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Creating and publishing recruitment forms

Build your own application forms, choose where applications land and share a link candidates can use to apply.

A recruitment form is the application form your candidates fill in. You build it yourself, with the questions, sections and document uploads you need for that role. Once it is published, it has its own link that you can email, send over WhatsApp, add to a job advert or embed on your careers page.

Every form is tied to a role, and to the pipeline and stage its applications land on. When a candidate submits the form, they appear as a card on that stage of your board, with their answers and documents already on their record. Answers you link to worker profile fields carry across when you convert the candidate into a worker, so their details only have to be typed once, by them.

 

Before you begin

  • You need Agency Accelerator Pro. ATS Management is part of the Pro plan.
  • Set up your pipeline first. A form needs a pipeline and a stage to send applications to. See How to set up and use your candidate pipeline.
  • Decide what you need to ask. Write down the questions and documents you need for the role before you start building, so the form is in a sensible order.
  • Know who should hear about new applications. Have the email addresses of the colleagues who should be alerted each time someone applies.

 

Opening your recruitment forms

  1. Select ATS in the left-hand menu.
  2. Select the Recruitment Forms tab.

Use All pipelines, All statuses and Search forms at the top to narrow the list.

 

Draft and Live forms

Every form is in one of two states, shown by the tag beside its name.

  • Draft: the form is saved but has no link yet, so nobody can apply through it. Its row shows Not published yet and a Publish button. Build and check the form while it is a draft.
  • Live: the form is published and its link accepts applications. Its row shows how many submissions it has had and when the last one arrived, with View insights and a Share link button.

Each row also shows the role the form is for, the pipeline it feeds and the date it was created. Underneath the submissions, you can see who is alerted about new applications, or No submission alerts if nobody is. A tag such as V3 beside a form's name shows that the form has more than one version.

 

Creating a form

  1. Select + Create recruitment form.
  2. Enter a Form name, for example "Support Worker Application". This is the title candidates see at the top of the form.
  3. Enter the Role it's for, for example "Support Worker".
  4. Under WHERE APPLICATIONS GO, choose the Pipeline and the Stage new applications should land on. The message underneath confirms your choice.
  5. Under SUBMISSION ALERTS, enter an email address in Email address to alert and select Add. Repeat for each person who should be told about new applications.
  6. Select + Create as draft.

The form is saved as a draft and opens in the builder, ready for you to add your questions.

Please note: Nobody is emailed about submissions until you add at least one address. Applications still arrive on the board, but nobody is told, so they can sit unnoticed.

 

Building the form

The builder shows the form the way candidates will see it. The bar along the top shows:

  • Feeds and Stage, the pipeline and stage applications land on. You can change them here.
  • FIELDS, REQUIRED and SECTIONS, a running count of what is on the form.
  • Notification settings, with the number of addresses that are alerted about submissions.
  • Preview form and Close.

Your changes save as you go. All changes saved in the top right confirms it.

The introduction

The top of the form shows your agency's name and logo, which come from your organisation's profile. Under Introduction, add a short message for candidates, such as what the form is for, what to have ready and where to send documents. Leave it empty if you do not need one.

The General Information section

Every form starts with a General Information section marked Fixed fields. Its eight fields are on every form and carry a lock icon:

  • First Name, Last Name and Email Address, which candidates must fill in.
  • Date of Birth, Gender, National Insurance Number, PVG/DBS Number and Visa Type, which are optional.

The blue tag under each field shows the worker profile field the answer fills when you convert the candidate.

Please note: A worker record cannot be created without a date of birth, National Insurance number and DBS number. Candidates can leave these blank on the form, so if they do, you will need to add them to the application before you can convert them.

Adding sections

Sections group related questions, such as employment history or right to work, and are numbered for candidates.

  • Select + Add section at the bottom of the form to add a section at the end.
  • Select + Add section above to add a section above an existing one.
  • Use the box under a section's name to add instructions for that section. This is optional.
  • Delete a section you no longer need with the bin icon in its header.

Adding fields

Under ADD FIELD in any section, select the type of field you want:

  • + Text field for a short answer, such as a job title.
  • + Long answer for a few sentences, such as why they want the role.
  • + Number and + Date for numbers and dates.
  • + Dropdown to choose one option from a list, or + Multi-select dropdown to choose several.
  • + Tick boxes for a set of options to tick, or + Tick box for a single tick.
  • + File upload for a document, such as a CV or proof of address.
  • + Signature for the candidate to sign the form.
  • + Text block for text you want candidates to read.

