Writes a sequencer-ready campaign telling passive candidates about one real role: title, location and work pattern, pay range and the one thing that sets it apart up front, the honest reason they are on the list, one small ask and an opt out. No bait roles, no early requests for resumes or salary history.
Candidate outreachcategory
No scriptsinstructions only, sends nothing
Any AI appupload, or copy and paste
Free, no signup
Upload the file to Claude, ChatGPT Business or Gemini Enterprise. On ChatGPT Plus, the free Gemini app or Grok, copy and paste it instead.
Nothing hidden: this is the whole file. Want it with your agency's details filled in, or formatted for ChatGPT, a Gemini Gem or Grok? Use the copy tool on the Cold Email Pack page.
---
name: candidate-cold-email-sequence
description: "Writes a sequencer-ready cold email sequence telling passive candidates about a real job. Puts the role's title, location, pay range and why it is worth a look up front, says where the recruiter found them, is honest about what can and cannot be shared, and ends with a clean opt out. Use when a recruiter asks for a \"candidate email campaign\", \"cold email candidates about a job\", \"recruiting email sequence\", \"passive candidate outreach at scale\", \"Instantly campaign for candidates\", or \"job opportunity email\"."
license: MIT
metadata:
author: Work Insiders
version: "1.0"
pack: cold-email-pack
---
# Candidate cold email sequence
You write the email campaign that reaches passive candidates about one real role. Candidates get vague "exciting opportunity" emails all day; the ones they answer say what the job is, where, and for how much. For a single personal message to one candidate, candidate-outreach in the Agency Recruiting Pack is the better fit.
If `references/agency-profile.md` exists, read it first: agency name, whether to name the client in first messages, opt-out line, mailing address, countries emailed, words never used.
## Inputs
- The job order: title, level, location and work pattern (on site, hybrid days, remote), pay range (for sales roles, base and on-target earnings), the two or three things that make it worth moving for, what the client does in one line, temp, contract or perm. For contract roles: hourly rate, W2, 1099 or C2C, length, and any extension or conversion option.
- Confirmation that the agency has the client's authority to recruit for this role.
- Whether the client may be named.
- Who is on the list and why (from lead-list-builder), and **where each email address came from**.
- The sequencer, for merge-field syntax.
If there is no pay range, ask for one. Several US states require pay ranges in job postings, and the EU Pay Transparency Directive requires pay before the first interview once each country's law is in force (national laws were due by 7 June 2026; many are late). Whether a recruiter's email counts is a question for the adviser. Include the range either way.
## The first email
- **Subject:** the role in plain words, 2 to 6 words: `controls engineer, toledo, $95-110k` or `senior .NET role, remote`. Never "exciting opportunity" or a fake "Re:".
- **Sentence 1, why them:** the honest, work-related reason they are on the list. "{{firstName}}, your PLC and SCADA work at a plastics plant is close to what this team needs." It must be true for everyone in the segment.
- **Sentences 2 to 3, the role:** title, location and pattern, pay range (base first, equity after if any), the one thing that sets it apart. If the client cannot be named, describe it honestly (sector, size, stage, area) without hints that make it obvious.
- **The ask:** one small step. "Want the full details?" or "Reply 'yes' and I'll send the job description."
- **Sign off:** first name, agency name, phone, and the mailing address for US recipients.
- **Source and opt out:** one short line from the row: "I found you through {{contact_source}}. Reply 'stop' and I'll remove your details." Never write a source that is not in the row. UK and EU candidates must be told where their data came from; doing it in the first email is the simplest way.
- **Length:** under 120 words. No links or attachments in email 1.
## The sequence
Three emails at most to a candidate who has not replied:
1. Email 1: the email above.
2. +3 or 4 working days: same thread, one more true detail about the role or team, the same small ask.
3. +4 or 5 working days: a short close with a useful door: "If this one isn't right, reply with what would be and I'll keep it in mind." Then stop.
## Candidate rules
- **No bait.** The role must be real, open and authorised by the client, the pay range real. Never advertise a role to collect resumes for a different one. UK agencies: reg 27 of the Conduct Regulations 2003 requires job adverts to give the agency's full name and whether the role is temporary or permanent, and the agency must hold the hirer's authority for the role; where pay is stated, the advert must give the nature of the work, the location and the minimum qualifications. Ask the adviser whether a campaign email counts as an advert.
- **Confidential means confidential.** If the candidate's employer is a client, check the agency's off-limits terms before emailing.
- **Work or personal address.** Use contact data the agency may lawfully use. At a work address keep it discreet: never name their current employer in the subject.
- **Never ask for a resume, date of birth, photos, ID, references or current salary in the first email.** Several US states ban salary history questions, and the EU Pay Transparency Directive bans asking about pay history once each country's law is in force.
- **Protected traits are never a filter or a hook.** Nothing about age, family, health, nationality, religion or similar.
- **Never share a candidate's details with a client** until they agree to that specific company.
- **Opt outs are permanent** for that candidate across every campaign.
## Output
For each email: day, subject, body with merge fields, then a filled-in sample with its word count. Then hand it to email-variants-spintax and cold-email-compliance-check.
The agency profile it reads (fill this in so it uses your real details)
# Agency profile
Fill this in once. Every skill in the pack reads it, so every output comes out in your agency's voice with your real terms. Delete any line you do not want the AI to use. Leave a line blank rather than guessing.
## Who we are
- Agency name:
- Recruiter name and title (for sign-offs):
- Phone:
- Mailing address (needed for US commercial email):
- Years in business:
- Specialties (roles we fill):
- Markets (cities, regions or "US remote"):
- Industries we know best:
## Terms
- Direct hire fee basis (e.g. % of first-year base):
- Guarantee period and type (free replacement / pro-rata refund / credit; conditions, e.g. fee paid within terms):
- Contract markup or bill rate approach:
- Exclusive or retained options:
- Payment terms (e.g. net 30 from start date):
- Introduction period (how long a candidate we introduce stays ours):
- Contract-to-hire conversion fee:
- Concessions we allow, and their limits:
## Proof points we can share
- Placements, time to fill, or retention figures we are happy to quote:
- Client names we may mention (only with permission):
## How we work
- ATS:
- Do we text candidates? (yes/no):
- Name the client in first candidate messages? (yes/no):
- Blind profiles: always / new clients only / never:
- Include pay expectation in submittals? (yes/no):
- Job post apply instructions:
- EEO statement:
## Cold email
- Sequencer we use (e.g. Instantly, Smartlead, EmailBison, lemlist, Apollo):
- Sending domains (lookalikes only, never our main domain):
- Mailboxes and the sender names on them:
- Countries we email (sets which email and data laws apply):
- Opt-out line we use (e.g. "Reply 'no' and I won't email again."):
- Booking link (sent only after someone replies yes):
- Where our current clients, opt outs and do-not-contact list are kept:
## Words we never use
-
Yes. It is part of the free Work Insiders Cold Email Pack, MIT licensed, so you can edit and share it.
Does Candidate Cold Email Sequence work in Gemini?
Yes. Upload it in Gemini Enterprise or drop the folder into Gemini CLI's skills folder. In the regular Gemini app, paste its instructions into a Gem.
Can I trust it with my data?
It has no scripts and sends nothing anywhere. Whatever you paste goes only to your AI assistant, under that assistant's own data terms, so remove candidate details you do not need first. It can still steer how the assistant answers, so read it before you use it.
Written by Work Insiders for agency recruiters. Fill in the agency profile before you use it so it never invents fees or proof points. How we make money.
