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Last Updated: 2026-01-23
Setup Considerations: Notifications for Candidates

Setup Considerations: Notifications for Candidates

You can use this topic to help make decisions when planning your configuration and the use of notifications for candidates. It explains:
  • Why to set it up.
  • How it fits into the rest of Workday.
  • Downstream impacts and cross-product interactions.
  • Security requirements and business process configurations.
  • Questions and limitations to consider before implementation.
Refer to detailed task instructions for full configuration details.

What It Is

Workday enables you to create predefined message templates so that recruiters can send email notifications to candidates. You can send recruiting marketing information or notifications about specific jobs.

Business Benefits

By configuring recruiting notifications for candidates, you can:
  • Empower Recruiter Control
    Example: Instead of using generic denial emails, you can send unsuccessful candidates personalized notes encouraging future applications.
  • Ensure Brand and Legal Consistency
    Example: Use approved, region-specific message templates, such as GDPR-compliant language for EU candidates and alternative versions for other jurisdictions.
  • Enhance Candidate Experience
    Example: You can review messages before you send them, preventing duplicate messages and ensuring candidates receive clear, coordinated communication from the hiring team.
  • Eliminate Data Entry Errors
    Example: Automatically populate candidate names, job titles, and other key details using
    Merge Fields
    , reducing the risk of typos or incorrect information in sensitive emails.
  • Increase Efficiency with Bulk Actions
    Example: Notify all applicants about a requisition closure with a single action from the
    Candidate Grid
    , simplifying communication and saving administrative time.

Use Cases

You can use candidate notifications for:
  • Sourcing and Prospecting
    • Invite to Apply
      Example: Send a direct link for a specific job requisition to a single high-potential prospect or bulk-invite a list of candidates, encouraging them to apply. Invite 1 or more candidates to apply for a job.
    • Event Marketing
      Example: Notify university prospects about upcoming career fairs or webinars, keeping them informed and engaged.
    • Talent Pool Engagement
      Example: Filter for a specific talent pool and notify the entire group about a new position that matches their skills.
  • Active Candidate Management
    • Interview Logistics
      Example: Provide candidates with availability requests, parking instructions, and security details in a single message, reducing confusion.
    • Post Interview Follow-up
      Example: Send personalized messages to candidates immediately after interviews to thank them for their time, outline next steps, or request additional references.
    • Status Updates
      Example: Inform candidates about unplanned review delays or, changes in interview schedules, keeping candidates engaged during long hiring processes.
  • Dispositioning
    • Candidate Disposition
      Example: Decline a single candidate with a specific, personalized note or use bulk actions to decline all remaining applicants on a closed or filled requisition.
    • Nuanced Rejection
      Example: Send softer, personalized rejection notifications to final-round candidates, providing a better candidate experience.

Questions to Consider

Questions
Considerations
How do you want notify candidates?
You can use Workday Messaging to send SMS notifications to internal or external candidates who have opted in to receive SMS messages.
  • You can send SMS notifications to active candidates at any stage of the recruiting process. These include candidate reminders, custom business process notifications, and recruiting marketing communications.
  • You can use Workday Messaging as a custom notification within a business process. This allows you to send messages as part of a workflow. Example: When you close a job requisition, all remaining candidates receive a notification about their disposition.
  • You can configure email notifications for participants in a candidate conversation to alert them when there's a new SMS message in an active conversation.
What information do you want to communicate to candidates?
You can send 2 types of notifications to candidates during the recruiting process:
  • Emails to candidates who apply for a specific job. Candidates can't unsubscribe from these emails.
  • Emails to offer marketing information to candidates that isn't related to a specific job they've applied for. Example: Information about a career event involving your organization. You can enable candidates to unsubscribe from these emails.
Who is responsible for sending notifications to candidates?
You can limit certain groups or individuals from:
  • Creating message templates.
  • Editing email content.
  • Sending emails.
Example: You can enable recruiting administrators to create message templates and enable recruiters to edit and send emails only.
How do you want to communicate with candidates?
If you need to contact a large number of candidates at once, you can email candidates in bulk. Example: You have a pool of candidates that you didn't hire on a job requisition and you want to invite them to apply to a different job. You can also email candidates individually.
How do you want to communicate with candidates who speak different languages?
You can translate your message templates into different languages so that candidates receive messages in their preferred language.

Recommendations

You can enter or configure a default
Reply To
 email for message templates. If you don't enter a
Reply To
 email, candidate replies go to the email configured for your tenant.

Requirements

  • Create a recruiting communications email template to define the appearance and branding of your email. Message templates provide the content of your email.
  • Create segment-based security groups so that only authorized users are able to create or edit message templates.

Limitations

  • You can't delete message templates once you've created them but you can edit them at any time.
  • You can only have 1 active recruiting communications email template at a time.
  • You can only send attachments through email.
  • Attachments have a size limitation of 7MB.

Tenant Setup

Select the
Enable Candidate Fields in Notifications
check box on the
Edit Tenant Setup – Recruiting
 task for candidates to view data fields and receive notifications. Configure security access for the
Candidate Notification Receiver
 security group.
You can configure settings in the
Recruiting
 section of the
Edit Tenant Setup - Notifications
 task to enable recruiters to send emails to candidates on an ad hoc basis. You can also set up routing rules for notifications to specify how you send notifications.

Security

Domains
Considerations
Set Up: Message Templates
 in the System functional area.
You can create a segment-based security group that only enables users in the group to create recruiting message templates. Example: You want to enable your recruiting administrator to create message templates and you don't want your Learning administrator to have access.
Candidate Communication
 in the Recruiting functional area.
Users secured to this domain can send notifications to candidates and prospects using message templates for candidates who have applied for a specific job.
Invite to Apply
 in the Recruiting functional area.
Users secured to this domain can invite candidates to apply for other job requisitions using message templates for marketing information.
To setup
Invite to Apply
with notification designer template:
  • Create a Segmented Security Group and include the
    Candidate Notification Receiver
     as the group and the
    Workday Owned Segment
    of
    Job Application - External
    .
  • Add the
    Candidate Notification Receiver
     security group to the
    Invite to Apply
     domain with
    View
    access.

Business Processes

You can configure custom notifications that trigger on any business process step or on the status of a business process. You can also add a timed delay to custom workflow notifications on recruiting-related business processes. Example: You want to prevent a candidate from receiving a rejection message immediately after they submit their job application.

Reporting

Reports
Considerations
Candidate Communication
View a record of communications sent to a candidate, including:
  • Message content
  • Attachments
  • Sender
  • Subject
  • Timestamp
Candidate Job Applications
Access candidates' job applications and send notifications to candidates.
Find Candidates
Search your entire candidate population and send notifications to candidates.
My Candidates
Search candidates for whom you're the recruiter or manager and send notifications.

Integrations

No impact.

Connections and Touchpoints

Workday offers a Touchpoints Kit with resources to help you understand configuration relationships in your tenant. Learn more about the Workday Touchpoints Kit on Workday Community.