Candidate Portal Overview

Overview

The Candidate Portal is SmoothHiring's dedicated self-service space for job seekers. It provides candidates with a single, personalized hub where they can manage their job applications, complete assessments, view reports, explore career development tools, and set up job notifications — all without needing to contact the hiring team directly.

The portal creates a professional, transparent candidate experience that reflects well on your employer brand while reducing administrative overhead for your hiring team.

How Candidates Access the Portal

First-Time Access

Candidates gain access to the portal when they:

1. Apply for a job — After submitting an application through your careers page, candidates are prompted to create a portal account
2. Receive an invitation — Hiring teams can send direct invitations to candidates to access the portal
3. Complete an assessment — Candidates who receive assessment links are guided to create an account

Logging In

Candidates can log in via:

• Email and password — Standard credentials created during registration
• Magic link — A one-time login link sent to their email
• Social login — Sign in with Google or LinkedIn (if enabled by the employer)

Portal URL

The candidate portal is accessible at your organization's branded URL (e.g., careers.yourcompany.com/portal or via the SmoothHiring platform directly).

Portal Home Page

When candidates log into the portal, they see a personalized home page that provides an at-a-glance view of their hiring journey.

Home Page Sections

• Welcome Message — Personalized greeting with the candidate's name
• Active Applications — Summary cards showing current applications and their status
• Pending Actions — Tasks requiring attention (incomplete assessments, requested documents, etc.)
• Recent Updates — Timeline of recent activity on their applications
• Quick Links — Navigation to key portal sections

Status Indicators

Candidates can see the status of each application:

Note: Employers can configure which statuses are visible to candidates. Some organizations choose to show fewer intermediate states.

Candidate Profile

The Profile section allows candidates to maintain their professional information, which is used across all applications.

Profile Components

• Personal Information — Name, email, phone, location
• Professional Summary — A brief bio or headline
• Resume/CV — Upload and manage resume files
• Work Experience — Employment history with dates and descriptions
• Education — Academic credentials and certifications
• Skills — Self-reported skills and competencies
• Social Links — LinkedIn, portfolio, personal website
• Profile Photo — Optional professional photo

Keeping Profiles Updated

Candidates are encouraged to keep their profiles current because:

• Updated information is automatically used for new applications
• Employers may revisit profiles for future opportunities
• Some career tools use profile data for personalized recommendations

Application History

The History section provides a comprehensive record of all applications a candidate has submitted through SmoothHiring.

What Candidates Can See

• Complete application list — All past and current applications
• Application dates — When each application was submitted
• Company and role — Which position at which organization
• Current status — Where each application stands
• Timeline — Key dates and milestones for each application

Filtering and Search

Candidates can filter their history by:

• Status (active, closed, all)
• Date range
• Company name
• Job title

Career Tools

The Career Tools section provides candidates with resources to support their job search and professional development.

Available Tools

Resume Analysis

• AI-powered review of the candidate's uploaded resume
• Suggestions for improvement
• Keyword optimization recommendations
• Formatting feedback

Skills Assessment

• Self-guided skills evaluations
• Skill gap identification
• Recommendations for skill development

Interview Preparation

• Tips and resources for upcoming interviews
• Common question databases by industry/role
• Practice tools and frameworks

Career Path Explorer

• Based on the candidate's background, suggests potential career paths
• Shows what skills or experience might be needed for advancement
• Connects to relevant job opportunities

Note: Available career tools vary by employer configuration. Some tools may not be enabled for all organizations.

Assessments

The My Assessments page is where candidates manage all assessments assigned to them during the hiring process.

Assessment Dashboard

Candidates see:

• Pending Assessments — Tests that need to be completed, with deadlines
• In Progress — Assessments started but not yet finished
• Completed — Finished assessments with completion dates
• Assessment Type — What kind of assessment (personality, cognitive, skills, etc.)
• Associated Job — Which application the assessment relates to

Taking Assessments

1. Click on a pending assessment to begin
2. Review the instructions and estimated completion time
3. Complete the assessment (most are 10-30 minutes)
4. Submit and receive confirmation

Assessment Policies

• Candidates typically have a deadline to complete assessments
• Some assessments are timed once started
• Results are shared with the hiring team automatically
• Candidates may or may not see their own results (configurable by employer)

Reports & Results

The Reports section allows candidates to view assessment results and feedback that employers have chosen to share.

What Candidates Can View

• Personality Profile — Visual representation of their personality traits
• Skills Scores — Results from skills-based assessments
• Culture Alignment — How well they matched the organization's culture (if shared)
• Feedback — Any written feedback provided by the hiring team

Report Visibility

Employers control what candidates can see:

• Full Report — Complete assessment results with detailed breakdowns
• Summary Only — High-level results without detailed scoring
• No Access — Results are not shared with the candidate

Tip for employers: Sharing results with candidates, even unsuccessful ones, creates goodwill and enhances your employer brand.

Job Notifications

The Job Notifications feature lets candidates set up alerts for new opportunities that match their interests.

Setting Up Notifications

1. Navigate to Job Notifications in the portal
2. Define your preferences:
   • Job titles/keywords — Roles you're interested in
   • Location preferences — Where you want to work (including remote)
   • Job type — Full-time, part-time, contract, etc.
   • Industry — Preferred industries or sectors
   • Salary range — Minimum compensation expectations
3. Choose notification frequency:
   • Immediate — Get notified as soon as matching jobs are posted
   • Daily digest — One email per day with all new matches
   • Weekly digest — A weekly summary of matching opportunities
4. Save your preferences

Managing Notifications

• Candidates can create multiple notification profiles with different criteria
• Notifications can be paused or deleted at any time
• Each notification email includes a direct link to apply

Customizing the Candidate Experience

Employers have significant control over what candidates see and experience in the portal.

Configuration Options

Branding the Portal

To customize the portal's appearance:

1. Go to Settings → Careers & Branding
2. Upload your company logo
3. Set your brand colors
4. Write a custom welcome message
5. Configure which sections are visible

Privacy & Data

The candidate portal respects data privacy:

• Candidates can download their data at any time
• Candidates can request account deletion
• Data retention follows configured privacy policies
• Candidates control their notification preferences
• Personal information is only shared with employers they've applied to

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can candidates apply to multiple companies through one portal account? A: Yes. If multiple employers use SmoothHiring, candidates maintain one account and can apply to all of them.

Q: What happens to the portal account if the candidate is hired? A: The account remains active. Candidates can still access their history and use career tools.

Q: Can employers message candidates through the portal? A: Yes. Employers can send messages and candidates will see them in their portal as well as via email.

Q: Is the portal mobile-friendly? A: Yes. The candidate portal is fully responsive and works on all devices.

Q: Can candidates withdraw an application through the portal? A: Yes. Candidates can withdraw active applications from their application history page.