a number of times already, but I think I might have the job for you”. He agreed and felt this was aligned with his current skillset. He interviewed, I continued to vouch for him, and after 3 years in conversation, keeping in touch, up skilling, and never giving up, I ended up hiring him! It was a huge win.
So what did he do to stay in touch?
✅ Kept me updated on his projects, noting where leveled up his skills
✅ Leveled up his skills inside and outside his role
✅ Took a job elsewhere to grow his experience
✅ Didn’t ask for a job when he updated me
✅ Continued to network and build a relationship with me
✅ Stayed positive, respectful, and patient
I’m sure someone right now is thinking, “I don’t have 3 years to stay in touch with you, Marie”. But, this is what I mean by LONG GAME. He stayed in touch, but interviewed elsewhere, even got another job. He met other recruiters who helped him, but took the opportunity when our paths crossed again.
This is also the best example of “keep me in mind for opportunities you have”. He gave me reasons to keep him in mind. He never let me forget him.