Global Application Questions & Global Auto-Reject Rules
This feature allows you to create global application questions that are displayed below your application form on the job postings that meet the criteria you set. You can also set auto-reject rules that automatically archive candidates based on their answers to your global application questions. This gives you the option to configure application questions and auto-reject rules across many job postings, so any company-wide or department-specific questions can be linked to job postings quickly.
Permissions & access
Global application questions and auto-reject rules can only be configured on the Enterprise plan:
Foundations | Legacy Plus | Plus | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Overview
This video provides a walkthrough of global application questions and auto-reject rules. Watching is optional. Follow the steps below to get started.
Configuring global application questions
To configure global application questions:
- Navigate to Admin > Jobs & Applications > Global Application Questions.
- Click + New to add a question. You then select a question field type. You can pick from the following:
- Short Answer: single line of unformatted text. LinkedIn URL responses are auto-populated on the candidate's profile.
- Long Unformatted Answer: multiple lines of unformatted text
- Phone: only domestic or international phone numbers
- Email: only valid email addresses
- Multiple Choice: select a single option
- Checkboxes: select multiple options
- Date: only dates that can be selected via a date picker
- Yes/No: yes, no, or, if not required, no answer
- Number: only allows whole numbers (e.g. 1) or decimals (e.g. 1.5)
- File: upload a single file
- Other location: input a location
- URL: a clickable link to any website
- Education History: Consisting of school name, degree, major, start date, and end date.
- Add in your question. Check the Required checkbox if this field should always be completed.
Form field connectors (optional)
You can configure your question to connect to another candidate field in Ashby. The answer provided to the question fills the connected field on the candidate profile automatically.
To use form field connectors with your global application question:
- Click the link icon in the bottom right corner of your question.
- On the following pop-up, either select the existing candidate field you would like to connect the question to, or opt to create a new candidate custom field directly in the wizard.
If this is a new question with no existing responses, you don't need to take any further action. You see the connected field listed within the question setup.
If the global application question has existing responses, you can opt to backfill those responses into the candidate custom field in the Backfill Custom Field section, underneath the Scope section.
- Click Backfill X Answers to start the backfilling process.
- Click Overwrite on the following pop-up to confirm.
If the question is multiple choice, the choices need to be mapped during the backfill process. To do this:
- Click Map Previous Answers in the Backfill Custom Field section.
- If you have a question with set choices, set how those choices should map to the new field when backfilling.
- Click Overwrite to confirm and start the backfill.
You can navigate away from the page while the backfill is processing. You can return to the panel to view the progress.
Question settings & scopes
On the Create Application Form Question menu, you can add your question and determine whether it is required or not. You can then set your scope, so your application form question is only included on the job postings that meet your criteria. Click + Add Field to Match to add your requirements. For example, you can opt to only display your created question for jobs in a specific department.
If you'd like the question to be displayed on all postings, leave the Scope section blank.
Once you determine your criteria in the Scope section, you can then choose the job boards the posting should show on using the Select job boards drop-down. Click Create to add your question to the Active Questions list.
Editing or archiving a global application question
If you need to make any amendments or archive a question, click on the question within the Active Questions list, then click Edit to make changes, or Archive to remove the question from all postings going forward.
Switching out the form field the global application question is connected to
You can switch out the form field your question is connected to by doing the following:
- Ensure the global application question is open in Edit mode.
- Click on the link icon on the question and select the new candidate field the global application question should map to.
When switching the form field, you also have the option to backfill answers to the new field. Click Backfill X Answers to start the backfilling process, or Map Previous Answers if the question is multiple-choice.
Re-ordering global application questions
The global application questions you configure appear beneath the job posting's application form and above any diversity or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) surveys. If more than one question meets the criteria in your scope, the questions are shown in the order they are listed in the Active Questions list.
To change the order in which your global application questions are shown, click and drag them into your desired order using the sliders to the left of each question.
Configuring auto-reject rules for global application questions
For more on configuring rejection conditions, including more information on operators, see Auto-Reject ApplicationsAuto-Reject Applications.
To create an auto-reject rule for a global application question:
- Click the Auto-RejectRules tab, then click + New.
- Give your auto-reject rule a title, then click Submit.
- Click + Add Field to Match to determine your rejection conditions. The fields available are from your global application questions.
- Once you determine the conditions that need to be met for the candidate to be rejected, use the Archive Reason drop-down to confirm the archive reason that is applied when they are rejected.
- Use the Rejection Email Template drop-down to select the email template used to send a rejection email. Once you select a template, set the delay for the rejection email (in days) and the sender address.
- Click Activate to finalize your configuration. Your auto-reject rules are then live and applied to candidates who meet your set criteria going forward.
Editing & archiving an auto-reject rule
Click on an auto-reject rule within the Rules list to pull up the rule configuration. Click Edit to create a new draft configuration. Remember to activate the draft to ensure your changes are applied on future applications. Click Archive to archive the auto-reject rule. It is not applied to future applications.
FAQ
Can I restore an archived global application question or auto-reject rule?
No, once a global application question or auto-reject rule for a global application question has been archived, this cannot be undone.