Skip to content
Nextal Help

Candidate statuses

Where to find it
Configuration → ATS settings → Candidate → Statuses tab
Who can use it
Administrators with settings access
Direct URL
https://admin.nextal.com/conf/admin/settings/ats/candidateSettings/statuses

Candidate statuses are the labels that describe where a candidate stands in your overall talent pipeline — independent of any specific job opening. A candidate might be “Active”, “In process”, “Hired”, or “Blacklisted”. Your organization decides what labels make sense; this page is where you define, rename, and manage them.

The Statuses tab. Each row shows the status order, its name, its status (Active/Inactive), and an action to edit it.

How statuses are used

A candidate status appears on the candidate profile and in the candidate list. Recruiters set a status manually when updating a candidate’s standing. Statuses also appear as filter options in the candidate list view, making it easy to find everyone who is currently active, on hold, or no longer available.

Statuses are separate from application stages. An application stage tracks the candidate’s progress through a specific job (screening → interview → offer). A candidate status describes the candidate’s overall relationship with your organization.

Adding a status

  1. Go to Configuration → ATS settings → Candidate and open the Statuses tab.
  2. Click Add a status at the top of the list: the side panel opens.
  3. Set the Active toggle.
  4. Choose a Color — six choices are available: grey, blue, green, cyan, orange, and red.
  5. Enter the Label. If your account has several languages, the FR / EN / ES pills above the field switch language; a dot marks a language still to translate (only your account’s languages are offered).
  6. Click Save.

Editing and reordering

Click a row (or ⋯ → Edit): the side panel opens; Save applies, Cancel discards your changes. Only the row’s Active switch and the ⠿ handle act immediately. Drag the ⠿ handle to reorder (with the keyboard: Tab to the handle, Space, arrow keys, Space); the order is saved as soon as you release it. Clear the search first if one is active — the order here controls the order statuses appear in dropdown menus throughout the ATS.

Activating and deactivating

Turn off the Active switch (in the row or in the panel) to deactivate a status. Inactive statuses no longer appear as options when recruiters update a candidate, but existing candidates that held the status keep it displayed on their profile until a recruiter changes it. This lets you retire outdated labels gracefully.

There is no delete action for statuses — a status can only be deactivated or reordered.

Tips

  • Keep the list to ten statuses or fewer. A long dropdown is harder to use and harder to report on meaningfully.
  • Use colors consistently. Assign green to positive states (hired, active) and neutral tones to holds and closures — so a quick scan of the candidate list communicates the pipeline health at a glance.
  • Align status names with how your team talks. If everyone says “on hold” rather than “paused”, use that exact phrasing in the status label.
  • Review statuses quarterly. Business needs change; a status added for a one-off project can confuse the list for years if it is never retired.