Special offer 

Jumpstart your hiring with a $100 CAD credit to sponsor your first job.*

Sponsored Jobs posted directly on Indeed are 40% more likely to report a hire than non-sponsored jobs**
  • Visibility for hard-to-fill roles through branding and urgently hiring
  • Instantly source candidates through matching to expedite your hiring
  • Access skilled candidates to cut down on mismatched hires

How to Screen and Manage Candidates with Indeed for Employers

Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

Ready to get started?

Post a Job

Indeed’s Candidate Management tool (via the Candidates tab on the Employer Dashboard) helps you organize and manage your hiring pipeline.

As a hiring hub, Candidate Management is a single place to gather and keep all of your applicant information so you can filter it according to your preference—without the additional task of creating spreadsheets and/or a complicated folder system.

We’ve heard from other employers like you that Candidate Management saves them time, so they can focus on hiring their most qualified candidates. Below, find out how to screen and manage candidates on Indeed.

Ready to get started?

Post a Job

Manage candidates effectively and efficiently

As applicants show up on your candidate dashboard, you can assign them a Status (Active, Awaiting review, Reviewed, Contacted, etc.) You can use status assignments and filters to focus on the candidates who are best suited for your role.

Let’s explore how this Indeed tool can help you:

  • Go to the Status drop-down menu (the filters and applicants will show up)
  • Filter candidates according to where they are in your hiring process
  • Apply Filters to candidates for any and all jobs that are open, paused, or closed

Along with assigning applicants’ statuses, you can also invite matched candidates to apply. This feature, Matched Candidates, is only available when you post a Premium Sponsored Job and allows you to see a list of candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job criteria. You can then invite matched candidates to apply from your Employer Dashboard. Learn more about how Matched Candidates works.

Filter job candidates

Filters save time and help you organize your job search. When you apply them, the candidates that match your filtering criteria will populate your screen, front and centre. This way, you can review candidates quickly and reassign statuses.

You can filter applicants by:

  • Location
  • Assessment status
  • Screener questions status*
  • A simple yes – √, maybe – ?, or no – X
  • Application date
  • Those who are expiring soon (if you opted into Employer Assist)

*Applicants whose answers do not meet your required criteria will be marked as Rejected. These candidates will not be notified of their application status, unless you send them a response via one of our easy-to-use templated email updates.

Group applicants by status

Applicants can be assigned one of six statuses:

  • Active
  • Awaiting review
  • Reviewed
  • Contacted
  • Hired
  • Rejected

As a bonus, when you review and reassign a candidate, your hiring coworkers will receive one of the following notifications:

Awaiting review

Applicants who enter your dashboard will automatically be assigned this status. Each applicant marked as a yes – √, or maybe – ? will be moved to the Reviewed status.

Reviewed

Candidates that are ready for you to take action on. Once your candidate has been reviewed, you can record your thoughts and impressions as a Note. From there, you can also reach out to candidates (using one of our templates) to set up a virtual interview or let them know where they stand.

Contacted

Once you’ve started contacting candidates, you can note that as well. This status is helpful as you conduct phone screens, set up in-person or virtual interviews, or send status updates.

Hired

You can also mark a candidate as Hired. This way, you’ll have a historical record of every candidate you’ve hired using Indeed AND can measure ROI over time.

Rejected

We’ve provided a template that allows you to thank applicants for their effort while letting them know they won’t be moving forward in the hiring process at this time. Job seekers really do want to hear back from employers, either way. Use Indeed’s templated email to provide job seekers with closure so that they can move on to their next application. This kind of communication also supports your credibility as a company.

Collaborate with your hiring team

With Indeed, you can make candidate management a collaborative process. You can share access to your dashboard via Communications settings, which allows you to share Notes about candidates with one another.

To invite members of your hiring team to view applicants, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the profile icon in the top right hand corner of your Employer Dashboard
  2. Choose Communications settings from the drop-down menu
  3. Provide your colleague/collaborator’s email address(es)
  4. Set their access level

Taking candidate Notes gives you an easy way to compare feedback on resumes, skills, and interview performance. You can also send resumes to members of your hiring team to review by clicking Forward resume.

Managing candidates on Indeed FAQs

How can I export my list of candidates?

To export candidates for a specific role from the Candidates page, choose a job, select all candidates by clicking the checkbox at the top left and select Export candidates. If you don’t see the Export candidates button, make sure to activate two-factor authentication (2FA) for your account.

Can candidates see my notes?

No, any notes you log about candidates will remain private unless you choose to share them with your colleagues. Candidates will never see your notes.

What happens when I reject a candidate?

When you move a candidate to a status of Rejected, you can choose to send a rejection letter by clicking the Compose a rejection email button. Here are some tips for writing effective rejection emails to candidates. Alternatively, you can choose to send them an automated email letting them know they are no longer being considered through Indeed Employer Assist.

Back to Hiring with Indeed

Two chefs, one wearing a red headband, review a laptop and take notes at a wooden table in a kitchen setting.

Ready to get started?

Post a Job

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.