Job Application Management - Grupo Mecsa CMS

Overview

The Job Application Management module provides a comprehensive interface to review candidates who have applied for your job vacancies. You can view applicant details, download CVs, review custom question responses, schedule interviews, and manage application statuses throughout the recruitment workflow.

This module is accessed per vacancy. Each vacancy has its own application list at postulaciones.php?vacante_id={id}.

Key Features

Candidate Overview

View all applicants with contact information, application date, and current status.

CV Downloads

Direct access to candidate CVs and resumes stored in the system.

Custom Responses

Review answers to vacancy-specific screening questions.

Interview Scheduling

Schedule interviews with automatic email notifications to candidates.

Status Management

Update application status (pending, interview, rejected) with email notifications.

Application Filtering

Filter candidates by application status for efficient workflow management.

Accessing Applications

From the Vacancies page, click the “Ver Postulaciones” button (users icon) for any vacancy. This takes you to the applications page with the format:

postulaciones.php?vacante_id={vacancy_uuid}

The page header displays:

Vacancy title
Department and location
“Volver a Vacantes” link to return to the vacancy list

Application List View

Table Columns

Column	Information Displayed
Fecha	Application submission date (format: dd/mm/YYYY)
Candidato	Full name and LinkedIn profile link (if provided)
Contacto	Email address and phone number
CV / Doc.	”Ver CV” button linking to uploaded resume
Estado	Status badge (pendiente, entrevista, rechazado)
Acciones	Action buttons based on current status
Cita Entrevista	Scheduled interview date/time (if applicable)

Candidate Information Display

Contact Details

Email: Primary email address for communicationPhone: Contact phone numberLinkedIn: If provided, displays as a clickable link with LinkedIn icon

CV Access

The “Ver CV” button opens the candidate’s resume in a new tab. The URL format is stored in the cv_url field of the database.

Application Status System

Applications progress through three primary states:

Pendiente (Pending)

Initial status when an application is submitted. Candidates in this state can be scheduled for interviews or rejected.

Entrevista (Interview)

Application has been reviewed and the candidate is scheduled for or has completed an interview. Interview date/time is displayed in the “Cita Entrevista” column.

Rechazado (Rejected)

Application has been declined. Candidate receives an automated rejection email (if configured).

Status Badges

pendiente - Default badge color (typically yellow/orange)
entrevista - Success badge color (typically green)
rechazado - Danger badge color (typically red)

Filtering Applications

Use the filter panel at the top of the application list to narrow down candidates by status:

Select Status Filter

Use the “Estado de Postulación” dropdown to choose:

Todos los estados (default - shows all)
Pendiente
Entrevista
Rechazado

Auto-Submit

The form automatically submits when you change the dropdown selection via onchange="this.form.submit()".

Clear Filter

If a filter is active, a “Limpiar Filtro” button appears to reset the view to all applications.

The candidate count badge updates dynamically based on the active filter, showing “X Candidatos” for the current view.

Application Actions

View Custom Question Responses

Click View Responses Button

Click the clipboard icon (“Ver Respuestas”) in the Actions column.

Modal Opens

A modal window displays “Respuestas de [Candidate Name]” with a loading spinner.

Responses Load

The system fetches responses via api/get_respuestas.php?postulacion_id=[id] and displays:

Question number badge
Question text from preguntas_vacantes table
Candidate’s answer

If No Custom Questions

If the vacancy has no custom questions configured or the candidate didn’t answer them, an informational alert displays:“Este candidato no respondió preguntas personalizadas o no hay preguntas configuradas para esta vacante.”

Schedule Interview

Available for applications with status = “pendiente”.

Click Interview Button

Click the calendar-check icon (“Citar a Entrevista”) in the Actions column.

Fill Interview Details

In the modal:

Fecha y Hora (required) - Use the datetime-local input to select interview date/time
Mensaje Personalizado (optional) - Add custom instructions like “Traer identificación” or “Preguntar por RRHH”

Submit

Click “Programar y Enviar Email” to:

Update application status to “entrevista”
Store the interview date in fecha_entrevista field
Send automated email notification to candidate

The system processes the request via functions/gestionarPostulacion.php with action = “entrevista” and displays a SweetAlert2 confirmation with email send status.

