Capability template for recruiting and hiring

Candidate outreach drafting

For each person a recruiter or founder has already chosen to approach about an approved role: a first message and two follow-ups, each personal line traced to a public work source the recruiter supplied, do-not-contact names and opt-outs honoured, and a reply log. The recruiter sends every message.

The outcome

Every person you have decided to write to gets a message that reads as if you wrote it for them, because the one personal line in it comes from something they did in their public work, which you found and named. Two follow-ups are ready behind it, dated in your working days, each adding one new fact about the role so nobody receives the same message twice.

Nobody on your do-not-contact list is written to, and nobody who has answered, declined or opted out gets another message. A detail from someone's private life, or anything that touches who they are rather than what they do, is left out and the reason noted. The pack ends with a reply log: where each person stands and what happens next.

It drafts and nothing more. It never finds anyone, never judges anyone against the role and never puts your list in any order but yours. It says nothing about pay or terms beyond what your role brief allows. You read every message and send it yourself.

Who starts the work, and when

The recruiter, or the founder or hiring manager doing their own hiring, starts it once the role is approved and they have chosen the people to approach, before any message goes out. Run it again each time replies come in or a follow-up falls due, with the reply log, so every answer stops the messages to that person.

What they supply

The approved role brief, saying which of the pay range, location and hiring steps may appear in a message.
Your company facts page: what the company does, what may be said about the team, what is never said, who signs, the ask and your opt-out line.
The approach list: for each person, the name to greet them by, how you will reach them, and one thing they did in public work with where and when it appeared, plus who referred them if that person agreed to be named.
Your do-not-contact list.
From the second run on, the reply log so far.

What comes out

One pack in a fixed order: the checks made before drafting; who was not drafted and why; for each person, in your order, the three dated messages and where the personal line came from; the details left out and why; the reply log; anyone to add to your do-not-contact list; what ends the messages; what to read before sending; and the defaults used. Every personal line can be traced to a row you supplied.

An invented example

Illustrative example with invented data. The company, the role, the people, the addresses, the blogs, meetups and conferences, and every word of the notes below are invented. Company A stands for an invented 30-person company that makes route-planning software for regional delivery firms. Blog B, Meetup C and the open-source library mentioned are invented too, and every address uses a reserved example domain. Sam R., the co-founder and CEO, is hiring a senior data engineer and has already chosen five people to write to.

The inputs come first, in full, so the template can be run on them. The pack the capability returned follows.

The inputs

1. The role brief

Role: Senior data engineer
Team: Data platform (four data engineers and an analyst)
Location and pattern: remote within the US, with two team days a month in Denver
What the team works on: the pipelines that turn delivery scans and GPS pings into the arrival estimates drivers see
Pay range: $165,000 to $185,000 a year
Hiring steps: a 30-minute call, a paid take-home task, then a half-day with the team
Allowed in messages: pay range; location and pattern; hiring steps
Approved: yes, by the board, 3 November 2026

2. The company facts page

Company: Company A
What we do: we build route-planning software for regional delivery firms; about 140 of them use it every day.
About the team: we publish our data-quality checks as open-source code.
Never say: customer names; anything about funding.
Sender: Sam R., co-founder and CEO
Ask: a 30-minute call
Booking route: none
Opt-out line: If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

3. The approach list

Exported by Sam, as supplied.

ref,full_name,greeting_name,contact,channel,work_detail,detail_source,detail_date,referred_by
P1,Dana K.,Dana,dana.k@example.com,email,wrote about rebuilding a check for late-arriving data in a parcel-tracking pipeline,article on Blog B (a public engineering blog),2026-06,
P2,Luis M.,Luis,https://profiles.example/p2,profile message,posted about returning to work after six months caring for a parent,a personal social account,2026-09,
P3,Ren T.,Ren,ren.t@example.net,email,spoke on testing streaming pipelines,Meetup C talk listing,2025-11,
P4,Amara O.,Amara,amara.o@example.org,email,maintains an open-source library for validating GPS data,the library's public code repository,2026-08,Jo P. (one of our data engineers)
P5,Kit W.,Kit,kit.w@example.com,email,gave a talk on cutting delays in warehouse scan data,Conference D agenda page,2026-04,

