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Candidate management

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Managing tests and candidates

To invite a candidate to a test, click on the Tests option in the left navigation menu, and click on the person icon Invite button to the right of the test title.

In the left nav the Tests option is highlighted. In the center of the screen  a list of tests is shown below with an arrow pointing towards the invite button.

Alternatively if you’re already in the test, you can navigate to the Candidates tab and click the Send test button.

The candidates page is shown with an arrow pointing to the "send test" button in the top right of the screen.

You can invite candidates in one of two ways:

  1. Enter in individual candidate details
  2. Send out a public URL

1. Input candidate details

Input the candidate’s first name, last name, and email address. You can also import a .CSV file with multiple candidates.

✅ An API integration to import candidates is available to Enterprise customers. 

Use tags to sort and track candidates. Tags remain invisible to candidates.

You’ll then select who will receive the test report for the candidate(s) and click on Next step: email setup to finish setting up the email template that will go out to the candidates with a link to the test.

The test invitation screen is shown for a test. The "invite candidates" tab is shown with the name, email, and tags field.

⚠️Users who receive reports must be set up in the Users section and given the relevant access permission by admins. If this hasn’t happened, you may not see this option.

2. Send out a public URL

Sometimes, inviting candidates individually via email isn’t the most efficient. For example, if you want to:

  • Conduct university recruitment sessions, where you don’t know in advance who will take the test
  • Have recruiters who do not have access to Screen
  • Include your test link in your online job posting or social media post

In these cases, you can use a public link, allowing candidates to take a test without an email invitation.

Once your test has been created, simply click navigate to the Test settings for your test (1) and then open the Test Access tab (2). You’ll need to enable the link by clicking on the toggle (3); you can disable the test link at anytime by switching the toggle back off. You can then copy the link (4) as well as select which of your team members should receive the test reports from the public test (5).

The test settings page is shown with a #1 next to the test settings tab at the top of the screen. There is a #2 next to the test access tab, a #3 next to the "enable link" toggle, a #4 next to the text are where you can copy the link, and a #5 next to the "select the users who should receive the test report" dropdown.

In your Tests dashboard, tests with a public link will be identified by a link icon:

The test screen is shown with an arrow pointing toward a link symbol next to a selected test.

Similarly, candidates invited via a public link will have the same icon next to their name.

Setup invitation email

✅ The default language depends on the language you set up the test in. If you chose French/Spanish and English, the email automatically shows in English.

In the Preview invitation email window, click Edit email to customize the test invitation.

The "preview invitation email" screen with an arrow pointing to the "edit email" option.

This will open the email editor:

The invitation email editor is shown with text boxes to edit the subject line and the email body.

⚠️ The system inserts the candidate’s name at the [[NAME]] tag, and the invitation link at the [[LINK]] tag. Do not remove these tags.

Once you’ve finished customizing the email, click OK. Then click Send invitation to have the email distributed to the test takers.

The candidate will receive an invitation from your company containing the link to start the test and their name appears in the list of candidates who have been invited to this test. 

Tracking candidates with statuses

At the top of the candidate list, you can see at a glance which candidates are waiting to be reviewed, as well as which ones you have rejected or passed on to the next step:

The top of the candidates tab is shown with the search bar shown and a set of tabs showing candidate statuses.

Candidates whose tests are no longer in progress will automatically appear in the To review category. From here, you can decide which category a candidate should be moved to. 

You can change the status of a candidate in three ways:

1. Simply click on the status icon of a candidate in the list and select an option from the drop-down menu:

There's a list of candidates and one of the candidates has the candidate status drop down open with the options: "to review", "rejected", and "passed" shown.

2. Click on a candidate to open their report and select the desired status at the bottom of the screen:

The candidate results screen is shown with the "update status" option shown at the bottom of the screen.

3. Select several candidates, open the batch action drop-down menu, then click on Update status:

The image shows the "Candidates" section within the "Demo test with many candidates - Bis" test on the CoderPad platform. Here’s the alt text for this image:

"CoderPad interface displaying the 'Candidates' section for a test titled 'Demo test with many candidates - Bis.' The table lists candidates along with details such as their last activity, score, Java proficiency, Spring Framework proficiency, and the time taken. Two candidates, Stacy Tran and Hadassah Jensen, are selected as indicated by checked boxes next to their names. A black action bar at the bottom shows '2 selected' with options for updating status, exporting data, or other actions. Filters and a search bar are available at the top of the candidate list, and a yellow 'Send test' button is visible on the right."

