Creating and managing email templates
How to create, edit, preview and delete the email, reminder, system and SMS templates your organisation sends, and which merge fields each one can use.
How to create, edit, preview and delete the email, reminder, system and SMS templates your organisation sends, and which merge fields each one can use.
Every automatic email and SMS that Recruit sends to candidates, referees, approvers and staff comes from a template you can edit. Templates live under Settings, on the Communication Templates page, and System Admins and HR users can change them. This article covers what each kind of template is for, how to create and change one, how merge fields work, and what happens when you delete a template that is still being used.
Who can manage templates
System Admin and HR users can open Communication Templates, and create, edit, preview and delete templates. Members, hiring managers, interviewers and agencies do not see the page. If they reach it by a link they are told that only admins and HR can manage communication templates. Other users can still pick an existing template when they compose an email, but they cannot change it.
Open the page from Settings, then Automations & Communication, then Communication Templates.
The tabs and what each template is for
The page shows a list of templates on the left and an editor on the right. The tabs across the top group templates by how they are sent.
- Email Templates: emails triggered by something happening to a candidate or referee, or that you send by hand. Examples are the acknowledgement when someone starts an application, rejection, interview scheduling, document requests and reference requests.
- Reminders: emails that chase someone about an unfinished task, such as an unfinished application form, an interview that has not been booked or an offer about to expire. The schedule for these is set elsewhere in Settings, under Reminders and Reminder Automations. Here you edit the wording.
- System Emails: emails Recruit sends on your behalf to staff, agencies and candidates for account and process events, such as approval requests and outcomes, user invitations, retention warnings and advert expiry reminders.
- SMS: text message templates. This tab appears only if your organisation has the SMS add-on.
Offer and Offer Accepted emails, offer letters and contracts are not on this page. They are managed under Settings, then Offer Setup. The article Email and offer templates covers that area.
Onboarding templates (Onboarding Welcome, Onboarding Task Notification and Onboarding Reminder) only appear if onboarding is switched on for your organisation.
Email Templates tab categories
| Category | Sent when |
|---|---|
| Application Started | A candidate starts an application. Includes a link to return and finish it. |
| Application Complete | A candidate finishes a multi-step application form. |
| Rejection | A candidate is told their application was unsuccessful. |
| Candidate Withdrawal | A candidate's withdrawal is confirmed. |
| Scheduling | A candidate is asked to arrange or confirm an interview time. |
| Interview Confirmation | A candidate's booked interview slot is confirmed. |
| Interview Cancellation | A scheduled interview is cancelled. |
| Video Interview Invitation | A candidate is invited to complete a video interview. |
| Video Interview Completion | A candidate has completed a video interview. |
| Reference Request | A referee is asked for a reference. |
| Referee Request (to candidate) | A candidate is asked to provide referee details. |
| Reopen Application Form | A recruiter reopens a submitted form for more input. |
| Document Request | A candidate is asked to upload a specific document. |
| General Correspondence | You send a message directly to candidates, one at a time or in bulk. |
| Onboarding Welcome | A new starter is welcomed and onboarding begins. |
| Onboarding Task Notification | A new starter is told about an onboarding task. |
Reminders tab categories
Application Form Reminder, Interview Reminder, Interview Booking Reminder, Interview Upcoming Reminder, Interview Slot Reminder (sent 24 hours and 1 hour before a booked interview), Reference Form Reminder, Video Interview Reminder, Offer Expiring Reminder and Onboarding Reminder.
System Emails tab categories
Approval Requested, Approval Approved, Approval Rejected, Approval Withdrawn, Invitation (new staff user), Reactivation (staff user whose account is restored), Agency Assigned, Retention Warning, Consent Expiry, Referral Invitation, Register Interest Received and Advert Expiry Reminder (sent to hiring managers before a job advert closes).
Hover over the information icon beside a category name, in the category list or in the editor, to see a one-line explanation of when it is sent.
Create a template
- Go to Communication Templates and open the tab that matches the kind of message.
- Select the add button at the bottom of the list: + Add Email Template, + Add Reminder Template, + Add System Email Template or + Add SMS Template.