4. The do-not-contact list

full_name,contact
Ren T.,ren.t@example.net
Alex B.,alex.b@example.com

5. The reply log

Sam wrote to Kit by hand the week before.

ref,date,event,detail
P5,2026-11-02,first message sent,
P5,2026-11-04,not now,2027-03-31

6. Settings

Date of preparation: Tuesday 10 November 2026
First send planned: Thursday 12 November 2026
Working days: Monday to Friday
Non-working dates: Thursday 26 and Friday 27 November 2026
Follow-up gaps: (blank)
Word limits: (blank)
Freshness limit: (blank)
Revisit gap: (blank)
Keeps the do-not-contact list: Sam R.

The output

CANDIDATE OUTREACH: Senior data engineer
Status: Drafts for Sam R. Nothing has been sent. Sam R. chose who is approached and sends every message.
Prepared for: Sam R., co-founder and CEO. Date: 10 November 2026. First send planned: Thursday 12 November 2026.
Role: Senior data engineer, Data platform. Approved by: the board, 3 November 2026. Allowed in messages: pay range; location and pattern; hiring steps.
Schedule: first message day 0, follow-up 1 day 4, follow-up 2 day 10, in working days.

CHECKS BEFORE DRAFTING
Approach list: 5 people supplied. Drafted: 3. Not drafted: 2.
Do-not-contact list: 2 entries checked.
Reply log: 2 entries read.

NOT DRAFTED
P3: on the do-not-contact list.
P5: paused until 31 March 2027.

PERSON P1, Dana, by email
Personal line from: wrote about rebuilding a check for late-arriving data in a parcel-tracking pipeline (article on Blog B, June 2026).
Referred by: none.

FIRST MESSAGE, day 0, Thursday 12 November
Subject: Senior data engineer, data platform team
Hi Dana,
I read your Blog B article from June on rebuilding a check for late-arriving data in a parcel-tracking pipeline, which is close to the pipeline work our data platform team does.
I'm Sam R., co-founder and CEO of Company A. We build route-planning software for regional delivery firms, and about 140 of them use it every day. The role is senior data engineer, on the team that turns delivery scans and GPS pings into the arrival estimates drivers see.
Could we have a 30-minute call? If so, reply with a time that works for you.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

FOLLOW-UP 1, day 4, Wednesday 18 November. Adds: the pay range, location and pattern. Send only if there has been no reply.
Subject: Senior data engineer: pay and where the work happens
Hi Dana,
Two practical details about the senior data engineer role at Company A, in case they help. The pay range is $165,000 to $185,000 a year. The work is remote within the US, with two team days a month in Denver.
If a 30-minute call would be useful, reply with a time.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

FOLLOW-UP 2, day 10, Monday 30 November. The last message. Adds: the hiring steps. Send only if there has been no reply.
Subject: Senior data engineer at Company A
Hi Dana,
This is my last message about the senior data engineer role. If you ever want to explore it, the steps are a 30-minute call, a paid take-home task, then a half-day with the team. A reply at any time is welcome. Wishing you a good end to the year.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

PERSON P2, Luis, by profile message
Personal line from: none, see Details not used.
Referred by: none.

FIRST MESSAGE, day 0, Thursday 12 November
Subject: none, profile message
Hi Luis,
I'm Sam R., co-founder and CEO of Company A. We build route-planning software for regional delivery firms, and about 140 of them use it every day. The role is senior data engineer, on the team that turns delivery scans and GPS pings into the arrival estimates drivers see, and I'd like to tell you about it.
Could we have a 30-minute call? If so, reply with a time that works for you.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

FOLLOW-UP 1, day 4, Wednesday 18 November. Adds: the pay range, location and pattern. Send only if there has been no reply.
Subject: none, profile message
Hi Luis,
Two practical details about the senior data engineer role at Company A, in case they help. The pay range is $165,000 to $185,000 a year. The work is remote within the US, with two team days a month in Denver.
If a 30-minute call would be useful, reply with a time.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

