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Source Candidates

Source Candidates transforms hiring conversations into a scored candidate list by analyzing profiles and experience requirements.

Davide Grieco
Davide Grieco

Head of Growth at Clay

About this Skill

When to use it

Use this Skill when you need to find candidates for a specific role or build a talent pool based on existing profiles. It is particularly useful when you have a few exemplar profiles or specific experience criteria in mind. This Skill helps ensure that the search criteria are accurately represented and that the candidates sourced align with the hiring manager's expectations.

What it delivers

The Skill produces a ranked list of candidates based on the defined criteria, including a scorecard for evaluation. It unlocks the decision of which candidates are worth contacting based on their scores and shared attributes. The boundaries include ensuring that only relevant candidates are sourced while avoiding those from specified do-not-source lists.

SKILL.md preview

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How someone would prompt this

We're hiring a Head of Growth in London. Here are three people I'd hire.

Other ways to ask

Inputs & outputs

What someone provides before the Skill runs, and the reviewable artifacts it returns.

Inputs

  • 01The role
    • the title and one line on what the person will own
    • if missing, the process stops.
  • 02The seed
    • either two or three profiles of people they would hire, or the specific experience they are looking for
    • if missing, the process stops.
  • 03Which shared attributes matter
    • the key attributes from the seed profiles
    • if missing, the Skill cannot proceed.
  • 04Location
    • cities, states, countries, or a region
    • if missing, the process cannot default.
  • 05Seniority and experience
    • a seniority band and a years-of-experience floor or range
    • if missing, no seniority filter is applied.
  • 06Scorecard criteria and weights
    • the criteria a filter cannot hold, each weighted
    • if missing, the Skill cannot guess.
  • 07Band cut-offs
    • the score at which a candidate is worth contacting
    • if missing, defaults apply.
  • 08Per-employer cap
    • how many candidates may come from one company
    • if missing, defaults apply.
  • 09Do-not-source list
    • companies not to approach
    • if missing, no exclusions are applied.
  • 10Suppression list
    • optional list of people already in the pipeline
    • if missing, no deduplication occurs.
  • 11Target list size
    • how many candidates they want to review
    • if missing, defaults apply.
  • 12Contact address
    • personal email, work email, or profile link only
    • if missing, defaults to profile link.
  • 13Sender and pitch facts
    • who the mail is from and their relation to the role
    • if missing, the copy step is skipped.
  • 14Availability heuristic
    • on or off
    • if missing, defaults to off.
  • 15The Clay plan tier
    • no input required
    • it sets the shape of the run.

Outputs

  • 01Candidate ListA ranked list of candidates sourced based on the defined criteria, including their names, titles, and scores.
  • 02ScorecardA detailed scorecard that evaluates each candidate against the specified criteria, providing evidence for their scores.
  • 03Outreach DraftsPersonalized outreach email drafts for each candidate, ready to be sent from the recruiter's mailbox.
  • 04Population SummaryA summary of each population queried, including the number of candidates found, target size, and whether more candidates are available.

Representative output

Candidate List

NameTitleScoreEvidence Line
Jane DoeHead of Growth75"demonstrated strong quantitative skills"
John SmithDirector of Marketing68"led successful growth initiatives"

Scorecard

CriterionWeightCandidate 1Candidate 2
Ownership vs Execution252018
Strong Quantitative Background202520

Outreach Drafts

Draft for Jane Doe

Population Summary

PopulationSampledFull YieldMore Available
In-house growth leaders at B2B SaaS25140Yes
Ex-consultants two to four years in-house2561Yes

How the Skill runs

Follow the steps in order. Each row includes the full instruction.

01
Verify the platform, pull the field list live, and say where the work runs

Verify the platform and pull the field list live, stating which workspace the work runs in.

Step
02
Have the conversation. It is the intake, not a formality

Engage in a conversation to define the role and gather seed profiles or experience descriptions.

Step
03
Decompose the exemplars, then ask which parts are the point

Decompose the exemplar profiles and identify which attributes are essential.

Step
04
Split every criterion three ways, in front of the person who set them

Split every criterion into filterable, scorecard, and not observable categories in front of the hiring manager.

Step
05
One query per population

Run one query per defined population based on the criteria established.

Step
06
The sample gate: 25 rows per population, before anything else

Sample the results with a limit of 25 rows per population to assess the yield.

Step
07
State the cost, then wait

State the cost of the operation and wait for approval before proceeding.

Step
08
Page the full set, then score it

Page through the full set of results for each population and score them based on the established criteria.

Output
09
Verdicts: evidence status first, then the band

Provide verdicts on the evidence status and assign bands to the candidates.

Step
10
Outreach copy, per population, drafts only

Draft outreach copy for each population, ensuring it is tailored and specific.

Step
11
Deliver, with the shape of what is missing

Deliver the results, including the yield, bands, candidates, and outreach drafts.

Step

Connections required

No connections listed.

Install Clay and run it

Sign in once, install the Skill, then run the prompt.

  1. 1Install ClayUse the connector or official plugin in your coding-agent environment.
  2. 2Sign up or log inAuthorize Clay access and return when the connection is ready.
  3. 3Install the SkillRun the one-line install command from the Add this Skill card.
  4. 4Run the SkillPaste the example prompt and review the result.

Version history

Version 2From submitted SKILL.mdCurrent

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