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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/chamals3n4/OpenATS/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

Pipeline stages define the journey candidates take through your hiring process. OpenATS provides flexible, customizable stages that adapt to your unique workflow while automating key actions along the way.

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Understanding Pipeline Architecture

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Global Stage Templates

OpenATS includes system-wide pipeline stage templates that serve as blueprints:
  • Applied: Initial stage when candidates submit applications
  • Screening: Review resumes and responses
  • Interview: Various interview rounds
  • Assessment: Technical or skills testing
  • Offer: Extending job offers
  • Hired: Successful candidates
  • Rejected: Declined applications
Stage templates are reusable across all jobs, ensuring consistency while allowing per-job customization.

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Job-Specific Pipelines

Each job has its own pipeline instance based on templates:
1

Template Selection

Choose which global templates to include
2

Customization

Rename stages or adjust order for this job
3

Configuration

Add stage-specific actions and templates
4

Activation

Pipeline becomes active when job is published

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Stage Configuration

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Basic Properties

Stage Name

Display name shown in the UI (e.g., “Phone Screen”, “Technical Round”)

Position

Order in the pipeline (lower numbers come first)

Stage Type

Special behavior: Assessment, Offer, Rejection, or None

Deletable

Whether stage can be removed from job pipelines

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Stage Types & Special Behaviors

Stages can have special types that trigger specific actions:
Standard stage with no special behavior. Used for general workflow steps like “Screening” or “Interview”.

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Offer Stage Configuration

Offer stages have additional settings to control the offer process:

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Offer Template

Select a pre-built template that defines:
  • Email subject and body
  • Offer letter format
  • Variable placeholders (salary, start date, etc.)

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Offer Mode

Manual

HR reviews and approves before sendingBest for: Executive roles, complex negotiations

Automatic

System generates and sends immediatelyBest for: High-volume hiring, standard offers

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Offer Expiry

Set the number of days until the offer expires: 
Example: 7 days
- Offer sent: January 1
- Candidate must respond by: January 8
Ensure offer expiry times comply with local labor laws and provide candidates reasonable time to consider.

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Rejection Stage Configuration

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Rejection Template

Assign an email template that:
  • Thanks candidates for their time
  • Provides closure on their application
  • Maintains positive employer brand
  • Optionally encourages future applications
Create different rejection templates for various stages (e.g., post-phone-screen vs. post-final-interview) to provide appropriate context.

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Assessment Stage Configuration

When configuring an assessment stage:
1

Select Assessment

Choose from your library of technical assessments
2

Set as Trigger Stage

Define this stage as the assessment trigger point
3

Candidate Movement

When moved to this stage, candidate receives assessment link
4

Track Completion

View attempt status and scores in candidate profile
Only one assessment can be attached per stage, but you can have multiple assessment stages in a pipeline.

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Managing Pipeline Positions

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Ordering Stages

Stages are ordered by their position number: 
1. Applied
2. Screening  
3. Phone Interview
4. Technical Assessment
5. Final Interview
6. Offer
7. Hired
Leave gaps in position numbering (e.g., 10, 20, 30) to make it easier to insert new stages later without renumbering everything.

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Unique Positions

Each job can only have one stage at each position number, ensuring:
  • Clear linear progression
  • No ambiguous ordering
  • Predictable candidate flow

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Hiring Teams

Assign team members to jobs to control access and collaboration:

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Adding Team Members

1

Navigate to Job Settings

Open the job you want to configure
2

Access Hiring Team

Find the team management section
3

Add Users

Select users from your organization
4

Save Changes

Team members can now view and manage candidates

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Team Member Permissions

Hiring team members can:
  • View all candidates for the job
  • Move candidates between stages
  • View assessment results
  • Create and send offers
  • Access stage history and analytics
Team assignments are job-specific. Users can be on multiple hiring teams across different jobs.

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Stage Templates vs. Job Stages

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Key Differences

FeatureStage TemplatesJob Pipeline Stages
ScopeSystem-wideJob-specific
ReusabilityUsed across all jobsUnique to one job
ModificationAdmin onlyPer-job configuration
DeletionRestricted for core stagesConfigurable

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Using Templates Effectively

Define templates for Engineering, Sales, Operations, etc. to speed up job creation.
Use identical stage names across jobs for better reporting and analytics.
Let hiring managers customize stage names while maintaining the template structure.
Track template changes to understand how pipeline evolution affects metrics.

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Stage Linking & References

Job stages maintain relationships:

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Source Template Reference

Each job stage optionally links back to its source template:
  • Tracks which template was used
  • Helps update multiple jobs when templates change
  • Maintains consistency across jobs

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Template Relationships

Stages reference:
  • Offer Templates: For offer stage email/document generation
  • Rejection Templates: For rejection notification emails
  • Assessments: For technical testing triggers

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Best Practices

Aim for 5-7 stages. Too many stages slow down hiring and confuse candidates.
Use descriptive names that hiring managers and candidates understand (avoid internal jargon).
Place technical assessments after initial screening but before time-intensive interviews.
Use consistent pipelines for similar positions to enable better hiring analytics.
Regularly analyze where candidates drop off and streamline bottleneck stages.

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Next Steps

Create Assessments

Build technical screening tests

Design Offer Templates

Prepare offer letter templates

Build Email Templates

Create candidate communication templates

Track Candidates

Start managing applications

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