Stage transition rules allow you to configure candidate-related actions that occur immediately when any member of your team moves a candidate to a specified stage.
In this article:
Create a new stage transition rule
Click Jobs from the navigation bar and select a job from the list.
Click the Job Setup tab and select Stage Transitions from the left-side menu.
Click Create a rule.
On the next page, enter the following details for the new rule:
Stage
The stage where the rule is triggered.
For details on available stage transition rules visit Stage transition rules overview.
Note: Rules applied to the Application Review stage only trigger if a candidate is moved into Application Review via the Move Stage button. Stage transition rules do not trigger when a candidate initially applies to a job.
Then...
The action that occurs when the rule is applied.
In the Action dropdown, select the stage transition rule to be triggered when a candidate is moved to the specified stage. The available types of rules are based on the selection you made in the Stage dropdown.
Note: Selecting Send Calendly request populates additional dropdown menus for Calendly Interviewer and Calendly Event Type. Click here to learn more about scheduling through Calendly.
User credited with this action
The user who should be logged in the candidate's Activity Feed as executing the action (for example, the user who is logged as sending the availability request email).
While this user's name will be logged in the Activity Feed, you can still configure the email itself to be sent from a global email address (see the From section below).
Note: You can configure the action to be credited to either yourself or to the user who moved the candidate. You cannot configure the action to be credited to another specific user.
Template (optional)
The email template used for candidate emails sent by this rule.
The available templates are based on the type of rule you selected. For example, configuring a candidate email rule allows you to choose only from Candidate Email templates.
From
The email address from which the automated emails should be sent.
You can choose to send the emails from a verified global email address, or from the email address of the user committing the action by selecting the {{MY_EMAIL_ADDRESS}} token. If this token is used, the user taking the action must have a verified email address.
Subject
The subject line for the automated email.
If you chose a template, this field will be completed automatically. If you did not choose a template, enter a subject line in the field.
Body
The body text for the automated email.
If you chose a template, this information will be filled in automatically. If you want to enter custom text or edit the email body, you can do so in this field.
When to send
The timing of the email or request.
Once you select a delay, you'll need to choose the specific time that the message is sent. For information on canceling a pending communication, review the section on delaying or canceling a stage transition rule.
Once all details are provided, click Save at the bottom of the page.
Your stage transition rule is configured and appears in the job's Stage Rules list.
Repeat these steps as needed to add stage transition rules to additional stages in the job's interview plan.
Stage transition rule icon
To help identify where rules do and do not exist, a lightning bolt icon is displayed next to any stage with an automated rule configured.
When you see this icon, be mindful that moving a candidate to that stage will trigger an automated action.
Trigger a stage transition rule
Once your stage transition rule is configured, it is triggered immediately when any member of your team moves a candidate to the appropriate stage.
To trigger a stage transition rule, navigate to a candidate's profile and click Move Stage.
In the subsequent dialog box, click a stage that includes a stage transition rule.
The candidate is moved to the selected stage, and the stage transition rule is triggered immediately. The automated action is logged in the candidate's Activity Feed.
Note: Stage transition rules only trigger via the Move Stage button. Stage transition rules do not trigger when a candidate initially applies to a job or is transferred from another job in Greenhouse Recruiting.
If a stage transition rule isn't able to run, a note will be added to a candidate's activity feed.
Note: For Greenhouse Recruiting to execute a stage transition rule, the candidate must have a valid email address provided and cannot be marked as Do Not Email. For more information, click here.
Delay or cancel a stage transition rule
When you create a new stage transition rule, you can add a buffer to the action by choosing a time from the When to send dropdown menu.
Note: If a candidate is moved out of the specified stage before the rule is scheduled to run, the rule will not run.
If a rule has triggered, but the action hasn't yet happened, you can cancel it by navigating to the candidate's profile and selecting Cancel next to the action.
Additional resources
To learn more about stage transition rules, check out the following articles: