LESSON 4 OF 6 · INTERMEDIATE
Design follow-up around permission
Agree on a channel and timing where possible. Every follow-up should have a reason, such as an answer, update or useful resource. Stop when asked and use your organization’s approved communication and suppression process. Rules vary by channel and location; this lesson does not establish permission to send cold email, text or calls.
Draft a three-touch plan with a reason, interval assumption and stop rule for each message.
About 2 minutes reading + 12 minutes practice. Take longer when needed.
Apply the method
Build follow-up as a sequence of useful reasons, not repeated requests for attention. Where possible, agree on timing and channel. Define stop conditions for a reply, decline, opt-out, changed status or duplicate process. Keep the system of record current so another recruiter or integration does not restart contact. Review applicable organizational and jurisdictional rules before activating outreach. This lesson teaches planning judgment, not permission to cold-contact any audience. Test an approved sequence on fictional records before using automation.
A worked application
Fictional example: An engineer welcomes a check-in after a product release. The recruiter records the date and sends a relevant role update then. Another candidate asks for no further contact; that preference is honored through the organization’s approved process. A candidate who books an interview is removed from introductory follow-ups because the next communication should address the interview, not pretend no conversation has occurred.
Common mistake to avoid
Do not interpret silence as consent for unlimited contact or switch identities and channels to evade a stated preference.
Work through the case
FICTIONAL SCENARIO
A candidate requests a check-in after a project ends. Daily automated reminders contradict that preference even if they increase activity counts.
Make it practical
Draft a three-touch plan with a reason, interval assumption and stop rule for each message.
Compare your reasoning with a worked response
The plan stops on a decline, opt-out or reply requiring human handling. Timing is a proposal to validate, not a universal cadence.
Takeaway
Use the method to explain your decision, identify what you still need to verify and choose an accountable next step.
Treat the response as a model for reasoning, not the only possible wording. Adapt it to the role, evidence and appropriate organizational guidance.