Files and signatures that candidates send appear on the Documents tab of their record.

Setting up each field

Select a field to open its settings on the right:

  1. Under Label, type the question as you want candidates to see it.
  2. Under Type, change the field type if you need to.
  3. Under Width, choose how much of the row it takes: 1/4 (4 in a row), 1/3 (3 in a row), 1/2 (2 in a row) or Full (1 row).
  4. Under Section, move it to a different section.
  5. Under Where the answer goes, choose the worker profile field the answer should fill, such as Nationality, Address or CV. Leave it as Not mapped if the answer only matters for the application.
  6. Turn on Required if candidates cannot submit without answering it.

A field that is not mapped shows a green Application only tag, so you can see at a glance which answers will carry across to the worker profile. To remove a field, select Delete field.

The small toolbar that appears above a selected field gives you quick width buttons, a required marker, duplicate and delete. To move a field, drag it to where you want it.

Tip: Map every answer you will want on the worker profile, such as address and nationality. Answers left as Application only stay on the application, and you would have to copy them across by hand after converting.

Notification settings

Select Notification settings to see or change who is emailed each time a candidate submits the form. Add an address under Submission alerts and select Add. The panel also shows the form's Status.

 

Previewing the form

  1. In the builder, select Preview form.
  2. Scroll through the form exactly as a candidate would see it, with each section numbered.
  3. Select Close preview when you are done.

Nothing you enter in the preview is sent. While the form is a draft, the preview reminds you to publish it to get a link.

 

Publishing the form

  1. Select Close to leave the builder.
  2. On the Recruitment Forms tab, select Publish on the form's row.
  3. Check the Publish this form? message, then select Publish.

The form goes Live and its sharing options open straight away.

Please note: Once a form is published, anyone with the link can open it and submit an application. Preview it carefully before you publish.

 

Sharing the link

The sharing options open when you publish, and at any time after that when you select Share link on the form's row.

  • CANDIDATE LINK shows the form's link and the date it went live. Select Copy to copy it. Underneath, you will also see a version of the link that uses your agency name and the form name.
  • APPLICATIONS FEED shows the pipeline the form feeds, and the stage new submissions land on.
  • ACTIVITY shows the number of SUBMISSIONS, how many of those candidates are IN PIPELINE and when the LAST ONE arrived.
  • Copy link under SEND IT OUT copies the link to paste into an email, WhatsApp or a job advert.
  • Embed on your careers page copies a snippet of code that puts the form on your own website. Pass it to whoever looks after your website.
  • EMAIL THE LINK lets you add as many email addresses as you like, or paste several at once, then send them all the same link in one go.
  • Preview candidate view shows the live form as candidates see it.

 

Tracking submissions

Select View insights on a Live form's row to see how it is performing.

  • Date range: choose Since created, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Last 90 days or a Custom range.
  • In this range, Since created and Busiest day: the number of submissions in the range you chose, the total since the form was created, and the day with the most submissions.
  • Submissions per day: a chart of submissions over the range.
  • Submissions: a table of every candidate who submitted, with their email address and when they submitted. Select Open record to go to their candidate record.

 

Managing a form

  • View form opens the form so you can check it.
  • Open builder takes you back into the builder to make changes.
  • Manage alerts changes who is emailed about new submissions.
  • The ... menu on a Live form gives you Version history, to see earlier versions of the form; Duplicate, to make a copy you can change for a similar role; and Unpublish, to take the form off Live.

 

Good habits worth adopting

  • Ask for date of birth, National Insurance and DBS numbers on forms you hire from. Candidates who skip them leave you chasing details just as you are ready to convert them.
  • Map answers as you build. It takes seconds per field, and saves retyping every new worker's address.
  • Always add an alert address. A strong applicant who hears nothing for a week has often accepted another offer.
  • Name forms after the role. The form name appears as the source of each candidate, so "Support Worker Application" tells your team far more than "Form 2".
  • Duplicate rather than rebuild. Copy a form you are happy with and adjust it for a similar role.

 

If something looks wrong

  • Create as draft is greyed out. Fill in the Form name and Role it's for.
  • Nobody was told about a new application. Check Notification settings. If it shows 0, no addresses have been added.
  • Applications are landing on the wrong stage. Check Feeds and Stage in the builder.
  • An answer did not reach the worker profile. The field was probably set to Not mapped. Check Where the answer goes for that field.
  • A candidate says the link does not work. Check the form is still Live and that they have the full link.

If something still does not look right, contact our Support Team with the name of the form.

Happy hiring! 🎉