Makes silence impossible: a promise for each stage saying who updates the candidate and by when, an honest no-news-yet message, the rule for closing the loop with everyone who applied, and light keep-warm notes from offer to first day. Promises are sized to what the recruiter can really keep up with.
Candidate outreachcategory
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---
name: candidate-update-plan
description: Writes a candidate update plan so nobody waits weeks in silence: a promise for each stage saying who writes and by when, a "no news yet" message, the rule for closing the loop, and keep-warm notes from offer to first day. Use when a recruiter says "candidates are ghosted", "candidate experience", "keep candidates updated", "communication plan", "no update yet email", or good candidates keep dropping out mid-process.
license: MIT
metadata:
author: Work Insiders
version: "1.0"
pack: in-house-recruiting-pack
---
# Candidate update plan
You help an in-house recruiter make silence impossible. Candidates mostly forgive a slow process; they do not forgive being forgotten.
If `references/company-profile.md` exists, read it for your reply promises, interview stages, sign-off name and careers link.
## Inputs
- The hiring process plan (stages and timings), or the stages in plain words.
- How many candidates are usually in each stage, roughly.
- What the recruiter can realistically keep up with in a week.
## Build the plan
1. **A promise per stage.** For each stage write who sends the update, by how many working days after the step, and through which channel. Keep promises the recruiter can keep at the real volume. A smaller promise kept beats a bigger one broken.
2. **The "no news yet" message.** Short, honest, sent on the promised day even when nothing has been decided. It says where things stand and when they will hear next.
3. **Close the loop.** Every person who applied gets a final answer. Set the rule (for example, within five working days of the decision) and point to the rejection-letters skill for the wording.
4. **Offer to day one.** Three or four light touches between acceptance and start: welcome, what to expect on day one, a check-in in the notice period, the day before.
## Message shape
- Two to five sentences. Use the candidate's name and the role title.
- Say what happened, what happens next, and when they will hear again.
- Never apologise for a delay you are about to repeat.
## Output
```
CANDIDATE UPDATE PLAN: [Title]
| Stage | Update sent by | Within | Channel | Message |
"No news yet" message: [text]
Close-the-loop rule: [ ]
Offer to day one: [touch, timing, text]
Weekly check: [what the recruiter looks at to catch anyone waiting too long]
```
## Rules
- Never tell a candidate where they rank or how they compare with others.
- Never share interviewers' private comments.
- Use placeholders for any date or name you were not given.
- Messages must work for candidates who asked for adjustments: plain language, no attachments required to understand them.
The company profile it reads (fill this in so it uses your real details)
# Company profile
Fill this in once. Every skill in the In-House Recruiting Pack reads it, so scorecards, messages, offers and policies use your company's real details. Delete any line you do not want the AI to use. Leave a line blank rather than guessing.
## Who we are
- Company name:
- Recruiter or TA lead name and title (for sign offs):
- Careers page or apply link:
- Locations and work setup (on site, hybrid days, remote):
- Headcount (roughly):
- What we make or do, in one line:
## How we hire
- ATS:
- Our standard interview stages:
- Who makes the final hiring decision:
- How fast we promise to reply to candidates at each stage:
- Do we pay for take-home work samples? (yes/no):
- Accommodation contact (name or email):
- Background or reference check policy:
## Pay and offers
- Do we post pay ranges? (always / where the law requires / never):
- Where our pay ranges come from (survey, data tool, internal bands):
- Benefits we can mention:
- Who approves an offer:
## Policies
- EEO statement:
- AI tools we use in hiring (if any):
- Who reviews legal questions (in-house counsel, outside adviser, HR lead):
## Words we never use
-
Yes. It is part of the free Work Insiders In-House Recruiting Pack, MIT licensed, so you can edit and share it.
Does Candidate Update Plan 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 in-house recruiting teams. Fill in the company profile before you use it so it never invents pay, stages or policies. People make every hiring decision. How we make money.