⚠️ You cannot change the status of a candidate whose test is still ongoing. 

Automating candidate management

If you want to streamline your hiring process you can create rules to automatically pass, fail, or tag candidates based on their test scores. You can set up these rules either for individual tests by navigating to the Test Settings for each test, or as default rules for all your tests by navigating to the Test Settings for your account.

In either case, you’ll want to first select the Automation tab. Below that, you’ll see a rule box (1) and two smaller boxes inside that, one to set the condition of the rule (2) and another to set the action (3).

The image shows the "Test settings" page for a job listing titled "Full-stack - CSS, HTML, JavaScript, SQL - Senior." The page has multiple tabs: General, Communication, Test Access, Automation, and Sharing. The Automation tab is selected, displaying a section titled "Automation (Beta)." This section allows users to set up automated rules to save time by automatically adding tags and updating the status of future candidates as they complete their tests. 

Key elements in the image are marked with red circles and numbers:
1. "Automation 1" - The name of the automation rule being created.
2. "Select a condition" dropdown - The user needs to select a condition for the automation.
3. "Select an action" dropdown - The user needs to select an action that will occur when the specified condition is met.

Additional buttons include options to add more conditions, add actions, and add more rules, as well as a save button.

You can set multiple conditions and actions by simply clicking on the + Add condition and/or + Add action buttons as needed. You can also set multiple rules by clicking the Add rule button.

Conditions

In the conditions drop down, you’ll be able to select one of two options:

  1. Comparative score: A score computed by analyzing how the candidate did compared to other candidates who took similar tests.
  2. Point score: The candidate’s raw score as a percentage of the questions they got correct.

Once you select the score type you want to automate on, you’ll then select a conditional operator ( =, , or , `) and set the score threshold for when the rule will trigger.

The image shows a part of an automation rule setup interface. It specifies conditions under the "When" section. The conditions set are:

1. "Point score" equal to 80%.
2. "Comparative score" greater than or equal to 90%.

Both conditions have dropdown menus to select different criteria, and delete icons to remove the conditions. There is also an option to add more conditions by clicking "+ Add condition."

Actions

In the actions box, you can set a standardized status (Passed or Rejected) and/or customized tags depending on how you want your candidates to be categorized.

The image shows a part of an automation rule setup interface under the "Do this" section. A dropdown menu labeled "Select an action" is expanded, showing two options:

1. "Set status to"
2. "Add tag"

There is also a delete icon next to the dropdown menu to remove the selected action. Below this section, there are buttons for "Add rule" and "Save."

You can set multiple tags, but only one status per action.

The image shows a part of an automation rule setup interface under the "Do this" section. It includes two specified actions:

1. "Add tag" - The tag "Great" is selected.
2. "Set status to" - The status "Passed" is selected.

Both actions have delete icons next to them to remove the actions. There is also an option to add more actions by clicking "+ Add action."

Once you’re done setting your rules, click Save to complete the process.

The image shows the "Automation (Beta)" section of a test settings page. This section is used to automatically add tags and update the status of candidates based on their test performance. 

Two automation rules are visible:

1. The first rule is titled "Change status to 'Passed' + Add tag 'Great'." It has the following conditions and actions:
   - **Conditions:**
     - "Point score" equal to 80%.
     - "Comparative score" greater than or equal to 90%.
   - **Actions:**
     - "Add tag" with the tag "Great."
     - "Set status to" with the status "Passed."
   - Options to add more conditions and actions are present.

2. The second rule is labeled "Automation 2" and is currently empty, with dropdown menus to "Select a condition" and "Select an action." There are options to add more conditions and actions.

There are delete icons next to each condition and action to remove them. Buttons to add more rules and to save the current configuration are visible at the bottom.

✅The rules will automatically be applied as soon as future candidates complete their test. No retroactive impact on existing candidates.

Assess invited candidates

To access your candidate list and view their scores, click on any test in your tests list and you’ll be taken to the candidate screen (as long as at least one candidate has been invited).

By default, candidates are sorted by their global test score.

A list of candidates is shown along with their test results.

If you test them on several technologies, there is a score per technology.

Click on a candidate’s name. A pop out on the right shows information on candidate score and ranking compared to other candidates tested on the same technology and at the same level.

A candidate report is shown with an arrow pointing towards the display that says "Better than 99% of professionals".

For more information, check out understanding candidate reports.

