Working with Applicants
Emailing candidates
Templates with merge fields, sending to a group, and setting up an automatic acknowledgement.
Last updated September 2, 2026
Templates
Build reusable messages under Email Templates — an acknowledgement, an invitation to interview, a polite no. Each has a name, a subject, a status, and either Simple text or a Designed drag-and-drop layout.
Merge fields
| Field | Becomes |
|---|---|
| {{ applicant.first_name }} | Their first name |
| {{ applicant.last_name }} | Their surname |
| {{ applicant.full_name }} | Both |
| {{ applicant.email }} | Their email |
| {{ applicant.phone }} | Their phone |
| {{ posting.title }} | The job they applied for |
| {{ tribe.name }} | The tribe — falls back to your organisation |
| {{ organisation.name }} | Your organisation |
Give any field a fallback for candidates who have not filled it in, like {{ applicant.first_name ?? "there" }}. Always do this for the greeting — imported candidates often have gaps.
Test sends go to you
Send test mails your own address with the subject prefixed [Test]. There is no applicant behind a test, so merge fields come out as their fallbacks or blank — that is expected, and it is a good way to check your fallbacks read properly.
Sending to a group
Send email on a posting opens a two-step wizard. Step one lists the applicants matching your current filters, all ticked — untick anyone you want to skip. Step two lets you start from a template, override the from name and address, and edit the subject and message.
Automatic acknowledgement
Auto-reply on a posting switches on an automatic email to every new applicant — the single most worthwhile thing to set up, because it stops candidates wondering whether their application arrived.
Only the acknowledgement on application can be configured today. There is no automatic email on shortlisting or rejection — send those yourself.
What was sent to whom
Each candidate's panel has an Emails sent history showing the subject, when it went, and whether it was manual or automatic — so anybody picking up the vacancy can see what the candidate has already been told.