Blocking candidates for all jobs

With this feature, you can enable users (Admins only or all members except Reviewers and External Recruiters) to block candidates so that they are automatically disqualified from all your current and future applications. Blocking is applied to the primary email of the candidate profile.

This will enable you to focus on relevant candidates by automatically clearing out spam/unwanted applicants from the Qualified tab of your pipelines.

Candidate blocking account setting

Admin users can manage candidate blocking by following the below steps:

1. Select your profile icon in the upper right of Workable.
2. Navigate to Settings > Workflow.
3. Go to the Disqualify Candidates section. Here, you will also find the setting for disqualification reasons.
   
4. Configure whether you want your team members to block candidates from the toggle on the right and select who can block candidates. By default, blocking candidates will be enabled only for Admins. If you set this to "All members", then blocking will be available for all members except Reviewers and External Recruiters. 

At the bottom of the settings, you can see the number of candidates you have blocked. Clicking on the "X blocked candidates" link will take you to your Candidates page to see these blocked candidates.

Blocking candidates

1. Disqualify the candidate as you would normally do.
2. Locate the disqualification item under the Timeline tab.
3. Click the three dot menu.
4. Click Block candidate.

Once a candidate is blocked:

• They will be automatically disqualified from all existing jobs in your account. If the candidate is being considered for any other job (not disqualified), you will be prompted to review the list of jobs and confirm if you want to proceed with the action.
• They will be disqualified automatically if they apply to any of your future jobs with the same email address. 
• A related status label and timeline item will be shown on their profile to let your team know they have been blocked.

• Certain actions won't be available, like moving to other jobs.
• Blocked candidates will appear at the bottom of the list when viewing disqualified candidates.

Unblocking candidates

To unblock a candidate:

1. Navigate to their profile and click the green button from the toolbar. 
2. Click Revert & unblock to confirm the grouped action.

You can also access the action from the timeline item of the candidate blocked action.

Once you complete the action, the candidate will be unblocked in all jobs and will be reverted to the Qualified tab only for the specific job that you perform the revert action. You will be able to see the related action items in the candidate timeline. 

FAQs

Can I restrict/block applicants from certain locations?

While you can't prevent anyone from accessing your jobs online or from applying for them, if you have specific location requirements, you can consider the following suggestions: 

• In your job description, make it very clear that you're seeking local candidates and won't be interviewing anyone outside of the region, as the company does not offer paid relocation.
• Create an application question like "Are you located in x?" and make it a 'knock out' question. In this way, candidates who answered 'No' will be moved automatically to the Disqualified tab, so on the Applied stage- Qualified tab, you will only see the most relevant applicants.
• You can filter candidates by location and bulk disqualify candidates who don't meet your location criteria.

Can I filter results to see blocked candidates? 

In your Candidates page, you can include blocked candidates when filtering results for Consideration: Disqualified. By default, blocked candidates won't appear in search results unless you filter for Disqualified candidates and opt to also see blocked candidates.

What will happen if I edit the email address of a blocked candidate?

Editing the email address of a blocked candidate will unblock them if the new email does not correspond to a blocked candidate, but they will still be considered disqualified. 

What happens if a candidate who has been blocked applies, is uploaded, or is referred? 

They will be automatically disqualified and will appear directly under the Disqualified tab with a blocked indication.

What happens to the candidates I've blocked after I disable the feature?

Blocked candidates will remain blocked even after the setting is disabled. If they apply for a job, they will be disqualified automatically. You will need to revert & unblock them manually. Revert & unblock will be available even when the feature is disabled.

Can I block or unblock candidates in bulk?

No. Bulk block is not available as an action. Bulk revert will not be applied to blocked candidates; they will be kept disqualified and blocked, and you will see them as failed reverts in the bulk actions summary.