You rejected them six months ago. Now you've got another opening and suddenly you remember: that candidate was actually really good! We just hired someone slightly better! Maybe they're still interested?

Spoiler: maybe they are, but you need to approach this carefully. Nobody wants to feel like someone's backup plan or like you only remembered they exist because you're desperate to fill a role.

Here's how to re-engage runner-up candidates without making it weird.

First: Make Sure You Actually Kept Things Warm

The best time to prepare for re-engagement is when you're initially rejecting someone. If you told them "you were a tough decision, we'd love to stay connected, we'll definitely reach out if something else opens up" - great, you set the foundation.

If you ghosted them or sent a generic "we've moved forward with other candidates" email - you're starting from a weaker position. Not impossible to recover, but you'll need to acknowledge the gap.

Your ATS should have these candidates tagged as "silver medal," "strong candidate," or "future consideration." If you're not doing this, start now. Future you will be grateful when you need to quickly pull a list of great candidates who didn't get hired.

The Outreach Can't Be Lazy

DO NOT send: "Hey! We have another opening. Still interested?"

This says "I'm too busy/lazy to remember you specifically, I'm just spam messaging everyone in my ATS, please respond so I can hit my sourcing targets."

DO send something that references your previous conversations: "Hi Sarah - we spoke last spring about the Senior Product Manager role. You were a finalist and it was genuinely a tough decision. We ultimately went with someone with more B2B experience, but I was really impressed by your background in consumer tech and product strategy. I wanted to reach out because we now have a Director of Product role that I think aligns even better with your experience, particularly around scaling 0-to-1 products. Would you be open to a quick chat about it?"

This demonstrates: you remember them specifically, you know why they weren't selected previously, you're not just recycling them for the same role, and you've thought about why this opportunity might be better fit.

Acknowledge the Elephant in the Room

Don't pretend the previous rejection didn't happen. Address it directly but briefly: "I know we weren't able to move forward last time, but you were a strong candidate and I've been keeping you in mind for other opportunities."

This shows respect for their time and experience. You're not pretending they should be thrilled you're finally deigning to contact them again. You're acknowledging the previous outcome and explaining why this time might be different.

If the previous rejection was months ago and you haven't stayed in touch at all, acknowledge that too: "It's been a while since we connected - I wanted to reach out because..." Don't act like you've been keeping in touch when you haven't.

Explain Why This Role Is Different/Better

They need to know why they should care about this opportunity when they weren't selected for the last one. What's different?

Maybe it's a better fit for their background: "This role focuses more on growth-stage strategy, which aligns perfectly with your experience at Company X."

Maybe it's a higher level: "You were a finalist for our Senior Engineer role, but this is a Staff Engineer position that I think better matches your technical depth."

Maybe the team or context is different: "This role is on the infrastructure team rather than product engineering, and based on our previous conversations about your interests, I thought it might be more compelling."

Give them a reason to engage beyond "we have an opening and you were in our database." They need to see what's in it for them.

Be Honest About the Timeline and Process

Don't act like they're getting special treatment if they're not. If they still need to go through the full interview process, say so. "You'd still meet with the team since this is a different role, but we could definitely move quickly since you already know our company."

If they DO get special treatment (fast-tracked process, fewer interviews), mention that: "Since you've already met with several people here and we know your work, we'd streamline the process to just a conversation with the hiring manager and a technical deep-dive."

Candidates appreciate knowing what they're signing up for. Are they going to spend 10 hours interviewing again? Or is this a 2-hour commitment? That affects their willingness to engage.

Don't Assume They're Still Interested

Just because someone was interested six months ago doesn't mean they are today. They might have accepted another role, changed their career direction, or decided they're not interested in your company after being rejected.

Give them an easy out: "I completely understand if your situation has changed or you're not looking right now. If you're happy where you are, no worries at all - but I wanted to make sure you knew about this opportunity."

This removes pressure and makes it clear you respect their autonomy. Some candidates will appreciate the option even if they're not interested. Others will genuinely be excited to re-engage.

Keep Your Pipeline Warm Proactively

The ideal scenario is that silver medalists never get cold. Stay in touch between opportunities:

• Send them relevant company updates or blog posts quarterly
• Invite them to company events or webinars
• Connect on LinkedIn and engage with their content
• Check in every 4-6 months just to stay connected

This way, when you do have a new role, you're not cold-calling someone who forgot you exist. You're reaching out to someone you've maintained a relationship with.

Most recruiters don't do this because it takes time and effort. That's exactly why it's effective - you're providing a better experience than 95% of companies.

The Real Talk

Silver medal candidates are the lowest-hanging fruit in recruiting. They've already been vetted, they know your company, they were interested enough to go through your process once. The conversion rate on these candidates is way higher than cold sourcing.

But you have to treat them with respect. They're not just names in a database to be recycled whenever you have an opening. They're professionals who were good enough to almost get hired, and they deserve thoughtful, personalized outreach.

Do it right and your silver medalists become your best pipeline. Do it wrong and they'll remember being treated like an afterthought when they're in position to make hiring decisions at their new company.

Your choice.