Candidate Talent Pool

What it is: Prospect database.

Overview

Works out the smallest useful Candidate Talent Pool setup for the business in front of it, then builds it only when asked. The default output is a short recommendation, not a spreadsheet. Artifacts - CSV, SQL DDL, JSON Schema, Notion mapping - are produced on request, from one field list so they cannot drift apart.

Layer: Layer 2: Acquire. Fits: Growth stage. Table code: n/a.

When to Use This Skill

• talent pool database
• candidate tracker
• recruiter pipeline spreadsheet
• keep candidates warm

Also use it when the user says "prospect database", or describes the same process happening in a spreadsheet, a document or someone inboxes.

Do not use it for: payroll calculation, tax filing, or legal advice. This skill produces empty templates only - it never holds or processes real employee or customer data.

How It Works

Follow the shared execution contract. The module-specific rules below define only domain fields, decisions, calculations, and safety constraints.

Step 1 - Identify intent

Read the request and pick the intent before asking anything.

• "set up" or "build" or "create" -> the user wants artifacts; go to Step 2.
• "our process is ..." or "it is in a sheet" -> the user wants to move an existing process; capture it, then Step 2.
• "is this right" or "review" or "audit" -> the user wants a check, not a build; answer from what they share.
• "how do I ..." -> advice question; answer directly and offer the build only if it helps.

Ask only if this is the highest-value missing fact; otherwise proceed without an opener:

Q: Which roles do you hire for?

Step 2 - Ask only what is missing

Skip anything the user already answered, in any earlier message. Ask the rest one at a time, and stop as soon as the remaining answers would not change the output.

• Roles - Which roles? / How many open? / Any hard-to-fill roles?
• Pipeline - How do you find people now? / Referrals or inbound? / Keep rejects warm?
• Pool - How long to keep? / Contact allowed? / Consent to re-engage?
• Current process - Where do CVs sit now? / Spreadsheet or inbox? / How many in the pool?
• Outcome - What do you need? / A pool, a tracker or alerts?

Never invent an answer. If the user does not know, record it as unknown and carry on.

Step 3 - Hold the internal context

Hold the answers in this shape. It stays internal - it is not shown to the user unless they ask, and it never carries a value the user did not give.

module: candidate-talent-pool
intent: null            # setup | advice | review | fix | build | convert | export
scale: null             # Starter | Growth | Scale, only if the answer changes it
areas:
  "Roles": null
  "Pipeline": null
  "Pool": null
  "Current process": null
  "Outcome": null
requested_outputs: []   # csv | sql | json | notion | xlsx - requested formats only
confirmed_facts: []     # only what the user actually said
open_questions: []      # the unanswered ones, in the order worth asking

Step 4 - Recommend the smallest workflow

If an artifact was requested, build it after resolving essential missing facts. Otherwise give a short recommendation and offer the relevant artifact.

Recommended approach: Keep a warm pool with consent and a re-engage date. It is a contact list with a purpose, not a resume archive.

Why this one: Rejected candidates are the cheapest hiring source you have, and the most commonly thrown away. Consent and a re-engage date are what make it reusable.

Workflow: Candidate added → Consent → Re-engage date → Reminder → Reopen role

Re-engagement gate: a candidate may carry a Re-engage Date only when Consent Status is Granted. If consent was never recorded, leave Re-engage Date empty, set Consent Status to Not recorded, and tell the user how many candidates are blocked on it. Do not infer consent from a role being open, from the candidate replying once, or from their CV being on file. Declined is final: never re-contact, and never quietly reset it to Not recorded to make a re-engagement list longer.

Step 5 - Build only on request

Once the user asks for it, derive the fields from the confirmed context and emit the requested artifacts. For machine-readable text, keep prose outside the data; for files, provide a usable link. Report material validation failures or limitations separately.

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