---
title: "Dex for Recruiters: How to Use Dex to Keep Your Talent Pipeline Warm"
description: "How to use Dex alongside your ATS to stay close to placed candidates and hiring managers, so you're the first call when the next search opens."
canonical: https://getdex.com/guides/dex-for-recruiters/
updated: 2026-11-02T00:00:00.000Z
source: https://getdex.com/llms.txt
---

# Dex for Recruiters: How to Use Dex to Keep Your Talent Pipeline Warm

Your ATS is built to run a search. Once the search closes, the relationship has nowhere to go. The candidate you placed three years ago is a hiring manager now, and the VP who trusted you with one role has a new budget. If you haven't spoken since the start date, the next search may go to someone else.

[Dex](https://getdex.com/recruiters/) holds the years between searches. This guide shows recruiters, both agency and independent, how to set it up next to Bullhorn, Loxo, Ezekia or any other ATS, and how to run a routine that keeps you in touch.

## Decide what goes in Dex

Use a simple rule. Open roles, pipelines and submittals stay in the ATS. People you want to know for the long term go into Dex: placed candidates, hiring managers, silver medalists you'd call again, and your wider network.

This split has a second benefit. Your ATS data usually belongs to the firm, so it's worth checking who owns the seat. Dex is your own account, and you can [export your contacts](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/export) any time. Don't copy firm-owned candidate data across without checking your employment agreement.

## Bring your people in

1. Connect Gmail and Google Calendar under **Settings → Workflow → Sync & Import/Export**. Outlook requires Professional.
2. Connect [LinkedIn sync](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/syncfeatures/sync-linkedin) from the mobile or desktop app. Recruiters' networks run large, so check the limits: 2,500 connections on Premium and 9,000 on Professional.
3. Install the Mac desktop app to sync [iMessage](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/syncfeatures/sync-imessage) and phone call history. On a Mac this gives you a record of the calls that make up most of your week.
4. Connect [WhatsApp](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/syncfeatures/sync-whatsapp) for candidates who prefer it.
5. [Import a CSV](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/import/csv) of the people you want to track. The web app handles this, and any column you don't map is ignored.

Install the [Chrome extension](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/dexextension/aboutdexextension) too. On a LinkedIn profile, it adds someone to Dex, or opens their contact if they're already there, so you can add a note and a reminder without leaving the page.

## Organize around placements and hiring

Groups for a typical desk:

- Hiring managers
- Placed candidates
- Silver medalists
- Talent leaders
- Referral sources
- Industry peers

Tag by function, seniority and sector: "engineering", "VP", "Series B". Add custom fields for placement date, placed company and salary band, and you can filter on them.

![The Dex contacts list with Hiring managers, Placed candidates and Talent network groups, then custom fields for Specialty, Placement year and Open to move.](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/4rVgh3Kr0QxkF1VEVEWT7D/8cf48144e2abf336de80220b8780928b/placed-candidates-custom-fields.gif)

Saved [views](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/organize-your-contacts) then give you ready-made lists. "Placed candidates with a placement date older than 18 months" finds people who may be open to the next move, or who've become hiring managers themselves. Favorite it and it sits in your sidebar.

## Stay close after the start date

Give hiring managers a monthly [keep-in-touch frequency](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/keep-in-touch), placed candidates every 3 months and your wider network once a year. Adjust those as needed:

- Hiring managers: every month
- Talent leaders: every 3 months
- Placed candidates: every 3 months
- Silver medalists: every 6 months
- Wider network: every year

Set them per contact, or for a whole group: open the group, click Select all, then Frequency, and pick a rhythm. People who already have a frequency keep it. Your Keep-in-Touch list shows who's due, and logged calls and emails move the date on their own.

![Opening the Hiring managers group, selecting everyone, choosing Frequency and then Every month. Dex notes that people who already had a frequency kept it, then shows the Keep in Touch list.](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/BqHXdfzGFiOXPUNnhlTbj/06956e6a809dd58a347c8422c5b20aeb/hiring-managers-every-month-keep-in-touch.gif)

Placements also have dates worth marking. Set [recurring reminders](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/reminders) for the 30-day and 90-day check-ins, and for the first work anniversary. A note on someone's one-year mark is a small thing, and few people will expect it.

![Adding a reminder in Dex with contacts, date and repeat options](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/2Q2NrnwWC79UvcLrLXBfTj/f8602989fb612d41688f6e3ca308b5f6/dex-add-reminder.webp)

## Watch for job changes

With LinkedIn connected, Dex flags important title changes: a new employer, a promotion, a new role, or someone starting or leaving a company. They show on Home and in your network update email.