Reject Application

Available for applications with status = “pendiente”.

Click Reject Button

Click the user-xmark icon (“Rechazar”) in the Actions column.

Confirm Rejection

The modal displays:

Confirmation message: “¿Estás seguro de rechazar la postulación de [Candidate Name]?”
Info note: “Se le enviará un correo automático de agradecimiento informando que no continuará en el proceso.”

Add Optional Comment

Optionally add a “Motivo o comentario adicional” (internal note, not sent to candidate).

Confirm

Click “Confirmar y Enviar Email” to:

Update application status to “rechazado”
Send automated rejection email to candidate

Rejecting an application cannot be undone. The candidate will receive an email notification. Ensure you have selected the correct application before confirming.

Data Structure

Database Table: `postulaciones`

{
  "id": "uuid",
  "vacante_id": "uuid (foreign key to vacantes)",
  "nombre_completo": "string",
  "email": "string",
  "telefono": "string",
  "linkedin_url": "string (nullable)",
  "cv_url": "string",
  "estado": "enum (pendiente, entrevista, rechazado)",
  "fecha_entrevista": "timestamp (nullable)",
  "created_at": "timestamp"
}

Stores answers to custom screening questions:

{
  "id": "uuid",
  "postulacion_id": "uuid (foreign key)",
  "pregunta_id": "uuid (foreign key to preguntas_vacantes)",
  "respuesta": "text",
  "preguntas_vacantes": {
    "pregunta": "string"
  }
}

Email Notifications

The system sends automated emails for two key actions:

Interview Invitation

Sent when status changes to “entrevista”. Includes:

Interview date and time
Custom message from recruiter
Company contact information

Rejection Notice

Sent when status changes to “rechazado”. Includes:

Thank you message
Polite closure
(Optional internal comment is NOT sent)

Email send status is returned in the API response and displayed in the success message: “Email: ”.

Role-Based Access

Access to the Application Management module requires an active session with a valid authentication token. Users without a valid $_SESSION['token'] will be redirected to the login page.

Required Permissions

View Applications - HR recruiters, managers
View CVs - HR recruiters, managers
View Custom Responses - HR recruiters, managers
Schedule Interviews - HR recruiters, managers
Reject Applications - HR managers (recommended restriction)
Access without vacante_id - Redirects to vacancies page

User Workflows

Initial Application Review

Access Application List

From the Vacancies page, click “Ver Postulaciones” for the position you want to review.

Review Candidate Information

Scan the table for candidate names, application dates, and contact information.

Download and Review CVs

Click “Ver CV” to open and evaluate each candidate’s resume.

Check Custom Responses

Click the clipboard icon to review answers to screening questions.

Shortlist Candidates

Based on CV and responses, decide which candidates to interview or reject.

Scheduling Interview Rounds

Filter by Pending Status

Use the status filter to show only “Pendiente” applications.

Select Qualified Candidates

Review the list and identify candidates who meet the job requirements.

Schedule Interviews

For each selected candidate:

Click the “Citar a Entrevista” button
Choose an available date/time
Add any special instructions
Submit to send the invitation

Switch to Interview Filter

Change the filter to “Entrevista” to see all scheduled interviews and their dates.

Managing Application Pipeline

Monitor All Statuses

Use the “Todos los estados” filter to see the full pipeline.

Review Interview Dates

Check the “Cita Entrevista” column to see upcoming interviews.

Process Rejections

Filter by “Pendiente” and reject unqualified candidates to keep the pipeline clean.

Track Progress

Use the candidate count badge to monitor application volume and pipeline flow.

Handling High Application Volume

Filter by Status

Focus on one status at a time (e.g., review all pending applications first).

Batch Review CVs

Open multiple CV tabs and review them in sequence.

Use Custom Questions Strategically

Review custom question responses first to quickly screen out unqualified candidates before opening CVs.

