Application Forms

Application forms are the core of the application process. They are completely customisable and can feature any combination of questions, file requests or information blocks across any number of pages.

Each answer is individually encrypted and stored separately ensuring the data is held securely.

Version Control

The application forms are version controlled; this ensures a fair review for each applicant as their application is viewed alongside the exact questions asked when they completed their form.

When you create a new application form or edit an existing one you are making changes to a draft. Once you have completed your changes, simply Publish the draft to make the changes live and ensure applicants are using this form.

Any applicants who have already started the application form on an earlier version will complete their forms on that version and won’t be moved to the latest version.

Application Form Questions

You have complete control over the questions asked in your application form. This means you can easily match your existing forms or expand them with more detailed questions.

Before you Start

We recommend that you create a “generic” application form that contains all of your standard questions. This will allow you to create specific application forms for certain roles (with detailed questions for that role) and simply include the generic application form as part of it. This means you don’t need to update all of the forms to make a change to your generic questions.

Email Address

To ensure we can identify an applicant, we require an email address to be the first field on any form. This is to provide the applicant with a code to resume editing their application form.

Question Options

You can add any combination and quantity of the following answer types:

• Short Text
  Single line of text. You can set a limit in characters or words.
• Long Text
  Multiple lines of text with basic formatting. You can set a limit in characters or words.
• Select One
  Provide a list of options for the applicant to choose one of.
• Select One with Other
  Provide a list of options for the applicant to choose one of plus an “other” option at the end where the applicant can provide a single line of text answer.
• Select Many
  Provide a list of options for the applicant to choose as many as are applicable.
• File Upload
  Applicant can upload a file for review by the shortlisters.
• Data Field
  If you have added custom field sets to StaffSavvy (these let you add extra data to your staff accounts for any purpose you desire), you are able to use the same questions within the application form. This allows you to collect the data when they apply and it will be automatically copied over to their StaffSavvy account if they are successful in their application.
• Special Field
  One of the standard StaffSavvy fields from the main site. These will be used to create the staff member’s StaffSavvy account if they are successful.
  • First name
  • Last name
  • Nick name
  • Mobile Phone Number
  • Date of Birth

• Title and text
  This allows you to add a title and a block of text within the application form. It is useful to provide information or context to the applicant about a series of questions.
• Score Only
  This is a special question type which doesn’t actually ask a question. These questions are not shown to the applicant at all and can be used to score the applicant against a job description or required skills.Simply enter the scoring point as the question and this will appear during the shortlisting.
• Sub Form
  This allows you to include another application form into your current list of questions. It allows you to have standardised questions that you included on all forms.

Use the form at the top of your application to add questions. You can then edit, remove and reorder the questions as needed using the controls on the right.

Short & Long Text Answers

Short text answers will be displayed with a single-line text box and are designed for answers under 100 characters.

Long text answers are displayed in a self-expanding text area where applicants can add as much information as you allow. They can also use basic formatting on this text including bold, italic, underline and bullet lists.

Both long and short answers can contain a limit on the information provided. This can be a character limit or a word limit.

When marked as required, the answer must contain at least one character of text.

Select One & Select All Answers

Both of these answer types allow you to enter as many options as you wish and to order them as needed.

Select One answers will force the applicant to only select one answer where as the Select All That Apply answers will allow applicants to choose any combination of options.

When marked as required, the applicant must select at least one answer. If it’s an optional question then they can leave all options unselected.

File Upload

File Request answers allow applicants to upload documents to their application. The file type must be selected from a list of staff document types. You can add new file types under System > Documents & Forms > Manage Document Types.

This is required so the system can correctly map the provided documents through to staff accounts if the applicant is successful. When marked as required, the applicant must upload a document otherwise this can be left empty when applying.

Blind for Shortlisting vs Hidden Answer

By default, all answers are visible to recruitment managers and shortlisters throughout the application process.

You can mark any answer (including email, names etc) as either “blind for shortlisting” or “hidden”.

Bind for shortlisting will hide the answer from anyone who is assigned as a shortlisted for that position until the applicant has been offered an interview. Then the answer will be visible for the interview and final decision phases. Recruitment managers can see the answer throughout the process unless they themselves are listed as shortlisters and then the shortlister rules apply.

Hidden will hide the answer from anyone who is assigned as a shortlisted for that position throughout the process. It will never display the information to them. Recruitment managers can see the answer throughout the process unless they themselves are listed as shortlisters and then the shortlister rules apply.

Scoring and Weighting

You can configure each question to either be scorable or not. This is only used if you are using scoring as a short-listing method.

When the question is scorable, the short listers are asked to score it from 0 to 5.

You can also apply a weighting to the scores. This can multiply or divide the score to affect the overall score assigned to the application.

To change the scoring settings, click the more button one the question field and choose Scoring Options.

Sub Forms

Sub Forms is one of the more powerful features within the application forms. It allows you to have a standard set of questions that are always asked and include these easily on every application form.

Sub Forms are simply other application forms. They can be used on their own or included in other application forms. There are no limits to how many sub-forms can be included in an application form.

Please note: only one level of sub-forms can be included so you cannot include a sub-form that includes further sub-forms. Further sub-forms will be ignored.

To prevent fragmentation of answers provided by applicants, the sub forms are copied when the main form is published. Changes to any sub-forms won’t affect the main application form until it is next published. This ensures that all applicants are providing answers to the same questions unless you explicitly change the form.