Who it’s for: Automate administrators, ATS administrators
Platform: Sense Automate / Sense ATS
Available on: Elite and Enterprise plans
Before you begin
Make sure you have:
☑️ Access to Sense ATS and Sense Automate
☑️ The names of the ATS pipeline stages you want to trigger notifications from
☑️ The wording you want to use for each email
If you haven’t installed or configured a Library workflow before, see:
💡 Tip: Prepare your email wording before you configure the workflow. The email body is entered as HTML, so it can be easier to prepare and review the content first.
⚠️ Important: Enter pipeline stage names exactly as they appear in Sense ATS. The workflow checks the stage name each time it runs. If a stage is renamed in ATS, update the corresponding Pipeline Notifications configuration or the email will no longer send.
Overview
The Pipeline Notifications workflow automatically sends an email when an applicant is moved into a specified ATS pipeline stage.
You can configure up to 15 different email notifications.
For each notification, you decide:
which pipeline stage or stages trigger it
who receives it
the email subject
the email content
For example:
When an applicant moves to… | Send to | Purpose |
Short listing | Applicant | Let the applicant know they’ve progressed |
Interview | Applicant | Explain what happens next |
Interview | Vacancy manager | Let the hiring team know an applicant is ready for interview |
Hired | Admins | Notify administrators of the successful applicant |
These are examples only. You decide which ATS stages need notifications and what each email says.
What is a Template?
The configuration provides Template 1 through to Template 15.
Each Template is one email notification that you configure. It isn’t an email template that you need to create or find somewhere else.
For each Template, you configure:
Pipeline stage(s) → Recipient(s) → Subject → HTML email body
For example:
Template 1
Pipeline stages: Short listing
Send to: Applicant
Subject: Update on your application — {{VacancyName}}
HTML: Your shortlisting email
You can then use Template 2 for another notification, Template 3 for another, and so on.
You don’t need to use all 15 Templates. Leave any you don’t need blank.
Configure each Template as a separate pipeline notification.
Plan your notifications
Before you configure the workflow, decide which stages need an email and who should receive it.
For example:
Template | Pipeline stage | Recipient | Purpose |
1 | Short listing | Applicant | Confirm that the applicant has progressed |
2 | Interview | Applicant | Explain the next stage |
3 | Interview | Vacancy manager | Notify the hiring team |
4 | Hired | Admins | Notify administrators |
💡 Tip: Use separate Templates for applicant-facing and internal emails, even if they’re triggered by the same pipeline stage. This lets you use different wording and prevents applicants and internal recipients from seeing each other’s email addresses.
Configure your Pipeline Notifications
When you deploy Pipeline Notifications, its configuration screen lets you define the emails the workflow can send.
For general instructions on opening and using Library workflow configurations, see Installations: Configurations for Library Workflows (Admin).
At the top of the configuration, you can set the Default email subject. Below this are Template 1 through to Template 15.
You only need to configure the Templates your organisation wants to use.
Set the default email subject
Default email subject is used when an individual Template doesn’t have its own subject.
The default configuration uses:
{{ApplicantName}} - {{CurrentStage}} - {{VacancyName}}
You can change this if you want a different default subject.
The values inside double curly brackets are merge tags. They’re replaced with information from the application when the email is sent.
For example, {{VacancyName}} is replaced with the name of the vacancy.
👉 See Personalise emails with merge tags later in this article.
Configure an email Template
Each numbered Template contains the same four settings:
1. Pipeline stages
2. Send to
3. Subject
4. HTML
Repeat these settings for each different notification you want the workflow to send.
1. Enter the pipeline stage
In Template [number] – pipeline stages, enter the name of the ATS pipeline stage that should trigger the email.
For example:
Short listing
When an applicant is moved into Short listing, this Template is triggered.
⚠️ Important: Enter the stage name exactly as it appears in Sense ATS.
The workflow checks the stage name each time it runs. If the stage is subsequently renamed in ATS but the Pipeline Notifications configuration isn’t updated, the email will no longer send untile the configuration is updated to match.
