In this article we will explore the various methods available to you to create Candidates within the Core System.
Whenever you create a Candidate using any of the options listed below, we'd recommend sending your new Candidates an Activate Profile email allowing them to set their password and agree to your consent settings.
Create a Candidate
The quickest and easiest way to create a Candidate is via the Create button, accessible within the Menu bar.
Alternatively, open the View menu and go to View > Candidates > New Candidate.
Both routes will open the Create Candidate window. Here you'll find all fields relating to the Candidate. How many of these fields you complete is a business decision for your organisation, but as a general rule we'd recommend filling in the following as a minimum:
First Name
Surname
Email Address
Click Save once done.
Candidate from CV
If you have the Candidate CV to hand, Eploy can create the Candidate record for you by parsing the CV directly into the system.
To do this, click either the Create > Candidate from CV or View > Candidates > New Candidate from CV.
Both options will open a file uploader - select the CV to upload, ensure Extract Data is selected and click Upload File.
A new browser window will open listing all fields that will be parsed - there is no need to change the default settings. Click Extract Data.
The extractor will now close and you'll be returned to Eploy - the Edit Candidate window will display allowing you to make any additional edits as required. Click Save to finish.
🤓 Tip please ensure you have enabled pop-ups within your browser settings for the CV extractor to work properly. If you're not sure how to do this, please speak to your local IT team.
Manually extracting a CV
Candidate Creation
If the CV Extractor fails to load, when the CV uploader window closes, you'll be taken to a new Candidate record containing no information. There's no need to attempt another CV import.
Open the CV tab within the new record - you'll see the CV you attempted to import listed. Use the Select column to select the CV then click the Extract Data button located at the bottom of the page. Clicking this button will open the CV extractor - browsers do not class it as a pop-up when opened in this way, so even if popups are blocked, the extractor should still load.
Additional/Replacement CV
If you have received a new CV for a Candidate already on the system. you can upload this CV and extract the data, adding any new information to the record without removing old information e.g. new employment history items.
Do do this, access the CV tab of the Candidate record and click New within the toolbar.
Select the CV to upload, ensure Extract Data is selected and click Upload File.
When the CV Extractor opens, there is still no need to change the default settings, but if you'd like to replace any of the selected fields with the data contained in the new CV select the appropriate Delete Existing Data option.
Once extracted, the Edit Candidate page will display. Click Save to finish.
📌 Note there is a limit on the number of CVs that can be uploaded against a single Candidate record. If you have reached that limit Too many files of this type will be displayed when uploading a new CV. If you'd like to review the maximum number if CVs allowed in your system, please contact the Eploy Support Team.
CV Import Mailbox
If you have several CVs to add to the database, you can do this using the CV import mailbox. This tool will allow you to quickly import multiple records, associated against different jobs if required, all in one go.
📌 Note Every Eploy system has its own, unique, CV Import email address. The Eploy Support Team can tell you what the CV Import email address is for your system.
Email CVs
Create a new email within your normal mail client (e.g. Outlook) and add your systems CV Import email address in the To line, then attach the CVs to import (we'd recommend a maximum of 15 per email).
If you intend to create an Application for each CV, add the Vacancy ID into the Subject of the email - this will allow Eploy to link the new Candidates to that Vacancy once created.
If the CVs came from a single source, you can also add this to the subject of the Email - Eploy will automatically track the source accordingly.
When ready, send the email.
Import CVs
Having sent your email, return to the Eploy Core System. Within the Menu bar click Import > Import CVs.
This will open the CV Import mailbox and display your email.
From here you can:
Select which emails to import
Update or remove any Vacancy links
Delete the email
Select the emails(s) to import and click Next.
Review the settings and either click Finish to start the import process or click Next to be taken through supplementary pages allowing you to create Actions and save Correspondence Types.
Once the import is complete a list of imported candidates will be shown - the view the Candidates within Eploy, click Show All Candidates.
If the import detects a duplicate Candidate already within the system:
A list of the candidates will be displayed
Indicate whether to create a new Candidates or use the existing one, merging the new CV into it
At the bottom of the page click Import Candidate to proceed or Skip Candidate.
📌 Note it takes approximately 15 seconds to import each CV into Eploy - the more CVs attached to the email, the longer it will take. While the Import is running you will not be able to use your Eploy system (this does not impact other users).
Import Candidates
The final method of Candidate creation is to use the Import Candidates tool.
This can be found within the Import/Export menu on the main menu bar.
Selecting this option will open the Candidate Import tool.
📌 Note you cannot use the Import Candidates tool to import CVs into Eploy, only Candidates and Applications.
When using the Import tool you'll be taken through five steps:
Step 1 - Upload Data
Step 1 - Upload Data
The first step is to upload your data.
On this first page you can download a sample XML or CSV file which contains all importable fields within the Candidate Record.
You'll need to update this spreadsheet with the data you want to import. You don't have to fill in every field, but there are a few that must be filled in for the import to work:
Cand_Email, Cand_First_Name and Cand_Surname are required to be able to create a Candidate
Create_Application, VacApp_ApplicationStage, VacApp_VacancyID, VacApp_App_Date and VacApp_ApplicationStatus are required to create an Application
You're welcome to delete any columns you're not using.
Having populated and saved the XML or CSV file, upload it here and click Continue.
📌 Note prior to uploading, please ensure you delete the second row of the template - this contains help text which might be mis-interpreted by the import tool and may cause errors, especially if that field contains validation within Eploy (e.g. email address).
Step 2 - CSV Validation
Step 2 - CSV Validation
At this stage of the process the Import Tool will review the data you have uploaded.
It will list all fields that will be imported and flag any that contain errors. You will not be able to proceed until your imported data contains no errors. If there are errors, update your data to be imported and click Restart to start again.
If there are no errors, click Continue.
Step 3 - Missing Options
Step 3 - Missing Options
If your data includes references to drop down lists, e.g. Preferred Location, the tool will check to ensure all entries match the options currently available within that drop down list.
If your data includes an option that isn't found within the system, the tool will flag this to you.
This import tool can only create Candidates, not add items to drop down lists, so the options you have included must match exactly with what is already found within that drop down list.
You'll either need to update the drop down lists or correct the data in your import before you can proceed.
🤓 Tip - you can update drop down lists without having to close the import too. Click Drop Down Admin within the tool to open the drop down lists page within your main Eploy window - make your edits then, once done, return to your import window and click Refresh. Eploy will check the data again and, if no errors are found this time, you'll be able to proceed.
Step 4 - Existing Candidates
Step 4 - Existing Candidates
The tool will now run a standard duplicate check to flag any Candidates on your import that are already on your system.
As a default it will check by email address only, but you can ask it to check based on email address and name.
If duplicate records are found there is the option to view the record.
Select an option from the How to handle matched records list, then click Continue.
Step 5 - Summary and Import
Step 5 - Summary and Import
On the summary page you'll be told how many Candidates will be created and how many will be skipped.
Click Import to carry out the import.
Once the import has completed, click Finish. This will close the tool and take you to the Imports / Exports screen within your main Eploy window and list candidates created and skipped.
🤓 Tip you'll likely now want to send an Activate Profile email to your newly created candidates. To do this click Go To Candidates - this will take you to the Candidate Grid and list the candidates created. You can then select and send an email.