Add candidate tags

Tags are a handy way to keep track of candidates based on location, team, department, or any other variable that you want to group them by.

To change individual tags, click on the candidate’s name in the candidates list (1), and then select Candidate (2). You can then select from a list of existing tags, or add a new one (3).

Screenshot of the CoderPad platform showing a "Demo test with many candidates" interface. The left side menu lists options like "Tests," "Questions," "Candidates," and "Admin." In the "Candidates" section, several names are shown, with three candidates (Maritza Gilbert, Vincent Curry, and Marcelo Preston) flagged for "Cheating" with red warning icons. Stacy Tran is highlighted, and on the right side of the screen, details about Stacy Tran are displayed. This includes a "Report" section and a "Tags" dropdown, where various tags such as "school," "French," and "Project A" can be assigned to the candidate. At the bottom, there are buttons to mark the candidate as "To review," "Rejected," or "Passed," along with options to take further actions or view a detailed report.

To add a tag to a group of candidates, select the candidates whose tags you’d like to add (1), then click the Update button at the bottom of the page (2). Then add the tags you want all the selected candidates to have (3) and click Update.

Screenshot of the CoderPad platform showing the "Candidates" section of a demo test with multiple candidates. On the left, the side menu lists options for "Tests," "Questions," "Candidates," and "Admin." In the main panel, several candidates are displayed with checkboxes next to their names. Three candidates (Maritza Gilbert, Vincent Curry, and Marcelo Preston) are selected. An "Update 3 candidates" pop-up is open, allowing the user to update the candidates' status to "To review," "Rejected," or "Passed." There is also a field for adding tags such as "Location, contract type, etc." with a yellow "Update" button at the bottom. Below the candidate list, there are options to export, anonymize, update, or delete the selected candidates.

Notifications of candidates’ progress

You can choose which events to display in the candidates’ Timeline by updating the Timeline settings. The following events can be tracked in the timeline:

  • Candidate is invited to take a test
  • Candidate visits the welcome page
  • Candidate starts test
  • Candidate starts tutorial
  • Candidate finishes tutorial
  • Candidate’s invitation is cancelled
  • Personal data are erased for a candidate
  • Candidate abandons test
  • Candidate’s invitation expires
  • Candidate finishes test
  • Candidate’s email is invalid
  • Candidate’s status is updated

To access the Timeline settings, navigate to your account and click on Tests on the left navigation menu. Then, click the gear wheel icon ⚙️ in the top right of the Timeline window. 

Tests selection is highlighted in the left nav menu. A red arrow is pointing towards the setting button at the top right corner of the screen.

A pop up containing Timeline settings will appear. Simply check the events that you want to display and then click Save.

📧 You can also receive an email when the candidate finishes the test by selecting the same checkbox at the bottom of the Timeline settings.

Pending tests and other test statuses

Pending tests are invited tests not yet taken by a candidate.

To see all pending tests, go to My Tests.

Hover over the # for a particular test to see the number of invitations, the number of completed tests, and the number of tests needing review. If the Invited and To review numbers are the same, there are no pending tests. If the numbers are different, there are pending tests.

The image shows a list of tests within the CoderPad platform, specifically focusing on the "Last activity" column. Here’s the alt text for this image:

"A section of the CoderPad interface showing a list of tests. The 'Test for question with custom data' has a status indicator showing '13' with a red dot, indicating the number of pending actions or invitations. When hovered over, a dropdown appears showing that 13 candidates were invited, 11 have completed the test, and 11 are pending review. The last activity for this test was '1 minute ago.' Each test in the list has an 'Invite' button on the right, allowing the user to invite candidates to take the test."

To view pending tests, click on the test to see the candidate list:

  • If the test is not yet complete or has not started yet, the score will say Pending.
The list of candidates for a test is shown. In the "score" field is the word "Pending" for both candidates.
  • If the time limit has expired, the status will say Expired.
The score field has the word "expired" in it.
  • If the candidate started the test but stopped while taking it, they have 48 hours to finish it. If they do not finish it within the 48 hours window, the score is based on completed questions and a red exclamation mark notifies you that that test was abandoned by the candidate.
  • If the candidate is still within the 48 hours window, the test will be labelled as In progress in the score column.
The text "In progress" is shown.

The Last activity column gives a summary of a candidate’s activity.

The candidate's test history is shown, begins with Test started, and then Test opened, and lastly Test sent.

Candidates who have not yet started their tests receive a reminder email 3 days and 7 days after the the invitation email is sent.