Use the same email for several stages
You can trigger the same Template from more than one pipeline stage.
Enter the stage names separated by commas.
For example:
1st Interview, 2nd Interview, Final Interview
The same email is then sent when an applicant is moved into any of those stages.
⚠️ Important: Commas are used to separate stage names. If an ATS stage name itself contains a comma, the workflow interprets it as more than one stage.
2. Choose who receives the email
In Template [number] – send to, select one or more recipients.
Recipient | Who receives the email |
Applicant | The applicant who has moved stage, using the email address on their application |
Vacancy manager | Everyone on the vacancy’s hiring team |
Admins | Everyone set up as an ATS administrator |
You can select more than one recipient.
If the same person is included through more than one selected recipient group, duplicate email addresses are removed and they receive the email once.
Keep applicant and internal emails separate
⚠️ Important: Everyone receiving the same Template is included on the To line and can see the other recipients’ email addresses.
Don’t select Applicant together with Vacancy manager or Admins.
If applicants and your hiring team both need an email when the same pipeline stage is reached, configure separate Templates.
For example:
Template 2
Pipeline stages: Interview
Send to: Applicant
Purpose: Send the applicant their interview update
Template 3
Pipeline stages: Interview
Send to: Vacancy manager
Purpose: Notify the hiring team
Both Templates are triggered when the applicant enters Interview, but each sends a separate email to its intended audience.
3. Enter the email subject
In Template [number] – subject, enter the subject for this email.
For example:
Update on your application — {{VacancyName}}
You can use merge tags in the subject to insert information from the application automatically.
Leave Template [number] – subject blank if you want the Template to use the Default email subject instead.
4. Add the email body
In Template [number] – HTML, enter the content of the email in HTML format.
You create the email body itself here. There isn’t a separate email Template that you need to select.
For example:
<p>Dear {{ApplicantFirstName}},</p>
<p>Thank you for your interest in the <strong>{{VacancyName}}</strong> role.</p>
<p>We're pleased to let you know that your application has progressed to the next stage.</p>
<p>We'll be in touch shortly with more information.</p>
<p>Kind regards,<br>Recruitment Team</p>
The HTML controls how the email is formatted. In this example:
<p> creates a paragraph
<strong> displays text in bold
<br> creates a line break
If you don’t normally write HTML
You don’t need to create a complex HTML email from scratch.
You can:
ask AMI (General Assistant agent) to draft the email and provide it as simple HTML
copy and adapt the starter HTML later in this article
reuse suitable HTML from an existing email
draft the email normally and use an HTML conversion or generation tool to create simple HTML
For example, you could ask AMI:
Create a short recruitment email in simple HTML to tell an applicant they have progressed to the interview stage. Use {{ApplicantFirstName}} for the greeting and {{VacancyName}} for the vacancy name. Include a placeholder paragraph where I can add the interview arrangements.
Then:
Review the wording and HTML before pasting it into Template [number] – HTML, and test the notification before using it with live applicants.
💡 Tip: Keep the formatting simple where possible. Basic paragraphs, bold text, links, and line breaks are usually easier to create, test, and maintain than heavily designed email layouts.
🖊️ Note: The HTML setting is displayed as a single-line field. If your HTML appears cut off when pasted, remove the line breaks and paste it as one continuous line. The HTML works in the same way.
Personalise emails with merge tags
Merge tags let you include information about the applicant, application, or hiring process without entering it manually.
Enter a merge tag between double curly brackets.
For example:
Dear {{ApplicantFirstName}},
could become:
Dear Jamie,
and:
Update on your application for {{VacancyName}}
could become:
Update on your application for Payroll Specialist
You can use merge tags in both the Subject and HTML settings.
