The recruiting industry moves fast. Candidates come and go. Clients’ hiring needs shift overnight. And for agency recruiters and search consultants, the constant challenge is staying top-of-mind with the right people—without losing track of follow-ups or drowning in repetitive tasks.

That’s why Top Echelon built Sequencing into TE Recruit®, the all-in-one ATS and CRM trusted by growing recruiting agencies. Sequencing is more than just automation—it’s a system designed to help recruiters consistently nurture candidates and clients, win more business, and prevent revenue gaps that come from missed touch points.

If you’ve ever ended the day realizing you forgot to make the calls you planned—or months later discovered your “sure thing” client had hired in-house because you weren’t staying in touch—you already know why sequencing matters.

This article will show you:

• Why recruiters struggle to maintain consistent outreach

• How Sequencing solves the business development and candidate engagement challenge

• Practical ways to use sequences to fill pipelines and secure placements

• A simple plan to get started with Sequencing inside TE Recruit™

The Recruiter’s Problem: Inconsistent Touch Points Kill Deals

Most recruiters already know that follow-up is essential. Industry trainers like Barb Bruno have long emphasized that it takes at least six touches before a client or candidate even remembers your name. But in the chaos of running a desk—juggling searches, screening candidates, prepping submittals, and handling client calls—it’s easy to let those touches slide.

Here’s what often happens:

• Business development gets pushed aside. You intend to prospect new clients, but by 3 p.m., you’re buried in candidate calls. Days turn into weeks, and before you know it, that prospect has gone cold.

• Candidate nurturing falls flat. Silver medalists—the near-perfect candidates who didn’t get the offer—drift out of touch. Months later, when a dream role opens, you realize they’ve already moved on with a competitor.

• Revenue pipelines dry up. Without consistent engagement, agencies wake up one day to find their biggest client pulled work in-house. Suddenly, the desk is empty.

The truth is, most recruiters don’t fail because they lack skill or hustle. They fail because they lose the follow-up battle.

The Cost of Manual Follow-Up

Trying to manage outreach manually is exhausting:

• You copy/paste emails from old templates.

• You scribble “Call John next week” in your planner—but never get around to it.

• You forget where each candidate or client left off in your pipeline.

The result? Missed revenue, wasted effort, and candidates who feel neglected.

Recruiting agencies need a way to ensure that every candidate and client gets consistent, thoughtful touches—without relying on memory or constant busywork.

That’s where Sequencing changes everything.

The Solution: Automated, Personalized Sequencing in TE Recruit™

Sequencing inside TE Recruit™ allows recruiters to pre-build a series of emails and scheduled activities that go out automatically—or remind you at the right time.

Think of it like a marketing drip campaign, but built specifically for recruiting:

• Emails are pre-scheduled, customized, and sent automatically.

• Activities (like calls, LinkedIn messages, or even mailing a postcard) appear on your planner exactly when you need to complete them.

• Personalization keeps it authentic: merge fields for candidate names, client companies, or even specific job data make outreach feel like it was written just for them.

Instead of asking, “Who should I follow up with today?” you simply enroll contacts into a sequence and let the system ensure no one falls through the cracks.

Why Sequencing Matters for Recruiting Agencies

1. Business Development Made Consistent

Winning new clients takes time. Most prospects aren’t ready to engage after one cold call. With Sequencing, you can design a thoughtful progression:

• Day 1: Introductory email about your recruiting specialty

• Day 4: Follow-up call reminder

• Day 10: Share an industry insight or trend

• Day 20: Personalized note from the owner of your firm

Instead of “winging it,” your entire team can use proven business development playbooks—executed automatically.

2. Candidate Nurturing That Builds Loyalty

Top talent isn’t always actively looking. Sequencing helps you nurture silver and bronze candidates—those who interviewed but weren’t hired—so they’re ready when the right role opens.

Imagine this candidate journey:

• Immediately after interview: Send a thank-you and encouragement email.

• One week later: Share an article about market trends in their field.

• Three weeks later: Call to check in on career goals.

• Six weeks later: Invite them to explore a new opportunity.

Instead of losing touch, you’re building trust and loyalty, making your agency the first call when they’re ready to move.

3. Time Savings and Scalability

Recruiters spend hours each week copying templates, setting reminders, and chasing follow-ups. Sequencing eliminates that wasted effort:

• One recruiter can manage hundreds of client and candidate relationships without dropping the ball.

• Sequences ensure the “little things” (like remembering to follow up on day 14) never slip through the cracks.

• Agency owners gain confidence knowing business development and candidate care are happening consistently across the team.

How Sequencing Works Inside TE Recruit™

Setting up a sequence in TE Recruit™ is simple and flexible.

1. Create a Sequence: Name it, define whether it’s for people or companies, and decide if it should be shared across your firm.

2. Add Steps: Each step is either an automated email or a scheduled activity.

3. Define Timing: Choose how many business days to wait before the next touch, and even specify the time of day (mornings for clients, evenings for candidates).

4. Personalize with Merge Fields: Insert candidate names, job titles, or company info for natural, customized messages.

5. Enroll Contacts: Drop candidates or clients into the sequence from their record or directly from the sequence page. The journey starts instantly.

Best of all, every sequence is tracked inside TE Recruit™, so you can see exactly where each contact is in their journey—and stop or adjust sequences at any time.

Best Practices for Recruiters Using Sequencing

To get the most out of Sequencing, keep these guidelines in mind:

• Personalize early. Use candidates’ or clients’ names in subject lines for stronger engagement.

• Mix communication types. Don’t rely only on email—schedule calls and other touch points.

• Keep it short. Clear subject lines and concise emails win attention.

• Test timing. Morning emails may work best for clients; evening emails may work better for candidates.

• Don’t spam. One to three touches per week is plenty. Build trust, not annoyance.

• Add value. Share insights, tips, or industry updates—not just job postings.

The Recruiter’s Transformation With Sequencing

Without sequencing, recruiters often feel reactive—scrambling to find candidates, chasing down clients, and hoping business development sticks.

With sequencing, recruiters move into a proactive rhythm:

• Every client prospect gets a professional, consistent follow-up.

• Every candidate feels nurtured and remembered.

• Every recruiter’s desk runs with less stress and more predictability.

The transformation is simple but powerful: from random activity to intentional system.

What’s Coming Next for Sequencing

Top Echelon is continuously enhancing Sequencing based on recruiter feedback. Upcoming improvements include:

• Mass enrollment: Add multiple candidates or clients to a sequence at once.

• Sequence duplication: Copy and tweak existing sequences to quickly build new campaigns.

The goal? To give recruiting agencies the tools they need to stay ahead, without adding complexity.

Your Next Step: Put Sequencing to Work

If you’ve ever:

• Missed a client opportunity because you forgot to follow up

• Lost touch with a great candidate who ended up at another firm

• Struggled to balance business development with daily recruiting tasks

…then Sequencing inside TE Recruit™ was built for you.

It’s not just another feature—it’s your agency’s system for consistent outreach, stronger relationships, and sustainable revenue growth.

Ready to See Sequencing in Action?

Don’t let another client slip away or another silver-medal candidate disappear. Discover how TE Recruit™, the top-rated all-in-one ATS and CRM for recruiting agencies, can help you win more business and place more candidates—while saving hours of time.

Request a demo of TE Recruit today and see how Sequencing can transform your recruiting workflow.