- In the New Email Template window, choose a Category and select Confirm. The window offers only the categories that belong to the tab you are on, and you can change the category later.
- The template is created straight away with placeholder text for the name, subject and body. Replace all three, then select Save.
Because the template exists as soon as you confirm, do not leave the placeholder wording in place. Anything that uses the template would send it as it stands.
The editor
Select a template in the list to open it. Use the search box above the list to find a template by name, category or subject (SMS templates search by name only). On the Email Templates tab, Filter by category narrows the list to one category. Templates are listed by category and then alphabetically.
- Template Name: up to 255 characters. This is the name you see in Recruit, not the recipient.
- Category: decides where the template is used and which merge fields are available. Templates with a Default badge have a fixed category.
- Subject Line: up to 500 characters. Not used for SMS.
- Body (labelled Content for SMS): the message itself.
- Attachments: on the Email Templates tab only. Select Attach a file to add files that go out with every email sent from the template. You can attach up to 10 files, each up to 8 MB. PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and image files are accepted. Remove a file with the remove control beside its name, then save.
Save stays disabled until the name, subject and body are filled in. It also stays disabled while a Reference Request or Application Started body is missing the link that category requires.
Formatting the body
The body opens in a rich text editor. The toolbar has Bold, Italic, Underline, Link, Image, Bullet list, Ordered list and left, centre and right alignment. Link and Image ask for a web address.
Above the editor, the Editor and Raw HTML tabs let you switch to the underlying HTML if you need finer control or want to paste a designed layout. When you save, Recruit checks the HTML and rejects it with a message that names the problem and the line number. Emails cannot contain script, iframe, object, embed, form, input, button, textarea, select, style, link or meta tags, event attributes such as onclick, or links and images that do not start with http, https or mailto. Unclosed or mismatched tags are also rejected. Tags and attributes outside the supported set are removed when the template is saved.
SMS templates use a plain text box, not the rich text editor.
Merge fields
A merge field is a placeholder in double curly brackets, such as , that Recruit replaces with the real value when the message is sent. You can use them in the subject and the body.
- In the editor, find Merge Fields below the body and select the Merge fields button.
- Search or scroll to the field you want and select it. Recruit copies it to your clipboard and shows a confirmation with a description of the value.
- Click into the subject or body where you want it and paste. The picker does not insert the field for you.
You can also type a field by hand, for example , as long as the spelling matches.
How availability works
- Each category has its own fixed list, because each kind of email is sent with different information. The picker shows only the fields for the category currently selected in the editor. Change the category and the list changes.
- If the subject or body contains a field the category cannot fill, Save is refused and the message names the field. Either it is not a Recruit field at all, or it is a real field whose value is not available for that category. Remove it or choose one from the picker.
- A few older spellings, such as , still work wherever the current spelling works. The picker hides them and shows only the current one.
- Fields that are links, such as , and , are created separately for each recipient at the moment the email is sent. Preview shows a sample link and tells you which ones will be generated.
- Some categories require a link. Reference Request must include , Application Started must include , Invitation must include and Reactivation must include . Without it the template cannot be saved. Your organisation normally already has a template in these categories, so edit that one rather than adding another.
Fields by category
Field names are written without the double curly brackets.
