AI-Powered Candidate Sourcing
Automated Discovery & Evaluation System
for Northwestern Mutual Financial Advisor Recruiting
February 2026
The Recruiting Challenge
Today's Reality
- 10-15 hours/week manually searching
- Inconsistent coverage—easy to miss great candidates
- No systematic evaluation criteria
- Duplicate outreach across platforms
- College grads require separate workflow
What's Possible
- 30 minutes/week reviewing candidates
- 24/7 automated discovery across all platforms
- AI scoring against your Ideal Candidate Profile
- Smart deduplication—never see duplicates
- Unified pipeline: pros + college grads
The Solution: Automated Candidate Intelligence
Discover
Multi-source
automated search
Evaluate
AI scores against
your ICP
Prioritize
Ranked list with
confidence scores
Outreach
Personalized
talking points
Key Differentiator
This isn't just a list of names. The system tells you why each candidate is a good fit, flags concerns, and provides exactly how to approach them.
System Architecture
Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP) Scoring
Each candidate is scored 0-10 across five weighted categories:
Professional Background
25% weight- Sales experience & track record
- Commission-based compensation
- Target industries (pharma, medical)
- Career progression signals
Core Traits
30% weight- Competitive drive (awards)
- Resilience & persistence
- Self-motivation signals
- Relationship-building
Leadership & Trust
15% weight- Military background
- Athletic leadership
- Community involvement
- Team management
Motivation Alignment
15% weight- Service mindset
- Financial ambition
- Flexibility seeking
- Growth orientation
Demographics (15%): DFW location, 5-15 years experience, 28-45 age range (flexible)
What You Get: Candidate Intelligence
Sarah Martinez
✓ Key Strengths
- 7 years B2B sales, consistent quota attainment
- Strong network in North Dallas
- MBA from SMU, finance coursework
⚠ Concerns
- No direct insurance experience
- Current comp likely high
💬 AI-Generated Outreach Angles
- Entrepreneurial: "Own your client relationships"
- Financial mission: "SMU finance + sales = planning fit"
- Local roots: "Plano native helping Plano families"
📊 One-Liner Summary
"Top-performing B2B sales professional with financial acumen and deep local network."
🚫 Red Flags
None detected
Dashboard: Your Command Center
NWM Candidate Pipeline
| Name | Current Role | Location | Score | Source | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Martinez | Sr. Account Executive, ADP | Plano, TX | 8.2 | Priority | |
| James Wilson | Territory Manager, Stryker | Dallas, TX | 8.0 | Priority | |
| Emily Chen | Recent Grad, SMU Finance | Richardson, TX | 7.8 | Handshake | Priority |
| Michael Torres | Real Estate Agent | Fort Worth, TX | 7.2 | Outreach | |
| Amanda Brooks | Sales Rep, Oracle | Irving, TX | 6.8 | Indeed | Outreach |
What is Handshake?
Handshake is the #1 career platform for college students and recent graduates. Connects employers with students at 1,500+ universities.
Why It Matters for NWM
- Direct access to graduating talent
- Students actively job searching
- Rich data: GPA, majors, activities
- Filter by schools, dates, majors
Data Available on Handshake
- Academic: School, major, GPA, graduation
- Experience: Internships, jobs, volunteer
- Activities: Student orgs, leadership, athletics
- Location: Current, hometown, relocation
- Interests: Industry, job type preferences
The Challenge
Handshake doesn't offer an employer API. API is restricted to university career services. We need alternative integration approaches.
