Attio for Recruiting
A CRM built for how recruiting actually works
Candidates, roles, clients, and placements as separate records. Follow-up automations that prevent warm candidates from going cold. A workspace your team will actually open.
We implement Attio for recruiting firms and build the agents that keep the pipeline clean.
Book a callSound familiar?
- Candidates, roles, and clients all live in different spreadsheets or siloed tools
- You cannot tell at a glance which roles are most at risk of going cold
- Follow-up on warm candidates falls through when the recruiter is juggling twelve roles at once
- Client relationships get neglected between active searches
- Placed candidates disappear from the system instead of becoming the referral network they could be
- Your CRM is either too rigid (Bullhorn, Vincere) or too bare (spreadsheets, HubSpot)
Why standard CRMs fall short for recruiting
A candidate is not a contact
A contact record can hold a name and a company. A candidate has a current role, a target role, a salary expectation, interview stages, rejection reasons, and placement history. Flattening that into fields on a contact loses the data that makes the next search faster.
A role is not a deal
A recruiting role has headcount, a hiring manager, a fee arrangement, and a candidate pipeline attached. A CRM deal has none of that structure. Forcing recruiting work into a sales pipeline produces pipeline data nobody trusts.
Client relationships need their own cadence
Between active searches, client relationships go quiet. Without a structured record for each client relationship, the account goes cold and the next search gets pushed to a competitor who stayed in touch.
Placement data becomes a black hole
After a placement closes, the placed candidate disappears. Every placed candidate is a potential referral source, a future candidate, and a proof point for the next client pitch. That network needs to stay active.
The data model
Candidates
The talent pool. Current, placed, and pipeline. One record across all roles they have been considered for.
- Current role, company, level
- Target role, target compensation
- Source (referral, LinkedIn, inbound, event)
- Status (Active, Placed, Archived, Do Not Contact)
- Linked Roles and Placements
Roles
One record per open or filled search. Holds the client brief, the candidate pipeline, and the commercial terms.
- Client (linked Company)
- Hiring manager (linked Contact)
- Role title, level, location, compensation range
- Fee type and fee amount
- Status (Open, On hold, Filled, Cancelled)
Companies
Client organizations. Linked to Roles, Contacts, and Placements. Tracks the relationship between searches.
- Account status (Active client, Prospect, Alumni)
- Sector, size, location
- Primary contact, relationship owner
- Total placements, open roles
- Next touchpoint date
Placements
Custom object created when a candidate fills a role. Holds the financial and relationship record for the placement.
- Placed candidate (linked Candidate)
- Role filled (linked Role)
- Client (linked Company)
- Placement date, start date
- Fee amount, collected status
- Guarantee period end, replacement status
Candidate pipeline
| Stage | What it means |
|---|---|
| Sourced | Candidate identified, not yet engaged |
| Approached | Outreach sent, awaiting response |
| Screening | Recruiter interview scheduled or complete |
| Submitted | Candidate CV sent to client |
| Client interview | One or more client-side interviews in progress |
| Offer | Offer made, pending acceptance |
| Placed | Offer accepted, Placement record created |
| Rejected / Withdrawn | Not progressing, reason captured |
Automations and agents
Follow-up cadence agent
Daily check of active candidates in the pipeline. If a stage has not moved in N days and no email or call has been logged, the agent creates a follow-up task for the owner. No warm candidate falls through.
Role health agent
Weekly sweep of open roles. Roles with no new submissions or no recent client contact get flagged before they go cold. The recruiter sees where the search is at risk.
Client relationship agent
Monthly check on client companies with no active roles. Creates a touchpoint task for the account owner. Keeps relationships alive between searches.
Placement record creation
When a candidate stage moves to Placed, a Placement record is created automatically with the linked candidate, role, client, and fee. No manual data entry after the close.
FAQ
Can Attio replace a dedicated ATS?
For most boutique and specialist recruiting firms, yes. Attio handles candidate tracking, role management, client relationships, and placements in one place. If you need job board integrations or GDPR-compliant candidate portals, evaluate whether those are essential to your workflow.
Can candidates be linked to multiple roles?
Yes. Candidate records are linked to Role records as relationships. One candidate can appear in multiple role pipelines without duplicating the record.
What about email and LinkedIn tracking?
Attio's email sync captures outbound and inbound email automatically on the record. LinkedIn activity requires manual logging or an integration like Surfe.
Can we track guarantee periods and replacement searches?
Yes. The Placement object can hold the guarantee period end date and a replacement flag. An automation can create a follow-up task when the guarantee period is about to expire.
How long does implementation take?
Most recruiting setups complete in 1-7 business days. The 1-day setup builds the workspace and migrates your data. The 7-day sprint adds the follow-up and health agents.
Ready when you are.
Two ways in. Pick the friction that fits.