Applications and pipeline
Applications are the candidates who put themselves forward for a vacancy through configured external sources or are added manually by a recruiter. This article covers where they come from, how to review them and how to move them into your placement workflow.
Where applications come from​
Applications can land in RecSphere from these sources:
- Job boards (via idibu). When a vacancy is posted to your job boards through idibu, applicants reply through the board's apply flow and the application appears on the vacancy.
- The public API. Your own website or careers page can post applications using the public API. These appear in RecSphere within seconds.
- Manual add. A recruiter can add an applicant directly from the Applications tab, for example when a candidate emails their CV.
Whichever source an application comes from, it appears in the same place, the Applications tab on the vacancy.
The Applications tab​
Each vacancy has its own Applications tab on the detail view. The tab shows every application in a single list, with columns for:
- Candidate name and any matching existing record.
- Source, such as job board, API or manual.
- Date received.
- CV preview link.
- Current pipeline stage.
Filters along the top let you narrow by source, by stage or by date. The default view is "Active applications", which hides anyone you have already rejected.
Reviewing a new application​
Click an application to open the review panel on the right. You will see:
- Parsed CV. RecSphere reads the uploaded CV and extracts structured fields (name, email, work history, qualifications). The raw file is also available for download.
- Contact details. Email and phone, pulled from the CV and the application form. Any matching existing candidate record is shown at the top.
- Cover letter. Free text from the applicant, if the source supports it.
- Compliance status. A quick check against the vacancy's required compliance. Green ticks for documents on file, amber for missing.
From the review panel you can reply by email, add notes, or take an action on the application.
Moving an applicant to the shortlist​
If the candidate looks like a good fit, use the application review action to add that applicant to the vacancy shortlist. This:
- Creates or links the candidate record (Sarah Williams at sarah.williams@example.com, for example).
- Adds them to the shortlist for this vacancy.
- Sets their pipeline stage to the first shortlist stage your workspace uses, where pipeline tracking is enabled.
From the shortlist, you work the candidate through the rest of the placement process: interview, offer, placement.
The dedicated Pipeline page is in Early Access; applications are visible on every vacancy regardless. If your workspace has not enabled the Pipeline page, you can still shortlist applicants and move them through the standard candidate statuses.
The Financials tab​
Each vacancy has a Financials tab where you explore the numbers for the role. The client's rate card pulls through the grades, specialities and divisions, and RecSphere shows the potential gross margin (GM): the base rate, the pay rate, the charge rate and the resulting margin.
A typical shape is a client maximum charge rate, for example a per-hour cap, against which you adjust the pay rate to see the resulting margin and the potential contract value over the period.
Rules set up by the payroll team flow through automatically. These can include an on-call allowance, or a minimum-hours and call-out rule with a minimum-hours rule and a call-out rate. You can see these on the vacancy, but they are configured centrally by payroll rather than on the vacancy itself.
You can also set the worker type and direct engagement at vacancy level. At this level the financials are only for exploring numbers: nothing is locked in here. The agreed figures are settled later, on the shortlist and the contract.
Matched and shortlisted candidates​
RecSphere lists candidates who match the vacancy, ranked highest match first and returned 10 at a time. For each candidate you see a match percentage, their desired rate, and the pay, charge and margin.
To hide a candidate who is not right, click the dislike control. The match drops off the list and the next candidate loads in.
To see why a candidate matched, click their match-percentage score. The score is built from these weighted factors:
- Rate.
- Shift availability.
- Location and travel radius.
- Preference boost (the candidate's chosen matching preference).
- GM.
- Skills and qualifications.
- Pre-approved at the client.
- Speciality.
- Years of experience.
- Compliance progress.
- Sector (public or private).
- Response level.
- Engagement level (how quickly the candidate responds to compliance items).
A candidate can match strongly on grade, speciality and rate but score lower where availability or location is incomplete.
To put a candidate forward from the match list, use the row action for that candidate. They move from the match list onto the shortlist, and the match percentage is kept on the shortlist so you can still see it later.
You do not have to work from the match list. When you already know who you are working, you can add a candidate directly to the vacancy or shortlist. You can also match from the candidate side, on the candidate's Matched & Shortlist tab, with a refresh to rematch.
The factors and their weights are currently a single set per business, rather than per desk or per recruiter.
Rejecting an applicant​
If a candidate is not right for the role, click Reject in the review panel. You will be asked to pick a reason from a short list (for example, "Insufficient experience", "Not in area", "Withdrew"). The reason is stored on both the application and the candidate record.
Optionally, you can send a rejection email at the same time, using one of your saved templates. The candidate is moved out of the active applications view but stays searchable in reports.
Selection actions​
Where selection actions are available on the Applications tab, use them only for the options shown on screen for your workspace and permission level. Add applicants to the shortlist one at a time.