Next slide: Our recommended integration options →
College Graduate Pipeline: Target Schools
Target Schools (DFW/Texas)
Target Majors
- Business / Business Admin
- Finance
- Economics
- Marketing
Graduation Windows
- 2024 - Recent graduates
- 2025 - Current seniors
- 2026 - Pipeline
Graduate-Specific Scoring
Adjusted ICP criteria for entry-level:
- Academic: GPA, honors, coursework
- Leadership: Student orgs, sports
- Work Ethic: Internships, jobs
- Coachability: Growth mindset
- Local Ties: Texas roots
Emily Chen
- Finance Society Vice President
- Morgan Stanley internship
- Richardson, TX native
Handshake Integration: Your Options
Our Recommendation
Phase 1: Start with manual CSV to validate candidate quality → Phase 2: Add browser automation once satisfied → Phase 3: Optionally add LinkedIn alumni for broader reach
Full Options Comparison
| Option | Cost | Work | Compliance | Maintenance | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Manual CSV ⭐ | $0 | 5 min/wk | ✓ Safe | None | 1 hr |
| 2. Email CSV | $0 | 5 min/wk | ✓ Safe | None | 2 hr |
| 3. Browser Automation ⭐ | $0 | None | ⚠ Gray | 1-2 hr/mo | 8 hr |
| 4. LinkedIn Alumni | $100-150* | None | ⚠ Gray | None | 4 hr |
| 5. ATS (Greenhouse) | $542+ | None | ✓ Safe | None | 2-4 wk |
| 6. LinkedIn Recruiter API | $500+ | None | ✓ Safe | None | 1-2 wk |
⭐ Recommended: Start Option 1 (validate) → Option 3 (automate) → Option 4 (expand) | * Costs vary by usage
Investment: Monthly Cost
Core System
* Usage-dependent: varies with candidate volume and discovery frequency
Optional Add-ons
Expected Monthly Volume
Return on Investment
Manual Recruiting
Automated System
The real value: Recruiters build relationships instead of scrolling LinkedIn
What to Expect: Monthly Output
📅 Typical Week
Monday Morning:
- Check dashboard or Google Sheet
- See 10-15 new candidates
- Filter to "Priority Outreach"
- Review AI summaries
- 15 min sending messages
📊 Discovery Schedule
| Daily 6am | LinkedIn, Indeed |
| Every 6 hours | Twitter #OpenToWork |
| Weekly | Social media deep search |
| Weekly | Handshake processing |
Pilot Program: 30-Day Proof of Concept
Setup & Configuration
Deploy system with your ICP criteria. Connect Google Sheets. Set up Handshake CSV workflow. Run initial discovery across all sources.
First Batch Review & Calibration
Review first 20-30 candidates together. Calibrate ICP scoring based on your feedback. Adjust weights to match what makes a successful NWM advisor.
Refinement & Initial Outreach
System runs autonomously with calibrated criteria. You begin outreach to priority candidates. We track response rates and continue refining.
Results Review & Decision
Analyze pilot metrics: quality, volume, response rates. Decide on full deployment, adjustments, or additional features (browser automation, LinkedIn alumni).
Pilot Success Metrics
Quantitative Targets
| Candidates discovered | 40-60 |
| Priority (8+) | 10-15 |
| Score accuracy | 80%+ match |
| Deduplication | 95%+ |
| Review time | <2 hours |
Qualitative Validation
- AI summaries capture real strengths
- Outreach angles feel personalized
- Red flags catch real concerns
- College grad scoring appropriate
Exit Criteria
✓ Continue if...
- Finding new candidates you'd have missed
- AI scores align 80%+ with your gut
- Response rates meet baseline
- Time savings justify cost
✗ Pause if...
- Candidate quality consistently misses
- Too many false positives/negatives
- Platform access issues
- Integration friction outweighs benefit
No lock-in. If the pilot doesn't deliver, we stop. You keep all data.
Next Steps
Review ICP Criteria
Do weights match successful NWM advisors? Adjust?
Choose Handshake Approach
Manual CSV or automation? We recommend CSV first.
Provide Access
Google Sheet, Handshake, confirm schools.
To Start the Pilot
- Google Sheets access - Share or create sheet for candidate storage
- ICP review confirmation - Approve or adjust scoring criteria
- Handshake decision - Manual CSV or credentials for automation
- Target schools confirmation - UNT, UTD, TCU, SMU (+ any others?)
Timeline: System can be live within 1 week of approval
Questions?
Let's discuss how this fits your recruiting workflow
Dan Dano | RocketTools.io
dan@rockettools.io