Email Templates tab
| Category | Merge fields you can use |
|---|---|
| Application Started | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, jobTitle, jobReference, companyName, recruiterName, manageLink, resumeLink, closingDate, expiryDate |
| Application Complete | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, jobTitle, companyName, recruiterName, manageLink |
| Rejection | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, candidatePhone, jobTitle, companyName, recruiterName, rejectionReason, jobLocation, jobReference, companyContactNumber, jobRegion, jobPostcode, jobCategory, contactName, currentDate |
| Candidate Withdrawal | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, candidatePhone, jobTitle, companyName, jobLocation, jobReference, companyContactNumber, jobRegion, jobPostcode, jobCategory, contactName, currentDate |
| Scheduling | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, candidatePhone, jobTitle, jobLocation, companyName, stageName, interviewDate, interviewTime, interviewLink, schedulingLink, interviewerName, recruiterName, eventName, eventType, eventLocation, onlineMeetingLink, eventSlotLength, eventStartDate, eventStartTime, eventEndDate, eventEndTime, eventHosts, contactName, currentDate |
| Interview Confirmation | candidateName, candidateFirstName, jobTitle, interviewDate, interviewTime, interviewDuration, interviewLocation, interviewerName, onlineMeetingLink, onlineMeetingNote |
| Interview Cancellation | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, jobTitle, companyName, stageName, eventName, currentDate, customMessage |
| Video Interview Invitation | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, jobTitle, companyName, videoInterviewLink, plus older spellings of the same details used by migrated templates |
| Video Interview Completion | The same as Video Interview Invitation, without the video interview link |
| Reference Request | refereeName, candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, jobTitle, companyName, companyContactNumber, contactName, referenceLink, currentDate |
| Referee Request (to candidate) | nominationLink, candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, candidatePhone, companyName, companyContactNumber, currentDate |
| Reopen Application Form | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, jobTitle, companyName, reopenLink, candidatePhone, jobLocation, jobReference, companyContactNumber, closingDate, jobRegion, jobPostcode, jobCategory, contactName, currentDate |
| Document Request | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, companyName, documentType, uploadLink |
| General Correspondence | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, candidatePhone, companyName, companyContactNumber, currentDate. When the email is sent from a job's pipeline, jobTitle, jobLocation, jobReference, jobRegion, jobPostcode, jobCategory, closingDate and contactName also fill in. |
| Onboarding Welcome | candidateName, candidateFirstName, jobTitle, companyName, onboardingLink, taskCount |
| Onboarding Task Notification | candidateName, candidateFirstName, jobTitle, companyName, onboardingLink, taskTitle, taskDueDate, phaseName |
Reminders tab
| Category | Merge fields you can use |
|---|---|
| Application Form Reminder | candidateName, candidateFirstName, jobTitle, companyName, closingDate, applicationLink |
| Interview Reminder | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, candidatePhone, jobTitle, companyName, stageName, interviewDate, interviewTime, interviewLink, interviewerName, eventName, eventType, eventLocation, onlineMeetingLink, eventSlotLength, eventStartDate, eventStartTime, eventEndDate, eventEndTime, eventHosts, contactName |
| Interview Booking Reminder | candidateName, candidateFirstName, jobTitle, companyName, schedulingLink |
| Interview Upcoming Reminder | candidateName, candidateFirstName, jobTitle, companyName, interviewDate, interviewTime, interviewLocation, interviewDuration |
| Interview Slot Reminder | The same as Interview Upcoming Reminder |
| Reference Form Reminder | refereeName, candidateName, jobTitle, companyName, referenceLink |
| Video Interview Reminder | The same as Video Interview Invitation |
| Offer Expiring Reminder | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, jobTitle, companyName, offerLink |
| Onboarding Reminder | candidateName, candidateFirstName, jobTitle, companyName, onboardingLink, taskTitle, taskDueDate, phaseName |
System Emails tab
| Category | Merge fields you can use |
|---|---|
| Approval Requested | jobTitle, jobId, jobLocation, companyName, levelLabel, groupName, workflowName, approvalLink, approvalStatus, requestCreator, comments, approverFirstName, approverName |
| Approval Approved | jobTitle, jobId, jobLocation, companyName, approverName, approverFirstName, workflowName, approvalLink, requestCreator, comments, approvalStatus |
| Approval Rejected | jobTitle, jobId, jobLocation, companyName, rejectionReason, approverName, approverFirstName, workflowName, approvalLink, requestCreator, comments, approvalStatus |
| Approval Withdrawn | jobTitle, jobId, jobLocation, companyName, workflowName, approvalLink, approvalStatus, requestCreator, comments |
| Invitation | firstName, inviteLink, organizationName |
| Reactivation | firstName, setupLink, organizationName |
| Agency Assigned | agencyName, contactName, contactFirstName, contactLastName, jobTitle, companyName, jobLink, currentDate |
| Retention Warning | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateEmail, companyName, deletionDate |
| Consent Expiry | candidateName, candidateEmail, companyName |
| Referral Invitation | candidateEmail, jobTitle, companyName, referrerName, referralLink |
| Register Interest Received | candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, companyName, currentDate |
| Advert Expiry Reminder | jobTitle, jobLink, closingDate, currentDate |
SMS and offers
An SMS template is tied to a reminder category and uses that category's merge fields from the tables above. The categories offered for SMS are Application Form Reminder, Reference Form Reminder, Interview Booking Reminder, Interview Upcoming Reminder, Interview Slot Reminder, Advert Expiry Reminder, Offer Expiring Reminder and Onboarding Reminder.
