A professional services firm was losing touch with great people the day they resigned. We built an automated alumni network — consented offboarding, twice-yearly check-ins, AI matching against new openings — and boomerangs now make up 8% of all hires.
Typical results
450
Alumni in the network
42%
Check-in reply rate
60%
Cheaper than agency hires
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
The firm trained excellent consultants, watched them leave for industry roles, then paid agencies to find strangers with the same skills. There was no alumni database, no follow-up, and returning employees — barely 1% of hires — came back by accident. Meanwhile matched roles took 45 days to fill and every agency placement carried a hefty fee.
Before and after
Boomerang share of hires
8×Time-to-fill matched roles
−60%Alumni profiles maintained
The automation
We added an alumni step to offboarding: departing employees opt in, and their skills, projects and contact details flow into a dedicated pipeline. Twice a year an automated, personalized check-in refreshes each profile. When a role opens, AI scores it against all 450 alumni and drafts a personal come-back note from the person's former practice lead — sent with one click, tracked in the ATS on a fast-track.
How it works
- 01
Graceful goodbye
Offboarding adds each departing employee to the alumni pipeline — with consent — capturing skills, projects and contact preferences.
- 02
Automated check-ins
Twice a year, personalized emails keep in touch and quietly refresh each profile: new role, new skills, open to returning?
- 03
AI matches openings
When a role opens, AI scores it against every alumni profile and surfaces the strong fits.
- 04
Personal invitation
Matched alumni get a personal note from their old practice lead, drafted automatically, sent with one click.
- 05
Fast-track pipeline
Interested returners enter the ATS on a shortened track — the firm already knows their work.
Starts from
- Departing employees
- New openings
Delivers
- Twice-yearly check-ins
- Personal come-back invites
- Fast-track ATS pipeline
The impact
Within about eighteen months, a network like this holds around 450 alumni with living profiles, and 42% reply to check-ins. Boomerangs grow from 1% to 8% of all hires, matched roles fill in 18 days instead of 45, and each returning hire costs roughly 60% less than an agency placement.
Questions about this automation
How do former employees join the alumni network?
Joining is a step in offboarding. Departing employees are asked for consent, and those who agree have their skills, projects and contact preferences added to a dedicated alumni pipeline. Anyone can opt out at any time through a link in every check-in email, and their profile is then removed.
How does the AI match alumni to new openings?
When a role opens, its requirements are compared with every alumni profile, including skills, past projects, seniority and the latest check-in answers. The strongest fits are surfaced with a short explanation of each match, and a recruiter or practice lead decides who actually receives an invitation.
Who sends the come-back invitation?
The automation drafts a personal note in the name of the person's former practice lead, referring to the work they did together. The lead reviews it and sends it with one click. Replies are tracked in the ATS, and interested alumni move onto a shorter fast-track hiring path.