> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.staffer.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How candidates apply

> The two ways candidates apply to a published listing, what happens for them and for you afterward, and how the application lands in your pipeline.

Candidates reach your jobs through your career page, the public job board at jobs.staffer.com, or a listing link you share directly. From a published listing, there are two ways to apply.

## The two apply paths

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Sign in to apply">
    For a candidate who signs in with Google, Microsoft or LinkedIn. The button reads **Sign in to apply** if they're signed out. Signed in, it shows your listing's **Apply** button text. A candidate who hasn't set up their Staffer profile does that first. Staffer then sends their profile, so there's no upload or form. They confirm consent and submit.

    A second application this way to the same job is refused: "You already applied to this role."
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Apply with resume">
    No account needed. The candidate uploads a résumé (PDF or `.docx`, up to 10 MB) and fills in **Name**, **Email** and an optional **Message**. Staffer reads the résumé to fill in **Name** and **Email**, but never overwrites what the candidate typed. They confirm consent and click **Submit application**.

    A second submission with the same email to the same job is caught: it offers **Resend my link** instead of creating a new application. A different email is treated as a separate candidate, even with an identical résumé.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Both paths also show an optional checkbox: "Also consider me for future roles at \[company]."

## The consent step

Both paths require a consent checkbox before they'll submit: the candidate agrees to your company processing their details for this application. If you've turned on your own candidate privacy policy (**Settings** → **Organization** → **Compliance** → **Policies**), it's linked right next to Staffer's own, and the checkbox references both. If you haven't turned it on, only Staffer's policy is linked. See [AI policies](/admin/ai-policies).

An [anonymous listing](/companies/anonymous-listings) never links your privacy policy, because it would name your company.

## What the candidate gets afterward

A candidate who applies with a résumé goes straight to their private application page, and gets an email confirming the application with the private link. They use the link, without an account, to check their status, message you and complete process steps. On an anonymous listing, the email doesn't name your company.

A candidate who applies while signed in doesn't get an email. The application appears in their Staffer account. See [Applying to a job](/candidates/applying-to-a-job) and [Tracking your application](/candidates/tracking-your-application).

## How it lands in your workspace

The candidate appears on the job's **Candidates** tab and on the **Applications** page, at **In review**, the same as a candidate you promote.

* Your job's [process steps](/companies/build-a-process) start right away, the same as for any other candidate.
* Staffer scores them within moments. You don't need to click **Rescore**.
* If the candidate wrote a **Message**, it appears in the application's **Messages** tab. See [How match scores work](/companies/match-scores).
* Your **Candidates** and **Applications** lists show it under **Source** as **Applied**, distinct from **Sourced** (you found them) or **Manual** (you added them by hand).
* You get a "New application" notification if you're subscribed to the job and have **New application in your workspace** turned on. You're subscribed to jobs you create. For other jobs, turn on **Notify me** in the job's **…** menu.

<Note>
  If Staffer can't read the résumé, it still creates the application from what the candidate typed and keeps the file. The profile has less detail until you click **Re-process résumé** on the file in the candidate's profile panel.
</Note>

## Closed jobs

Once a job is closed, its listing can stay visible for a while, but candidates can't apply. The page shows **Applications closed** instead of the apply buttons. See [Close, reopen or delete a job](/companies/close-reopen-delete).

## What this doesn't do

Staffer doesn't post your listing to LinkedIn, Indeed or any other job board. The **External jobs** on the public board at jobs.staffer.com are postings Staffer brings in from elsewhere, not your listings going out.

There's no CAPTCHA. The résumé form checks for bots in the background and limits how often someone can submit.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can the same person apply twice with different emails?">
    Yes, and Staffer won't catch it. Staffer doesn't compare applications across the two apply paths or across different emails, so you can end up with two applications from the same person.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Sign in to apply require a Staffer account?">
    Yes. The candidate signs in with Google, Microsoft or LinkedIn, which creates a Staffer account if they don't have one. **Apply with resume** doesn't need an account.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does a candidate who applies directly ever sit in Shortlist first?">
    No. The shortlist is only for people you find in a search. Anyone who applies starts at **In review**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Create and publish a listing" icon="megaphone" href="/companies/publish-a-listing">
    Get a job onto your career page and the public board in the first place.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How match scores work" icon="target" href="/companies/match-scores">
    What Staffer reads to score a candidate the moment they land.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>