How do I customize the application form the candidates fill out?
Trakstar Hire allows you complete control over the questions asked on your application form. Ask candidates to attach a writing sample or tell you a story about an interaction with a customer. The options are endless.
Watch the video below, or read on to learn how to create custom application forms.
What types of questions can we ask on the custom application form?
You can ask any questions you would like on the application form and can have candidates answer in a wide variety of ways such as: single line text, paragraph text, choose one from a list (multiple choice with one choice or multiple choices), share a weblink or URL, enter an email address, date, or upload a file. You can choose to make some questions required, while others are optional. You can even set a character limit on the paragraph field to avoid long winded answers!
Are there any questions that you shouldn't ask on an application form?
Avoid questions that are too detailed, as well as anything containing excessive personal information - like Social Security number, driver's license number, bank account numbers, etc. This information can make your jobs look like a scam, and drive away applicants. In addition, job boards like Indeed will suppress your job postings if you ask these questions. Learn more about wording to avoid in regards to avoiding your listings and emails hit spam here.
If this information is required, consider asking it later on in the process or after the candidate is hired. You can use questionnaires to gather additional details from candidates, in a more private or selective setting.
Will everyone who has access to the candidate be able to see their answers to these questions?
Yes. You have the option to mark questions as "Private", which can be used for sensitive information such as salary history. Answers to "private" application form questions are only viewable to Super Admin and Job Admin users.
Where do the questions I create go?
The questions appear on the application form for the candidate to fill out.
Answers to application form questions display in the candidate's Trakstar Hire profile. If you ask candidates to upload a resume, that document will display in the resume viewing window of the profile.
I ask many of the same questions with each opening. Do I have to recreate these each time?
You can copy application questions to an existing opening when you are creating an opening, using the "copy details from" dropdown.
How do I customize and edit the application form?
Click "Openings" on the left bar of your Trakstar Hire screen and choose the opening that you'd like to edit the application form for:
The opening details will display. Choose the tab that says "Job Settings" and you will see a link to make changes to the "Application Form":
On the next screen you will be able to review, edit, and delete the current questions, as well as add new questions.
Questions with an asterisk (*) beside them are required for the candidate to fill out. You can click the pencil icon next to any field to make changes to it, or you can delete any custom field, if necessary. You can also rearrange the questions by dragging and dropping them, using the gray squares to the left of the question.
When you're ready to add a new question to the application form, you will find the "Add a Question" button underneath the last created field in your application:
Please note: You cannot delete the following questions: First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone and Resume. These are permanent placeholders in the candidate profile. If there is a question here that you do not want to use, you can "Hide" them by clicking the pencil icon and selecting the checkbox for "Temporarily hide this field in the application form"
In the question creation box you can set up your questions:
From here you can:
- Choose from predefined questions (i.e. address or cover letter)
- Create your own question by filling in the question title and choosing the answer type. (Learn more about these answer types in our webinar "Ask candidates the right questions..." which you can watch here.)
There are options you can use on a per-question basis:
- Private Field: Check this box if you'd like the question to be private and only viewable to Super Users (great for sensitive information like salary history)
- Applications are required to fill this: Check this box if you want candidates to be required to answer this question. They will not be allowed to submit the application if any required questions are skipped.
- Temporarily hide this question: Check this box if you want to remove a question from the application form temporarily.
When you have finished, click save to save your question.
You can continue adding questions in this manner until the application form looks the way you would like. If you would like to see how it looks to candidates, you can locate the Application Link in the "Candidate Sources" tab:
Please note: If you try applying for your own Opening while you are also logged in to your account, the application may not go through. If you'd like to test applying for an opening, make sure to log out of Trakstar Hire first or use a separate browser.
Can I copy the application form from an existing opening?
Yes! Click on the opening you'd like to edit this for and choose "Application Form" from the "Job Settings" tab:
From here, you'll see the application form you've built for this opening. On the right side, you will see "Copy from Another Opening"
"Search Openings" allows you to pick from any openings you have access to as a user.
Pick the appropriate opening, and you'll see a preview of the form you'll be adding.
Pleas note: This will replace the current form entirely.
Click "Use this form" confirm the copy, and you'll see the new application questions on the opening.
How can I set up a character limit on a question?
A character limit can be set on the Paragraph Text answer type. Once you pick paragraph text, check the box to limit the character input.
When applying, candidates can see a countdown of the characters remaining, and will not be able to enter data once the limit you set is met.
What if I want to screen candidate's applications, and then send certain candidates additional questions?
This is a great time to use the "Questionnaire" feature. It allows you to set up a questionnaire, similar to the application form, and send it to the candidate via Candidate Messaging to complete.
What if I would like the candidates to receive an email with further instructions after they submit their application?
Check out the Auto Response to Applicants feature, available on the opening details page.
Questions? Feel free to reach out at any time! hire@trakstar.com