Now that you have posted your first job, you are ready to process any applicants you have received using the assigned workflow to narrow and select the best candidates for hire.
Applicant Files
For each application submitted, an applicant file will be created. The contents of an applicant file vary according to the job template that was used to post the job. Read more about The Applicant File.
Applicant Files can be accessed from multiple locations within your hiring system, including:
- The Applicant Queue of a specific job.
- The Talent tab from the main menu, which will showcase every applicant a user has permissions to access, regardless of the position to which they've applied.
- A direct link from an applicant communication in the My Hiring Center Home Dashboard.
Additionally, your hiring system will offer visual cues to recognize an applicant's status to help you identify and differentiate where applicants are in the process.
Note: All applicants remain tied to and associated with the job to which they've applied. If an applicant applies to multiple jobs, each application will create a new applicant file.
Flagging Applicants
An applicant flag is a way to mark an applicant using colored and labeled flags. Applicant Flags and corresponding labels are global system settings that can be applied to applicants of all jobs. Account Administrators can configure flags by clicking System Settings from the main menu and selecting Applicant Flags. Read more about configuring and Flagging Applicants.
Applicant Notifications
The hiring system provides various methods to receive notifications of applicant communications, including:
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Dashboard: When you log in to your hiring center you are greeted on the home screen dashboard with tiles designed to give you an up-to-date overview of your assigned jobs in the hiring center. Read more about My Hiring Center Home Dashboard.
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Applicant Notification Emails: Applicant notifications are system generated emails sent to members of the hiring team when new applicants are received. The email subject will be "New Job Applicant Notification for Job Title," and the email will contain system links with direct access to the applicant file, the applicant queue, and your applicant notifications settings. Read more about Applicant Notification Emails.
Communicating with Applicants
Your hiring system provides multiple ways throughout the system to efficiently communicate and exchange information with applicants, including:
- Sending messages from My Hiring Center Home Dashboard (if you are assigned as a member of the job's hiring team)
- Sending Applicant Messages within the Applicant File
- Sending Bulk Messages from the Applicant Queue
- Including File Attachments
Rating Applicants
Various methods are provided within your applicant tracking system as a way for the hiring team to rate applicants’ responses to applicant elements and apply an overall score. This helps your hiring team to define which applicants should move on to the next steps of your hiring process. Read more about Rating Applications.
Applicant Processing: Workflow Stages and Steps
The stages and steps of the workflow assigned to the job will show up in the panel of the Stages tab for every applicant file of that job. When a job seeker submits their application, they will be in the Received Stage automatically. See more about Receiving Applicants.
The Stages tab of every applicant file will contain each of the workflow stages and associated steps. Depending on the workflow selected, they may be different from job to job. The following is one example:
Moving an applicant through workflow stages:
The Stages tab of every applicant file will contain each of the workflow stages and associated steps within a stage. To process applicants, you should move applicants through the defined workflow process in one of two ways:
1. Automatically by initiating a step action within the corresponding stage.
2. Manually by using the Current Stage drop-down to select a stage and move the applicant to that stage. In this example, the stage was changed from Received to Review.
Note: All stages activity is tracked in the Streams tab and reflected in your Dashboard totals and all other stages locations throughout the system.
Processing Steps
1. Click on the text of the Step Name to initiate the associated action, such as phone screen or initial formal interview. Details of the step will be displayed in the panel of the Stages tab and provide the corresponding workflow to follow.
2. Workflow steps will appear in the Processing section of the applicant file Details tab in the same order they appear in the job's Stages workflow tab. However, attachments will remain at the bottom of the list.
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Hiring Decision
Once an applicant has been processed through each of the stages and steps, members of the hiring team should be ready to make a decision to Hire or Reject the applicant. If the hiring team makes a hiring decision earlier in the process, the Hire and Reject Buttons are always available.
Hiring Applicants
Once you decide to hire an applicant, you can proceed based on your defined hiring procedures. To offer the most flexibility, your applicant tracking system provides three options for processing the hire. All hiring actions are traced in the Streams tab of the applicant's file.
Read more about Hiring Applicants and the three processing options available.
Rejecting Applicants
Once you decide to reject an applicant, scroll to the bottom of the Stages tab in the applicant's file and click the Reject button. You’ll be given the option to send a rejection email or reject the applicant without sending an email. All rejection actions are traced in the Streams tab of the applicant's file. Read more about Rejecting Applicants and Bulk Rejections from the Applicant Queue.
Disposition Codes
A disposition code is used internally when an applicant is rejected and indicates the reason why they were not selected for hire. Disposition code standardization helps prevent the exclusion of an applicant for an unreasonable or unlawful reason, and your online hiring system will include a full library of default disposition codes. When activated by the Account Administrator, a member of the hiring team will be required to select a disposition code for every applicant at the time they are rejected. Read more about Disposition Codes.
Collaborate with the hiring team
Your Applicant Tracking System lets you collaborate with other system users within applicant files. A user can receive @mentions if they are assigned as a member of the hiring team for that job or are a system administrator. The @mention feature can be used anywhere in an applicant file where there are comment areas, including individual applicant elements, stage workflows actions, or directly on the file's comment tab. Read more about Collaborate with the hiring team using @mentions.
Comments enable hiring team members to collaborate in one or all areas of each Applicant File. Comments can be entered and reviewed at the bottom of any job element that was selected as part of the job template. Once a comment is added to an element, a comment icon appears to the right of the element name. Members of the hiring team can review notes in these elements and add additional internal comments. Internal comments made by users are never visible to the job applicant, and are only visible to users permitted to view the applicant's information. Read more about Comments within the Applicant File.