Applicant merge tags
Merge tag | Inserts |
| Applicant name |
| Applicant first name |
| Applicant last name |
| Applicant email address |
| Applicant phone number |
| Applicant location |
| Applicant LinkedIn information |
Vacancy and application merge tags
Merge tag | Inserts |
| Vacancy name |
| Current pipeline stage |
| Previous pipeline stage |
| Application status |
| Start date |
| Comment |
| Notes |
| Reason |
Hiring team and activity merge tags
Merge tag | Inserts |
{{ActionedBy}} | Person who performed the action |
{{ActionedByEmail}} | Email address of the person who performed the action |
{{ActionedOn}} | When the action happened |
{{HiringTeam}} | Hiring team |
{{HiringManager}} | First person on the hiring team |
{{HiringManagerEmail}} | Email address of the first person on the hiring team |
How merge tags behave
Keep the following in mind when using merge tags:
Spaces inside the brackets are accepted. For example,
{{ ApplicantName }}works in the same way as{{ApplicantName}}.If a merge tag isn’t recognised, it remains visible in the email exactly as entered. If you see something such as
{{FirstName}}in a sent email, check the tag against the supported list.If the referenced information has no value, the merge tag is replaced with a blank value.
{{ApplicantFirstName}}uses everything before the first space in the applicant’s name.{{HiringManager}}uses the first person on the hiring team. This isn’t necessarily the person leading the recruitment process.
💡 Tip: Consider whether the information used by your merge tags will always be available. For example, if an applicant’s name may be incomplete, Dear {{ApplicantFirstName}}, could result in Dear ,. Use {{ApplicantName}} instead where that’s more appropriate.
Starter HTML you can adapt
You don’t need to write the HTML for every notification from scratch.
The examples below provide a starting point for applicant-facing and internal emails. Copy the appropriate example into Template [number] – HTML, then replace the content in square brackets with your own wording.
Starter applicant email
<div style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6;color:#222222;max-width:600px;margin:0 auto;padding:24px">
<p>Dear {{ApplicantFirstName}},</p>
<p>Thank you for your interest in the <strong>{{VacancyName}}</strong> role.</p>
<p>[Replace this paragraph with what you want to tell the applicant at this point in the recruitment process.]</p>
<p>If you have any questions, please reply to this email.</p>
<p>Kind regards,<br>
[Your name]<br>
[Your team] | [Your organisation]</p>
<p style="font-size:12px;color:#777777;border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;padding-top:12px;margin-top:20px">
[Optional footer: contact details or any wording your organisation needs to include.]
</p>
</div>
You could pair this with a subject such as:
Your application for {{VacancyName}}
or:
Update on your application — {{VacancyName}}
Starter internal notification
For an internal notification to your hiring team or administrators, a shorter email may be more appropriate.
For example:
<p><strong>{{ApplicantName}}</strong> has moved from {{PreviousStage}} to <strong>{{CurrentStage}}</strong> for {{VacancyName}}.</p>
<p>Contact: {{ApplicantEmail}}<br>
Moved by: {{ActionedBy}}</p>
<p>[Add any action you want the hiring team to take next.]</p>
You could use a subject such as:
{{ApplicantName}} has reached {{CurrentStage}}
🖊️ Note: These examples are starting points only. Change the wording, formatting, sign-off, and any required footer to suit your organisation.
Or use AMI to customise them or create your own.
Configure additional Templates
Repeat the same process for each additional notification you need.
You can configure up to 15 Templates.
Each Template can have its own:
pipeline stage or stages
recipients
subject
HTML email body
You can therefore use different Templates for different stages or create separate applicant-facing and internal emails triggered by the same stage.
Leave any Templates you don’t need blank.
When you’ve finished configuring the workflow, save and deploy it.
For general deployment guidance, see:
Test your Pipeline Notifications
Test your notifications before relying on them for live recruitment.
Use a test applicant with an email address you can access.
Move the applicant into a pipeline stage configured in one of your Templates.
Check that the email arrives.
Check that it has been sent to the correct recipients.
Check the subject and email formatting.
Check that merge tags have been replaced with the expected information.
Repeat for each different notification you’ve configured.
⚠️ Important: Test applicant-facing and internal notifications separately. This is particularly important where the same pipeline stage triggers notifications for different audiences.
Update Pipeline Notifications
You can return to the workflow configuration whenever you need to change your notifications.