Offer emails, which you manage under Offer Setup, use these fields. Offer: candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, jobTitle, companyName, offerAmount, startDate, recruiterName, offerLink, contactName. Offer Accepted: candidateName, candidateFirstName, candidateLastName, candidateEmail, jobTitle, companyName, offerLink, contactName.
Preview a template
On the Email Templates, Reminders and System Emails tabs, select Preview to see the subject and body with sample values in place of the merge fields. Preview shows the saved version, so save your changes first. If a template contains a field Recruit has no sample for, it appears in the preview as written. There is no preview on the SMS tab.
SMS templates
SMS templates need the SMS add-on. Choose a reminder category, write the message and save. A message can be up to 457 characters. When the text is sent, Recruit adds "Reply STOP to opt out." to the end, which is why the limit sits below the 480 characters a message can reach in total.
Templates brought across from a previous system may show a Review before use badge. Hover over it to see why. The reasons are that the message uses a field the message type cannot fill, contains an old merge field that has not been converted, links to the previous system, or is longer than a single SMS allows. Fix the message before relying on it.
Which template is used
There is no Set as default control. Your organisation starts with a ready-made template in many categories, marked with a Default badge, and you can edit it freely.
When Recruit sends an automatic email and nobody has picked a specific template for it, it uses the most recently created template in that category. If you add a second Rejection template, the newer one takes over for everything that falls back to the category. To keep one template in charge, edit the existing one rather than adding another.
Where a specific template can be chosen, that choice wins. For rejection emails, the order is the template chosen on the pipeline stage, then the one chosen on the job, then the category's most recent template. Offers use the template chosen on the offer, and interview events use the template chosen on the event.
Duplicate a template
There is no duplicate button. To reuse a template, open it, switch the body to Raw HTML and copy the HTML. Add a new template in the same category, paste the HTML into its Raw HTML view, then copy the subject across and re-attach any files.
Delete a template
- Select the template in the list.
- Select Delete at the bottom of the editor.
- Confirm in the window that asks whether you are sure. This cannot be undone.
Recruit does not stop you deleting a template that is in use. For email templates, the confirmation window first checks interview events that are not yet closed. If any use the template, it tells you how many and warns that they will fall back to the standard invitation wording. If your organisation belongs to a group and companies in it use a shared template, the window names them.
Other uses are not counted in that warning, so think before deleting a Default template or one in the Rejection or Application Started categories. Rejection emails are skipped altogether when there is no template chosen on the stage or job and none in the Rejection category. Emails already sent are not affected.
Organisations in a group
If you administer a group, a company selector appears at the top right of the page. Choose a company to manage its templates. When a parent company shares its communication templates under Library sharing, the templates appear in the subsidiary with a Shared from badge. They can be used but not edited or deleted from the subsidiary, and the editor has no Save or Delete buttons.
Errors you may see
- Body must include the merge field: add the reference form link to a Reference Request body.
- Body must include the merge field so the candidate can manage their application: add the manage link to an Application Started body.
- A message beginning with a field name, saying it is not a merge token supplied for the category or that its value is not available there: remove the field or use one from the picker.
- A message such as "contains an unsupported HTML tag" or "unclosed tag (line 4)": fix the HTML on the line given, or switch back to the Editor tab and rebuild the formatting there.
- An attachment message such as "is larger than 8 MB" or "is not a file type that can be emailed": use a smaller file, or a PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint or image file.
- "These files are too large to send together": remove one attachment or use smaller files.