Sourcing

Rediscover candidates already in your database

Your best next hire may have applied last year. Keep strong runners-up in pools, rescan your database when a role opens, read what you already know about them, and invite them back.

6 min read · Updated · For recruiters with a backlog of past applicants

The short version

Close every role by saving the people you almost hired. When the next role opens, search them before you search anyone else.

Why start with people you already know

Past applicants already know your company, and you already have their answers, scores and interview notes. Reaching them first is quicker than starting cold, and they often remember a good experience.

Save runners-up when a role closes

  1. 1

    Close out with a pool

    When you hire, reject the rest, keep the best in a pool, and mark the job filled.

    In Offers & onboarding

Who belongs in the pool

  • Finalists you would have hired with one more opening.
  • Strong scorers who withdrew for timing reasons.
  • People who were a near fit for this role and a good fit for a nearby one.
  • A short note on why, so the next recruiter knows.

Rescan when a role opens

  1. 1

    Rediscover for the job

    Rescan your database for a new opening, so good people you met before resurface.

    In Applicant tracking
  2. 2

    Search your own pools in Scout

    Scout searches past applicants and talent pools alongside outside sources.

    In Scout

Read what you already know

  1. 1

    Open their old report

    Each score sits beside the answer and transcript that earned it, in one report.

    In Journeys
  2. 2

    See why they match now

    A short brief on each person and why they fit the new role.

    In Scout

Invite them back

  1. 1

    A short, personal sequence

    Email, SMS, phone calls and tasks in one sequence, on the timing you set.

    In Scout
  2. 2

    Into the new journey

    Send an interested person into the journey for the new role from their Scout profile.

    In Scout
  3. 3

    Retakes when you allow them

    Let a returning candidate retake a journey instead of starting from scratch.

    In Journeys

Questions, answered

Do returning candidates have to start over?

You decide. Their earlier results stay on file, and you can let them retake a journey or send them into the new role's journey.

How do I keep pools useful?

Add a short note on why each person is there, and close out every role with a pool so it stays current.

Is Scout needed for rediscovery?

Rescanning your database for a job is part of the ATS. Scout, an add-on, adds pool search, outreach sequences and sourcing from outside providers.

Put this playbook to work.

Bring one real role and we'll set it up with you in InsightHire.