This article describes an example of how you can efficiently manage your applications with the Essential Package after you have configured all the Settings.
Depending on which option you use, applications can be transferred to your Personio account in different ways. Learn How to Transfer Applications into the Personio Recruiting Tool.
Manage Applications With the Essential Package
You will find all applications in the specific position. By default, newly received applications are assigned to the first recruiting phase of your application process. Clicking on a candidate's name takes you directly to the respective candidate's application. Then navigate to the various sections within the application to manage them.
Tip You can also find candidates according to your access rights using the global search bar at the top of the screen.
Note If a candidate has applied for more than one position (using the same email address), a warning message will be displayed in the application. Learn more about Multiple Applications.
- Review application documents
First, screen all application documents and check whether the candidate meets the required profile for the position. Navigate to the Profile tab and open all documents that the candidate has submitted. Or you can click on Application documents
, in the header of the application. Learn more about managing candidate documents using document categories and how to restrict viewing and editing rights for other employees in our article Managing Candidate Documents. - Complete candidate profile data
Under the candidate's Profile tab, fill in additional details with information from the application documents. Ensure that, in particular, the gender field within the candidate profile is completed so that gender variables in offers and email templates will be used correctly. Learn more about email templates in Step 2: Set Up Candidate Communication Via Email.
Note You can view the candidate attributes according to your access rights.
If a document has been stored for the candidate, the document preview appears. Click on the pen icon, to upload additional documents, to change their assigned category, or to delete a document. You can also upload several documents by clicking or by using drag & drop. Learn more about managing candidate documents and assigning associated access rights. - Tag candidates
If necessary, click on Add tag, to add Application Tags. This allows you, for example, to mark referrals from existing employees, or easily identify respective candidate groups within the candidate list. - Move candidates in phases
If the candidate meets the first, basic requirements, the application process can proceed. To do this, move the candidate to the appropriate recruiting phase. Learn more about Configuring Phases and Categories. - Assign candidates to another position
If the candidate is better suited for a different position or has applied for more than one position, you can assign the application accordingly. To do so, click the Action button
and select Assign to another position. To help identify the correct position, the drop-down menu that appears shows the position title, the office and the recruiting category. The new assignment is noted in the candidate overview.
- Schedule interviews
Create interview appointments in line with the candidate's recruiting phases in the Interviews tab of the application. The way you can schedule interviews varies depending on if your company calendar is integrated with Personio or not. Learn how to Schedule Interviews Using the Integrated Calendar, use Smart Interview Scheduling, and Schedule Interviews Without Calendar Integration. - Send messages
Once the interview is scheduled, you can send the invitation to the candidate directly from the Interviews tab. Simply click Email invite to candidate. The invitation will automatically create an event in the candidate's calendar. To send any other messages to the candidate, go to the Messages tab. You can view the entire candidate communication in the message history. Learn how to Send Recruiting Messages. - Candidate's answer
As soon as the candidate replies to a message, a blue dot appears next to their name in the Application List. If defined in the Recruiting Roles, you will also receive email notifications about any incoming messages from candidates. In the Recruiting Roles, you can also specify the access to candidate documents that can be sent or received via the Messages tab.Tip Any messages that have been assigned incorrectly, can be assigned manually to another application if necessary. To do so, just click the Action button
and select Assign. The message will retain its original processing status. - Request and provide feedback
In the Evaluations tab, you have the possibility to ask a colleague to fill in an Evaluation form. In the Comments tab, you can leave informal comments about the candidate.Tip Open feedback requests are automatically closed and removed from the feedback provider's dashboard after a candidate has been accepted. Please note that when open feedback requests are closed automatically, no automatic email notification to the requested employees is triggered.
- Plan further interviews
If the supervisor's response is positive, then proceed in the same way as in the steps Schedule interviews and Send messages, move the candidate to another phase and invite the candidate to get to know you personally. - Disqualify
If the feedback on the candidate is negative, or your candidate is no longer interested in the position, you have the option to Disqualify the candidate at any time, regardless of your application process. Learn more about Disqualification during the Application Process. If the candidate requests the immediate removal of all personal data, anonymize the candidate's data using the candidate list.Note Both, the deletion and anonymization of candidate data are irreversible. The data cannot be restored, but anonymized candidate data will still be available for your reports. Learn more about Anonymizing and Deleting Candidate Data.
- Talent pool
Alternatively, you can include the candidate in your Talent Pool. Create an additional category and assign the candidate to it. - Create offer
If the candidate has convinced you during the entire application process, you can create an offer directly in Personio and send it to the candidate. - Accept candidates
To accept a candidate, you have two options:
▶︎ Convert the candidate to a new employee in Personio as soon as they have accepted the offer. To do so, go to the Offer tab and click on Offer accepted. The employee profile is automatically set to status Onboarding, and it remains linked to the application. Find out which attributes are transferred from the candidate profile to the employee profile.
▶︎ Alternatively, you accept the candidate without first sending an offer. To do this, move the candidate manually to the Accepted phase. - Bulk disqualifications
As soon as the position has been filled by a suitable candidate, you can generate bulk disqualifications for all other candidates. To do so, go to Recruiting > Applications and choose the candidates that you want to contact. Select the checkbox beside the candidate names, click on Actions and select Disqualify. In the modal, you can then select if the candidate was rejected or if they withdrew their application, and select a disqualification reason from the drop-down menu. Find out more about sending bulk rejection emails. - Deactivate publication of the position
Lastly, deactivate the published position in the editing mode of the posting, so you don't receive any further applications for it. Learn more about Promoting Positions.
Additional Functions From the Professional Package
▶︎ Plan interviews
When planning interview appointments, you also have the option of linking an Evaluation form to receive feedback on the candidate from all participants. Learn more about Creating Evaluation Forms.
▶︎ Assign onboarding templates
Once you have accepted a candidate, you can assign an onboarding template to them to simplify the employee entry through standardized processes. Learn how to create and assign onboarding templates.
Additional Functions With the Add-On Productivity Plus
▶︎ Send messages using email templates
To send candidates a message via email, for example to invite them to an interview, you can use templates in addition to the regular sending of messages. Email templates can also be used for bulk rejections. Learn how to Create Email Templates.
▶︎ Create offers using document templates
Generate contract offers by clicking on Offer and selecting an offer template. Learn more about Configuring Document Categories and Adding Templates and Creating an Offer with a contract template.
Additional Functions With the Add-On Automation Plus
▶︎ Schedule messages
To send candidates a message via email, for example, to invite them to an interview, you can schedule the email dispatch for a later date and/or time (full hour). This function is also available for bulk messaging. Learn how to Send Recruiting Messages.