A recruiting “touch” is a proactive attempt to engage one of your prospects.

A touch could be delivered via mediums such as email, hand-written note, text, social media DM, phone call, and others.

While it’s easy to understand the need for touches, some recruiters and hiring managers struggle to develop a strategy to make them happen.

I recently spoke to a hiring manager who organizes recruiting touches into the following categories.

Introductory: Here’s who I am and why it might be beneficial for us to connect.

Helpful: Here’s something that could help your business be more successful.

Personal: I noticed something about you and what’s going on in your life.

Promotional: Here’s something you may want to take advantage of that we’re offering.

Brand Impression: Here’s what we stand for in the marketplace.

As you plan out recruiting touches, rotate your messages across the different categories.

The objective is to frequently remind your recruiting prospects of your existence and interest in their career.

Initiating touches from varying angles keeps your messages from appearing canned and one-dimensional.