Batch Schedule Interviews

Schedule multiple interviews in one session by keeping the datetime picker and instructions consistent.

Technical Details

API Endpoints

GET /postulaciones?vacante_id=eq.{id}&order=created_at.desc - Fetch all applications for a vacancy
GET /postulaciones?vacante_id=eq.{id}&estado=eq.{status}&order=created_at.desc - Fetch filtered applications
GET /api/get_respuestas.php?postulacion_id={id} - Fetch custom question responses
POST /functions/gestionarPostulacion.php - Update application status and send emails

JavaScript Libraries

Bootstrap 5.3.3 - Modal functionality and UI components
SweetAlert2 - Success/error message displays
Font Awesome - Icons throughout the interface

Form Handling

Both interview and rejection forms use async fetch:

const formData = new FormData(form);
const resp = await fetch('functions/gestionarPostulacion.php', {
    method: 'POST',
    body: formData
});
const data = await resp.json();

Expected response format:

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Estado actualizado correctamente",
  "email_status": "Enviado" // or error message
}

Best Practices

Prompt Responses

Review and respond to applications within 48-72 hours to maintain candidate engagement.

Organized Workflow

Process applications in batches by status for efficiency and consistency.

Clear Communication

Use the custom message field when scheduling interviews to set clear expectations.

Professional Rejections

Always send rejection emails promptly and professionally to maintain company reputation.

Interview Preparation

Review custom question responses before interviews to prepare targeted discussion points.

Data Privacy

Handle candidate CVs and personal information according to data protection regulations.

Troubleshooting

No Applications Showing

Possible causes:

Vacancy has no applications yet (“Aún no hay postulaciones para esta vacante”)
Active filter is excluding results (click “Limpiar Filtro”)
Database connection error (check error message)

Solution: Check if the vacancy is active and published on your careers page.

Custom Responses Not Loading

Possible causes:

No custom questions configured for this vacancy
Candidate didn’t answer the questions
API endpoint error (api/get_respuestas.php)

Solution: Verify that questions are configured in the “Gestionar Preguntas” section for this vacancy.

Email Not Sending

Possible causes:

Email service configuration issue
Invalid candidate email address
Server email limits reached

Solution: Check the email_status field in the response. Contact your system administrator if emails consistently fail.

Can't Schedule Interview

Possible cause: Application status is not “pendiente”.Solution: Interview scheduling is only available for pending applications. If an application was previously rejected or already scheduled, those actions are not reversible from this interface.

Get Started

Core Modules

Website Management

Email Builder

Human Resources

User Management

Configuration

Documentation Index

​Overview

​Key Features

Candidate Overview

CV Downloads

Custom Responses

Interview Scheduling

Status Management

Application Filtering

​Accessing Applications

​Application List View

​Table Columns

​Candidate Information Display

​Application Status System

​Status Badges

​Filtering Applications

​Application Actions

​View Custom Question Responses

​Schedule Interview

​Reject Application

​Data Structure

​Database Table: postulaciones

​Related Table: respuestas_postulacion

​Email Notifications

Interview Invitation

Rejection Notice

​Role-Based Access

​Required Permissions

​User Workflows

​Initial Application Review

​Scheduling Interview Rounds

​Managing Application Pipeline

​Handling High Application Volume

​Technical Details

​API Endpoints

​JavaScript Libraries

​Form Handling

​Best Practices

Prompt Responses

Organized Workflow

Clear Communication

Professional Rejections

Interview Preparation

Data Privacy

​Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Key Features

Accessing Applications

Application List View

Table Columns

Candidate Information Display

Application Status System

Status Badges

Filtering Applications

Application Actions

View Custom Question Responses

Schedule Interview

Reject Application

Data Structure

Database Table: `postulaciones`

Related Table: `respuestas_postulacion`

Email Notifications

Role-Based Access

Required Permissions

User Workflows

Initial Application Review

Scheduling Interview Rounds

Managing Application Pipeline

Handling High Application Volume

Technical Details

API Endpoints

JavaScript Libraries

Form Handling

Best Practices

Troubleshooting