For example, you may need to update the configuration when:
you add or remove a notification
an ATS pipeline stage is renamed
recipients need to change
email wording changes
you want to use different merge tags
After changing the configuration, save and redeploy the workflow.
For general guidance on changing Library workflow configuration, see:
⚠️ Important: Pipeline stage names are checked each time the workflow runs. If a referenced stage has been renamed in ATS and the corresponding Pipeline Notifications configuration hasn’t been updated, the notification won’t send.
Check Pipeline Notifications activity
If you need to investigate whether a notification ran, open the installed workflow from Automate > Installations and review its activity.
Each run records what happened, including why an email wasn’t sent.
For more information about monitoring Library workflows, see:
Basic troubleshooting
A Pipeline Notification wasn’t sent
Check that:
the applicant was moved into a stage configured in one of your Templates
the stage name in Template [number] – pipeline stages exactly matches the current stage name in ATS
the workflow configuration has been saved and deployed
the intended recipient has an email address where required
If the ATS stage has been renamed, update the stage name in the Pipeline Notifications configuration and redeploy the workflow.
If the notification still doesn’t send, check the workflow activity for the relevant run.
An applicant didn’t receive their Pipeline Notification
Check the email address recorded on the applicant’s application.
Also check that Applicant is selected in Template [number] – send to for the relevant notification.
One of several configured pipeline stages doesn’t trigger the email
Check the comma-separated list in Template [number] – pipeline stages.
Each stage name must match its ATS stage exactly.
Remember that commas are used to separate stages. A stage name that itself contains a comma is split by the configuration and won’t match as intended.
A merge tag appears in the sent email
If the email contains text such as:
{{SomeTag}}
the merge tag wasn’t recognised.
Compare it with the supported merge tags in this article and update the Template.
The email contains a blank value
If a supported merge tag has no corresponding information on the record, it’s replaced with a blank value.
For example:
Dear {{ApplicantFirstName}},
could become:
Dear ,
if the required applicant name information isn’t available.
Check the applicant or application information, or use a merge tag that is more appropriate for your data.
The notification is using the wrong subject
Check Template [number] – subject.
If the Template subject is blank, the workflow uses Default email subject instead.
My changes aren’t appearing in the emails
Check that you’ve saved and redeployed the workflow after changing its configuration.
The wrong people received the email
Check Template [number] – send to.
Remember:
Applicant sends to the applicant
Vacancy manager sends to everyone on the vacancy’s hiring team
Admins sends to administrators
If applicant and internal recipients need different emails, configure them as separate Templates.
⚠️ Important: Everyone selected within the same Template is included on the To line and can see the other recipients’ email addresses.
Summary
The Pipeline Notifications workflow automatically sends emails when applicants move into specified ATS pipeline stages.
Remember:
You can configure up to 15 Templates.
Each Template is one notification made up of its trigger stage or stages, recipients, subject, and HTML email body.
You create the email content directly in the Template’s HTML setting.
Enter ATS pipeline stage names exactly as they appear in ATS.
If a referenced stage is renamed, update the workflow configuration or the notification won’t send.
One Template can be triggered by several stages where the same email should be sent.
Use separate Templates for applicant-facing and internal emails.
Everyone selected within one Template appears on the To line.
You can personalise subjects and email bodies using merge tags.
Leave Templates you don’t need blank.
Test each notification before relying on it for live recruitment.
FAQs
Click for answers to frequently asked question
Click for answers to frequently asked question
Q: What is a Template in the ATS Pipeline Notifications workflow?
A: A Template in the ATS Pipeline Notifications workflow is one configurable email notification. Each Template defines the pipeline stage or stages that trigger the email, who receives it, its subject, and its HTML email body. You don’t need to create or find the Template elsewhere.
Q: Do I need to use all 15 Templates in the ATS Pipeline Notifications workflow?
A: No, you don’t need to use all 15 Templates in the ATS Pipeline Notifications workflow. Configure only the notifications your organisation needs and leave the remaining Templates blank.
Q: Can one ATS Pipeline Notifications Template be triggered by several pipeline stages?