FOLLOW-UP 2, day 10, Monday 30 November. The last message. Adds: the hiring steps. Send only if there has been no reply.
Subject: none, profile message
Hi Luis,
This is my last message about the senior data engineer role. If you ever want to explore it, the steps are a 30-minute call, a paid take-home task, then a half-day with the team. A reply at any time is welcome. Wishing you a good end to the year.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

PERSON P4, Amara, by email
Personal line from: maintains an open-source library for validating GPS data (the library's public code repository, August 2026).
Referred by: Jo P.

FIRST MESSAGE, day 0, Thursday 12 November
Subject: Senior data engineer, data platform team
Hi Amara,
Jo P., one of our data engineers, gave me your name. I've seen the open-source library you maintain for validating GPS data, and GPS data is one of the things our data platform team works with.
I'm Sam R., co-founder and CEO of Company A. We build route-planning software for regional delivery firms, and about 140 of them use it every day. The role is senior data engineer, on the team that turns delivery scans and GPS pings into the arrival estimates drivers see.
Could we have a 30-minute call? If so, reply with a time that works for you.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

FOLLOW-UP 1, day 4, Wednesday 18 November. Adds: the pay range, location and pattern. Send only if there has been no reply.
Subject: Senior data engineer: pay and where the work happens
Hi Amara,
Two practical details about the senior data engineer role at Company A, in case they help. The pay range is $165,000 to $185,000 a year. The work is remote within the US, with two team days a month in Denver.
If a 30-minute call would be useful, reply with a time.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

FOLLOW-UP 2, day 10, Monday 30 November. The last message. Adds: the hiring steps. Send only if there has been no reply.
Subject: Senior data engineer at Company A
Hi Amara,
This is my last message about the senior data engineer role. If you ever want to explore it, the steps are a 30-minute call, a paid take-home task, then a half-day with the team. A reply at any time is welcome. Wishing you a good end to the year.
Sam R.
Co-founder and CEO, Company A
If you'd rather not hear from Company A about roles, reply "no thanks" and we won't contact you again.

DETAILS NOT USED
P2: the detail comes from a personal account and is not about work. It is not used and not repeated here. Remove it from the approach list.

REPLY LOG
P1: Status: to send. Sent: none yet. Latest reply: none. Next: Sam R. sends the first message on Thursday 12 November; follow-ups on 18 and 30 November only if there is no reply.
P2: Status: to send. Sent: none yet. Latest reply: none. Next: Sam R. sends the first message on Thursday 12 November; follow-ups on 18 and 30 November only if there is no reply.
P3: Status: not drafted. Sent: none yet. Latest reply: none. Next: none.
P4: Status: to send. Sent: none yet. Latest reply: none. Next: Sam R. sends the first message on Thursday 12 November; follow-ups on 18 and 30 November only if there is no reply.
P5: Status: paused until 31 March 2027. Sent: first message, 2 November 2026. Latest reply: 4 November 2026, not now. Next: Sam R. decides after 31 March 2027 whether to write again.

FOR THE DO-NOT-CONTACT LIST
For the do-not-contact list: none.

WHAT ENDS THE MESSAGES
Any reply: no further follow-up to that person, on any channel; Sam R. answers.
Interested: Sam R. takes it from there; nothing further is drafted.
Not now: paused until the date they gave, or 6 months after the reply; Sam R. decides then whether to write again.
Declined: nothing further about this role.
Opt-out or a request not to be contacted: nothing further about any role; added to the do-not-contact list by Sam R.
Away message: follow-ups held until the return date; run again after it.
Bounced: stopped; no other address is looked for.

READ BEFORE SENDING
- P1: the article is from June 2026; check it is still public on Blog B before the first message goes.
- P4: confirm Jo P. agreed to be named, and that the library's public repository still shows Amara as its maintainer.
- All: "about 140 of them use it every day" comes from the facts page; check it is still true on the day each message goes.
- All: the opt-out line is the company's own; check it meets what the people lead or the company's advisers require where each person lives.