![Dex network updates showing LinkedIn connections' title changes, a prompt to reach out.](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/1asBqQEatrfm6ZC0fwUlX8/3531281117eb10f990f734dfd2c4cec3/dex-linkedin-job-changes.png)

For a recruiter, each of those is a signal. A new VP may be building a team. A promotion can leave an open seat behind it. Someone leaving may be a candidate. Reach out with a congratulations first, and leave the pitch for later.

Enable this via settings:

![Dex notification settings with the LinkedIn title changes and Pre-meeting emails options.](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/3krCj1VqHEm4llN8KGwmhu/48495d0c348e0673cfa428b9700bfc48/title-change-and-pre-meeting-settings.gif)

## Prepare for every call

Before a calendar meeting, Dex emails a [pre-meeting brief](https://getdex.com/docs/workflows/pre-meeting) with context on the person. It needs Google connected, and it covers meetings with up to four attendees. It's in beta and arrives about 10 minutes before the meeting.

![Pre-meeting-Brief-2.png](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/23jO1gbPMGqucXYv7CryVk/164d338a84cb064dde1b6bd78a7d9bd3/Pre-meeting-Brief-2.png)

Dex Research builds a deeper briefing on a hiring manager or candidate, covering their background, current role and what's changed since you last talked. Premium includes 10 credits a month and Professional includes 20.

After each call, add a note on what they want next and what they said about the team. Conversation Memory also writes a short nightly note from synced WhatsApp, iMessage, LinkedIn and Instagram chats.

![A note on a candidate's timeline, then a search for "team lead" that finds a note about Jordan Ellis considering a remote team lead role.](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/2dLlXD53OiDUN33DRAYWLz/539bbf56f0fa9289b7cafd53e7ed8ce0/team-lead-note-search.gif)

## Let Copilot find the check-ins

Ask [Copilot](https://getdex.com/docs/ai/copilot), "Who do I know who's a VP of Engineering in Austin?" It answers from your contacts and notes, then drafts the check-in. You edit and send.

Other useful prompts:

- "Summarize my history with Marisol Vantrease."
- "Draft a note to Sarah on their promotion."

![summarize-copilot-marisol](https://images.ctfassets.net/u17em9tc1vdb/1e8sE4MAItTGH2kkNNo3PU/c383f50de6e853996ff24ac51d09221c/CleanShot_2026-11-06_at_04.03.25.png)

For market updates to a group of hiring managers, [Mail Merge](https://getdex.com/docs/integrationsandfeatures/mail-merge) on Professional sends a personalized email to up to 200 contacts from your own account. Dex is meant for relationships you already have, so don't use it to send cold outreach.

## A weekly routine for your desk

1. Clear the people due on your Keep-in-Touch list, starting with hiring managers.
2. Check title changes on Home and send two or three notes.
3. Review the placement check-ins due this week.
4. Open your older-placements view and choose one person to call.
5. Add notes from the week's calls.

## Going independent

If you're leaving a firm to go out alone, Dex can be your starting system. Import a CSV of the people you have the right to keep, set your cadences, and use your own email from the first day. See the [Dex for recruiters page](https://getdex.com/recruiters/) for a comparison with an ATS and a spreadsheet.

---

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Dex replace my ATS?

No. Keep open roles and pipelines in your ATS. Dex is for placed candidates, hiring managers and your network between searches.

### Who owns my data if I change firms?

Dex is your own account, and you can export your contacts at any time. Candidates in your employer's ATS are a separate matter, so check your agreement before you move anything.

### What does Dex cost compared with an ATS?

Dex starts at $12 a month billed annually. Most recruiters with a large network will want Professional, at $20 a month billed annually, for 9,000 LinkedIn connections and Mail Merge.

### Can my whole desk use Dex together?

[Dex for Teams](https://getdex.com/teams/), in early testing, adds a shared workspace next to each person's private Dex. Searching a person or company shows which teammates know them and when they last talked.

## Get started

Good recruiting relationships outlast any single search. Keep pipelines in your ATS, move placed candidates and hiring managers into Dex, set a cadence for each group, and watch for job changes. Start with your last 20 placements.

[Start your free 6-day trial of Dex](https://getdex.com/get-started?ref=guide&ref_post=dex-for-recruiters), or read more on the [Dex for recruiters page](https://getdex.com/recruiters/). A card is required to start the trial, and you won't be charged until it ends.