A Post-Placement Touch Plan That Protects Your Guarantee

A post-placement touch plan is a schedule of check-ins with the candidate and the client from offer acceptance through the end of your guarantee period. Plan short calls at the riskiest moments: resignation day, the notice period, the first day, the first week, and then about once a month. Each touch catches problems while they're still small, and every call with the client is a chance to earn the next search.

Why do recruiters need a touch plan?

Between acceptance and the end of the guarantee, a lot can go wrong: a counteroffer, cold feet, a rough first week or a mismatch nobody mentioned. Most of these are fixable if you hear about them early. Without a plan, check-ins happen when you remember, which is often after a problem has grown.

What does the schedule look like?

Adjust the timing to your guarantee period and the role, but a typical plan looks like this:

1. Offer accepted. Congratulate the candidate and confirm resignation timing and the start date.
2. Resignation day. Call that evening. How did it go? Was there a counteroffer?
3. During notice. A short call each week. Ask how they're feeling about the move.
4. The day before they start. Confirm logistics and wish them well.
5. End of the first day and first week. Ask what surprised them, good and bad.
6. 30, 60 and 90 days. Check in with the candidate and, separately, the hiring manager.
7. End of the guarantee period. Thank both sides, and ask the client how the search went and what's coming next.

What should you ask the candidate?

• "Is the role what you expected? What's different?"
• "How are things with your manager and the team?"
• "Do you have what you need to do the job well?"
• "Has your old employer been in touch?"

Listen for early warning signs: vague answers, frustration with the manager, or a former employer reaching out.

What should you ask the client?

• "How is the new hire settling in?"
• "Is there anything you'd like me to pass along or help with?"
• "Is the role turning out the way you expected?"

Keep these calls short and helpful. Toward the end of the plan, it's natural to ask what else is happening on their team. Repeat searches often start in these conversations, which is why a touch plan is part of earning the next job order.

How do you make sure it actually happens?

Put the dates on your calendar the day the offer is accepted, and log every check-in as a touch. In identifyd, each call with the candidate or hiring manager is recorded with its date and channel, and your lists show the last touch for each person and who is due for a follow-up, so an overdue check-in is easy to spot.