The emails you send to candidates via Personio can sometimes fail. You might see an error message in the candidate profile or notice that a message hasn't been sent. It’s likely that there’s a connection problem between Personio and your email server. This article explains how to test if emails are sending and interpret error messages. In some cases, your internal IT department needs to solve the issue.

If you’re reading this article, then you’ve already set up email communication for recruiting. 

Tip:
If the Autoresponder isn't sending candidates an automated confirmation email after they submit an application, learn how to set up automated confirmation emails.

Before you start

To try the suggestions in this article, you need permissions for your company’s Recruiting settings. 

Check which connection you've set up before proceeding. Go to Settings > Recruiting > Email setup to see which recruiting email option is active. If you've set up connections for different legal entities, check each one.

Understand email delivery statuses

When you send a candidate an email via Personio, the message goes through several stages, each with its own status. You can see the current status next to each message in the candidate profile. For a full overview of what each status means, refer to our article on the candidate profile.

If an email shows a Failed status

When an email fails permanently, you see a Failed status in the candidate profile and receive a notification in your Personio inbox. The notification includes a reason for the failure and a link to the affected messages.

To resolve a failed email:

1. Open the candidate profile and find the failed message.
2. Read the error description shown. It explains what went wrong, for example:
   • "SMTP authentication failed: your password has expired. Update your credentials in Email setup."
   • "We lost access to your Microsoft account due to a permission change. Reauthenticate to continue."
   • "The candidate's mailbox is full. Personio retried for 2 hours and was unable to deliver the message."
3. Follow the next step shown in the error message.
4. Once the underlying issue is resolved, resend the email to the candidate.

If the error message says to contact your IT department or Personio Support, forward the error description directly. This gives them the specific details needed to investigate.

If an email shows an Action required status

An Action required status means there is a problem with your email configuration that is preventing any emails from being sent. This is different from a single failed message, as it affects all outbound emails until you fix it.

You’ll also see a warning banner on your Recruiting Home tab and receive an inbox notification when this happens.

To resolve this:

1. Go to Settings > Recruiting > Email setup.
2. Review the warning shown. It explains the specific issue and the steps to fix it.
3. Follow the guidance to reconnect or reconfigure your integration.
4. Once resolved, return to Email setup to confirm the warning has cleared.

Common causes include a revoked Microsoft or Google access token, expired SMTP credentials, or a change made by your IT admin in your organization's email settings. See our article on how to troubleshoot the recruiting email setup.

If you aren't seeing any error but emails still aren't sending

If there’s no error or warning visible but candidates aren't receiving emails, try the following:

1. Go to Settings > Recruiting > Email setup and check whether there is an active warning for your connection. If you use Microsoft, look for a "sending paused" alert.
2. Create a test candidate profile to confirm whether the issue is isolated or affects all outbound messages:
   • Go to Recruiting > Applications and click Create application.
   • Use an email address you can access. Avoid using an address that belongs to one of your employees.
   • Finish creating the test application. Personio automatically creates a candidate profile. You can delete this later.
   • In the candidate profile, go to the Messages tab and send a test message.
   • Check whether the email arrives in your test inbox and what status appears in the candidate profile.
3. If the test email also fails or shows no status update, contact your internal IT team and share the error description if one is shown. They can refer to our article on how to troubleshoot the recruiting email setup.