A: Yes, one ATS Pipeline Notifications Template can be triggered by several pipeline stages. Enter the stage names in Template [number] – pipeline stages, separated by commas. The same email is sent when an applicant enters any of those stages.
Q: What happens to Pipeline Notifications if an ATS pipeline stage is renamed?
A: If an ATS pipeline stage referenced by Pipeline Notifications is renamed, the notification stops sending for that stage. The workflow checks the configured stage name each time it runs. Update the stage name in the workflow configuration and redeploy it.
Q: Can Pipeline Notifications send emails to both an applicant and the hiring team?
A: Yes, Pipeline Notifications can send emails to applicants and the hiring team, but you should configure separate Templates for applicant-facing and internal emails. Everyone selected as a recipient of the same Template is included on the To line and can see the other recipients’ email addresses.
Q: Who receives an ATS Pipeline Notification when Vacancy manager is selected?
A: When Vacancy manager is selected in the Pipeline Notifications workflow, everyone on that vacancy’s hiring team receives the email. It doesn’t refer to one individual vacancy manager.
Q: Who receives an ATS Pipeline Notification when Admins is selected?
A: When Admins is selected in the Pipeline Notifications workflow, the email is sent to the administrators included by that recipient option.
Q: Can I select more than one recipient for the same Pipeline Notification?
A: Yes, you can select more than one recipient in a Pipeline Notifications Template. However, everyone selected for that Template is included on the To line and can see the other recipients’ email addresses. Keep applicant-facing and internal notifications separate.
Q: What happens if the same person is included in more than one Pipeline Notifications recipient group?
A: If the same email address is included through more than one selected recipient group in a Pipeline Notifications Template, duplicate addresses are removed and the person receives the email once.
Q: Do I have to enter a subject for every Pipeline Notifications Template?
A: No, you don’t have to enter a subject for every Pipeline Notifications Template. If Template [number] – subject is blank, the workflow uses the Default email subject configured for the workflow.
Q: Do I need to write HTML to use the ATS Pipeline Notifications workflow?
A: The email body for an ATS Pipeline Notifications Template is entered in HTML format. You can write simple HTML yourself, adapt the starter HTML in this article, reuse suitable HTML you already have, or use an HTML conversion or generation tool to create it.
Q: Can I use merge tags in the Pipeline Notifications email subject?
A: Yes, you can use supported merge tags in both the subject and HTML email body of a Pipeline Notifications Template.
Q: What happens if I use an invalid merge tag in a Pipeline Notification?
A: If a merge tag isn’t recognised by the Pipeline Notifications workflow, it remains visible in the sent email exactly as entered. Check the tag against the supported merge-tag list and update the Template.
Q: What happens if a Pipeline Notifications merge tag has no value?
A: If a supported merge tag has no corresponding value, Pipeline Notifications replaces it with a blank value. Consider this when writing sentences or greetings that depend on information that may not always be available.
Q: Why does my Pipeline Notification say Dear ,?
A: A Pipeline Notification can display Dear , when {{ApplicantFirstName}} doesn’t return a value. Check that the applicant’s name is recorded correctly, including any unexpected spaces, or consider using {{ApplicantName}} instead.
Q: Why didn’t an ATS Pipeline Notification send when I moved an applicant to another stage?
A: If an ATS Pipeline Notification doesn’t send, first check that the pipeline stage name in the Template exactly matches the current stage name in ATS. Also check the recipient information and confirm that your latest workflow configuration has been saved and deployed. If the cause isn’t clear, review the workflow activity in Automate > Installations.
Q: Do I need to redeploy Pipeline Notifications after changing the configuration?
A: Yes. After changing the Pipeline Notifications configuration, save and redeploy the workflow so the updated notification settings are used.
Q: Can AMI help me create the HTML email for ATS Pipeline Notifications?
A: Yes, AMI can help you draft the email wording and provide it as simple HTML for an ATS Pipeline Notifications Template. Tell AMI what the email is for, the tone and information you want to include, and any supported merge tags you want to use. Review the result before adding it to the workflow and test the notification before using it with live applicants.