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How to Screen and Manage Candidates with Indeed for Employers

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Indeed’s Candidate Management tool (via the Candidates tab in your Employer Dashboard) helps you organize and manage your hiring pipeline.

As a hiring hub, Candidate Management is a single place to gather and keep your applicant information so you can filter it according to your preference — without the additional task of creating spreadsheets and/or a complicated folder system.

We’ve heard from other employers like you that Candidate Management saves them time so that they can focus on hiring their most qualified candidates. Below, find out how to screen and manage candidates on Indeed.

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Manage candidates effectively and efficiently

As applicants show up on your Candidates tab, you can assign them a Status (Active, Awaiting review, Reviewed, Contacted, etc.) You can use status assignments and filters to focus on the candidates who are best suited for your role.

Let’s explore how this Indeed tool can help you:

  • Go to the Status dropdown menu (the filters and applicants will show up)
  • Filter candidates according to where they are in your hiring process
  • Apply Filters to candidates for any and all jobs that are open, paused or closed

This is a view of the candidates tab

This employer view shows the different statuses that may be assigned to candidates.

Filter job candidates

Filters save time and help you organize your job search. When you apply them, the candidates that match your filtering criteria will populate your screen, front and center. This way you can review candidates quickly and reassign statuses.

You can filter applicants by:

  • Location
  • Screener questions status*
  • A simple yes – √, maybe – ?, or no – X
  • Application date
  • Those who are expiring soon (if you opted into Employer Assist)

*Applicants whose answers do not meet your required criteria will be marked as Rejected. These candidates will not be notified of their application status unless you send them a response via one of our easy-to-use templated email updates.

Group applicants by status

Applicants can be assigned one of six statuses:

  • Active
  • Awaiting Review
  • Reviewed
  • Contacted
  • Hired
  • Rejected

As a bonus, when you review and reassign a candidate, your hiring coworkers will receive one of the following notifications:

Awaiting Review

Applicants who enter your Employer Dashboard will automatically be assigned this status. Each applicant marked as a yes – √, or maybe – ? will be moved to the Reviewed status.

Reviewed

Candidates that are ready for you to take action on. Once your candidate has been reviewed, you can record your thoughts and impressions as a Note. From there you can also reach out to candidates (using one of our templates) to set up a virtual interview or let them know where they stand.

Contacted

Once you’ve started contacting candidates, you can note that as well. This status is helpful as you conduct phone screens, set up in-person or virtual interviews or send status updates.

Hired

You can also mark a candidate as Hired. This way you’ll have a historical record of every candidate you’ve hired using Indeed AND can measure ROI over time.

Rejected

We’ve provided a template that allows you to thank applicants for their effort while letting them know they won’t be moving forward in the hiring process at this time. Job seekers really do want to hear back from employers, either way. Use Indeed’s templated email to provide job seekers with closure so that they can move on to their next application. This kind of communication also supports your credibility as a company.

Collaborate with your hiring team

With Indeed, you can make candidate management a collaborative process. You can share access to your Employer Dashboard via Communications Settings, which allows you to share Notes about candidates with one another.

To invite members of your hiring team to view applicants, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the profile icon in the top right hand corner of your Employer Dashboard
  2. Choose Communications Settings from the dropdown menu
  3. Provide your colleague/collaborator’s email address(es)
  4. Set their access level

Taking candidate Notes gives you an easy way to compare feedback on resumes, skills and interview performance. You can also send resumes to members of your hiring team to review by clicking Forward Resume.

When interviewing candidates on Indeed, your team can also be included in the process. You can add additional team members by sharing a guest link to your interview.

Using the link will allow your team members to have Guest permissions. They can screen share, use the chat feature and blur their background.

Managing candidates on Indeed FAQs

How can I export my list of candidates?

To export candidates for a specific role from the Candidates Page, choose a job, select all candidates by clicking the checkbox at the top left and select Export Candidates. If you don’t see the Export Candidates button, make sure to activate two-factor authentication (2FA) for your account.

Can candidates see my notes?

No notes you log about candidates will remain private unless you share them with your colleagues. Candidates will never see your notes.

What happens when I reject a candidate?

When you move a candidate to a Rejected status, you can send a rejection letter by clicking the Compose a rejection email button. Here are some tips for writing effective rejection emails to candidates. Alternatively, you can choose to send them an automated email letting them know they are no longer being considered through Indeed Employer Assist.

Back to Hiring with Indeed

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