Building your application forms

Relevant for: Recruiters

How do I create an application form in Leapsome?

Go to 'Settings' > 'Recruiting' > 'Application forms' and click 'New application form'. Name the form, add fields and sections, and click 'Save'. Then link the form in the 'Application form' step of a job posting.

Application forms define what candidates fill in when they apply on your career portal. Forms are shared templates, so one form can be used for many postings, and you maintain your standard questions in one place. Answers can be saved to recruiting fields, so candidate data lands in structured fields you can filter and report on. With AI resume parsing, candidates can upload a resume to pre-fill the form.

Table of Contents:

• When should I create or change an application form?
• How to build an application form
• How do I set up knock-out questions to reject candidates automatically?
• What should I know about fields and privacy?
• How do I edit or delete an application form?
• Who can manage application forms?

When should I create or change an application form?

• Before you publish your first posting. A posting can't be published without an active application form.
• When a role needs extra screening questions, file uploads such as a portfolio, or salary expectations

How to build an application form

1. Go to 'Settings' > 'Recruiting' > 'Application forms' and click 'New application form'.
2. In the 'Basic' tab, enter a unique 'Form name'. You can also choose a 'Department' to organize your forms, and keep or turn off 'Enable AI resume parsing'. Click 'Save and continue'.
3. In the 'Form fields' tab, the form starts with the core fields first name, last name, and email address, and a required resume upload. If AI resume parsing is on, a banner confirms it, and candidates see an upload section at the top of the form.
4. Click 'New field' and choose a type, e.g., text, number, date, yes / no, single or multiple choice, file upload, or currency amount. Set the label and help text, and choose whether the field is required.
5. To save an answer to a candidate or application field, use 'Link to recruiting field'. To learn more, see Configuring recruiting fields.
6. To group fields, click 'New section'. Drag fields and sections to reorder them.
7. Click 'Preview' to see what candidates see, then click 'Save'.
8. Link the form in the 'Application form' step of a job posting. To learn more, see Creating and publishing a job posting.

To learn how resume parsing works, see AI resume parsing.

How do I set up knock-out questions to reject candidates automatically?

Knock-out questions, also called qualification questions, let you screen out candidates who don't meet a basic requirement, e.g., the right to work in the job's location or visa requirements. If a candidate's answer doesn't meet your requirements, Leapsome archives the application automatically.

1. Create the recruiting field: Go to 'Settings' > 'Recruiting' > 'Recruiting fields', open the 'Application' tab, and click 'Create custom field'. Enter a name, e.g., "Right to work in Germany", and choose 'Yes / No' or 'Single select' as the field type instead of free text, so the answer can be matched exactly.
2. Add it to the form: In the application form, click 'New field', select 'Link to recruiting field', and choose your field under 'Map to recruiting field'. You can also create the field here with 'Add new custom field'.
3. Add the auto-reject rule: Open the job's 'Evaluation process' tab, or the process in 'Settings' > 'Recruiting' > 'Evaluation processes'. On the first stage, e.g., 'New application', click 'Add activities' > 'Add step' and choose 'Auto-reject application'. Select a 'Rejection reason', then under 'Auto-reject if', click 'Add condition' and set your field, e.g., "Right to work in Germany" is "No". Click 'Save step', then 'Activate' (or 'Update' if the stage already has activities).
4. Send a rejection email: Click 'All stages', and on the 'Rejected' stage, click 'Add activities'. Click '+' next to "Immediately when moved to 'Rejected'" and set the 'Trigger timing', e.g., 1 day after the 'Application entered stage' event. Under that trigger, click 'Add step', choose 'Email candidate', write your message, and click 'Activate'.

If you set this up in 'Settings' > 'Recruiting' > 'Evaluation processes', click 'Save' at the bottom of the page. Changes there apply to new jobs that use the process. For existing jobs, set up the activities on the job's 'Evaluation process' tab.

Note: The knock-out rule runs in the evaluation process, not on the form. It can only check answers that are saved to a recruiting field, so always link knock-out questions with 'Link to recruiting field'. An 'Auto-reject application' step without conditions rejects every application that enters the stage. The step doesn't send an email by itself, and the delay makes sure candidates don't get a rejection right after they apply. The rejection email goes to everyone who moves to 'Rejected', so keep the message general.

Tip: If none of the rejection reasons fits, e.g., for right to work, add your own in 'Settings' > 'Recruiting' > 'Recruiting fields' > 'Archive reasons'.

To learn more, see Setting up automations on stages and jobs.

What should I know about fields and privacy?

• First name, last name, and email address are always required and can't be removed. Leapsome recognizes returning applicants by their email address.
• A form can only have one resume field.
• Each recruiting field can only be linked once per form, and the question type must match the field type.
• A 'Currency amount' field collects a salary amount. If you link it to the salary expectation field, it asks for a minimum, a maximum, and a pay interval.

Note: The form shows a privacy notice that links to the privacy policy URL from your career portal settings. Set that URL before you publish. Applications are processed on a pre-contractual basis, and Leapsome records the notice link and the submission time.

How do I edit or delete an application form?

• Changes to a form apply to every posting that uses it, including live postings.
• 'Delete' archives the form. You can't delete a form that active postings use. To find them, use 'Show linked job postings'.
• Only active forms can be linked to a posting you publish.

Who can manage application forms?

• To create, edit, duplicate, or delete forms, you need the 'Manage ATS templates' permission.
• People who can edit a posting can choose a form for it. Without template access, they see the form's name but not a detailed preview.
• To create new recruiting fields from the form builder, you need admin access to the Recruiting settings. You can see the details in the permission descriptions in 'Settings' > 'Employees' > 'Feature access matrix'.