01
A named detail is not a reason
A message can mention a company, school, or recent title and still feel automated. Candidates can usually tell whether the detail changed the sender's decision to contact them or was inserted after that decision had already been made.
The more useful question comes before any draft: why this person, for this opportunity, now? The answer may be one sentence. It needs to be specific enough that a colleague could read it and understand why the conversation is reasonable to propose.
02
Keep the evidence separate from the story
Recruiting messages often become awkward when an observed fact is quietly turned into a claim about motivation. A public profile may show experience leading a product team. It does not reveal whether someone is looking, interested, or ready to move.
Keeping those two things separate produces a cleaner message. State the relevant observation. Describe the work honestly. Invite a conversation rather than implying a relationship that does not exist.
- Do not treat a public signal as proof of intent.
- Do not invent familiarity with a person's work or priorities.
- Do give the candidate enough context to decide whether replying is worth their time.
03
Sometimes the next action is to wait
A mature sourcing workflow has room for “not now”. The role may still be too vague. The signal may be old. The person may already be in a recent conversation. Or the team may not yet have a reason strong enough to make an interruption worthwhile.
That is not a missed sequence. It is a decision that protects the relationship, gives the team a reason to revisit the profile later, and keeps outreach from becoming a volume exercise.