SLOTS FOR SAM R.
- Slots for Sam R.: none. The sign-off, the ask and the opt-out line came from the facts page; with no booking route, each call ask asks for a reply with a time.

DEFAULTS USED
- Follow-up gaps: default, follow-up 1 four working days after the first message, follow-up 2 six working days after follow-up 1.
- Word limits: default, 120 words for a first message and 80 for a follow-up.
- Freshness limit: default, 24 months.
- Revisit gap: default, 6 months; not needed, because P5 gave a date.

Drafts for Sam R. Nothing has been sent or scheduled, no one has been looked up, and no one has been assessed, scored or put in order.

How the dates and checks were worked out

Do-not-contact. P3's contact, ren.t@example.net, matches an entry exactly, so nothing is drafted and no reason is given. No other contact or full name on the approach list matches an entry.
Reply log. P5's latest event is not now on 4 November 2026 with the date 2027-03-31, so P5 is paused until 31 March 2027 and nothing is drafted. The earlier first message is shown under Sent.
Details. P1 (June 2026) and P4 (August 2026) are public, about work and within 24 months of 10 November 2026, so each has a personal line. P2's detail is from a personal account and not about work, so it is not used. P3's and P5's details are not needed, as neither is drafted.
Follow-up 1. Counting working days from Thursday 12 November: Friday 13 (1), Monday 16 (2), Tuesday 17 (3), Wednesday 18 (4).
Follow-up 2. Six working days after Wednesday 18 November: Thursday 19 (1), Friday 20 (2), Monday 23 (3), Tuesday 24 (4), Wednesday 25 (5), then Thursday 26 and Friday 27 are non-working dates and the weekend follows, so Monday 30 (6).
What each follow-up adds. The brief allows the pay range, location and pattern, so follow-up 1 carries them, the first item on the list. Follow-up 2 carries the hiring steps, the next item. Because the brief allows both, the facts-page line about the team is not reached and is not used. The first messages carry none of the allowed items, which are kept for the follow-ups.
Word counts, from the line after the greeting to the line before the sign-off: P1's first message 95 words, P2's 72, P4's 100, P4's counting the referrer line; each follow-up 1 is 51 words and each follow-up 2 is 49, all within the limits of 120 and 80.

Where it fits

Recruiting and hiring, where the first message to someone not looking for a job decides whether there is a second conversation.
Software technology, where engineers and designers publish talks, articles and code, so a true work detail is usually there to be found.
Professional services, where specialists are known by their published work and their professional bodies, and a careless approach is remembered.
Engineering firms, where experienced engineers are often reached through their conference papers and project work rather than a posting.
Startups & new ventures, where the founder writes to every early hire personally and needs the follow-ups to happen on time.
Growth & scaling, when several roles are open at once and the replies have to be tracked so nobody is chased after saying no.

What has to change for your company

Write your facts page once and keep it current; the messages say nothing else about the company. Settle your opt-out line with your people lead or your advisers for the places you write to, and name who keeps the do-not-contact list and how an opt-out reaches it the same day. Decide what each role brief allows in a message, such as whether the pay range goes in a first approach. Set your working days, the gaps between messages, the word limits, how old a work detail may be and how long to wait after a "not now". Agree where the reply log lives and who updates it after each send.

It runs in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini from the files you supply, with no connection to any mailbox, professional network or recruiting system.

What has been checked

Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template, drawing on one openly licensed package credited in its sources. It was editorially reviewed on 10 November 2026. It was tried on its invented example on 10 November 2026 in two runs; the record of the second is published with it. It has not yet been tested in a client environment, and not yet tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.

Testing in your environment means running it on a past round of outreach you remember well, plus hard cases written in advance: a name on the do-not-contact list under a different address, a detail taken from a personal account, a reply that arrives after the first message, a request to sort the list. The recruiter checks every message against the inputs before anything is sent. Pilot acceptance-test preparation sets those cases up, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.

The full capability template

Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.

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