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Application stage

In this article, you'll learn what an application stage is in JOIN, how it relates to your hiring pipeline, and how to manage application progress effectively.

In JOIN, an application stage reflects the current step a candidate’s application has reached in your hiring process — such as screening, interview, offer, or hired. This stage is part of the customised pipeline you set for each job and helps your team track progress, coordinate next steps, and communicate effectively with candidates.

Each time someone applies to a job via JOIN, a separate application is created and added to your company’s account. If a candidate applies to multiple jobs, you’ll see multiple applications — each one tracked independently, with its own stage, notes, and outcome. This allows for a structured and fair review process tailored to each position.

By keeping application stages up to date, your hiring team can stay aligned, avoid delays, and ensure a professional candidate experience across all open roles.

Application

An application in JOIN is a single submission made by a candidate to one of your job postings. If a candidate applies to multiple roles, each submission is tracked as a separate application.

Each application includes:

  • Candidate details

  • CV and any attachments

  • Source and date applied

  • Current pipeline stage (which determines the application’s state)

  • GDPR status

You can view all of a candidate’s applications in their profile, shown on the top of the right-most panel in the Candidate Profile view.

Application stage

The application stage represents the current step in the hiring process for a specific application. These stages reflect your pipeline setup — you can fully customise them per job. Some examples of application stage include: Screening, Phone Interview, Offer, Hired

JOIN uses the selected stage to define the application state, which is visible in the Applications section and in each candidate's profile. These appear in the Stage column of the Applications table of Applications tabs, allowing you to easily track and move candidates.

You can have different stages across jobs depending on how your hiring pipeline is structured. These stages are user-defined when you create or edit a pipeline.

Hiring state

The hiring state is a system-level summary of where the application is in your hiring process. JOIN uses fixed labels — such as Screening, Offer, or Hired — to help you filter and organise your applications.

Application states are automatically mapped based on the stage the application is currently in.

These system-level hiring states help with filtering and reporting:

State
Description

Screening

Application is in the early stages of evaluation

Offer

Candidate has received or is being considered for an offer

Hired

Application has been marked as hired

The label for Stage appears in dropdown filters in your Applications tab, allowing you to easily track and manage candidates by overall state of an application.

View and manage application stages

You can view and manage application stages in three key areas:

1. Applications overview

Go to Applications > Active

  • View all applications across all jobs in a table view

  • The Stage column shows the current stage (and determines the state)

  • Click the stage to update it

2. Job-specific applications

Go to Jobs > Select a job > Applications

  • View applications for that job only

  • Use card view or table view

  • Each card or row is a separate application with its own stage

3. Candidate profile

Click into a candidate’s profile

  • See all their applications on the right-hand panel

  • Each application is listed with its associated job and current stage

  • Click on an application to manage its stage

Change the application stage

Changing an application’s stage updates its state automatically.

In Table View (All jobs or per job):

  1. Go to the Stage column

  2. Click the current stage

  3. Select a new stage from the list

In Candidate Profile:

  1. Click the Move forward button to go to the next stage

  2. Or use the dropdown arrow to select a specific stage

In Cards View:

  1. Drag the application card into another stage column

  2. The new stage is applied immediately

Applications must be updated individually, even if they come from the same candidate.

Rejecting an application

To reject an application:

  1. Change the stage to a rejection stage

  2. The application state updates to Rejected

  3. The application is removed from the active hiring pipeline

  4. You can manually send a rejection message, or use an automated one if configured

Rejections apply only to the specific application, not the candidate. Other applications remain active unless individually rejected.

Importance of moving applications through stages

Keeping applications updated ensures a smoother, more professional hiring process. It helps your team:

  • Stay aligned on candidate progress

  • Identify where applicants are getting stuck

  • Keep your pipeline tidy and actionable

  • Enable accurate filtering and reporting

It also creates a more respectful experience for candidates, by ensuring timely responses and fewer delays.

One candidate – multiple applications

JOIN allows a single candidate to apply to multiple roles. Each application:

  • Has its own tags, notes, and evaluations

  • Moves independently through the pipeline

  • Can result in different outcomes (e.g. hired for one, rejected for another)

You’ll see all applications tied to a candidate in their profile, giving you full context during reviews.

Best practices

  • Update application stages regularly to reflect true progress

  • Use filters (e.g. Job, Hiring state) to review applications in similar stages

  • Add tags, notes, or assessments to each application individually

  • Regularly review application in Screening to avoid missed opportunities

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