Skip to main content

Gem ATS: Custom Application Questions

Overview

Gem Admins can configure which fields and questions are included in every job application form. 

Your application template includes the default fields that Gem asks for (ex. name, email, etc.), as well as other custom questions that you create and add to it. 

This article will cover how to set up and use custom application questions.

 

Requirements

  • Your team uses Gem ATS
  • You’ve created a job in the ATS

 

Instructions

  • Creating a custom question
  • Managing your questions
  • Using your questions
  • Viewing answers

 

Creating a custom question

  1. In your Gem toolbar, look under “ATS” and select “Templates”.
  2. Select the “Custom application questions” option.
  3. Click “Add question” and fill out the form. This will add the question to your question library.

 

Managing your questions

Once you create a custom question, it can be edited or archived. For data integrity reasons, they cannot be deleted.

  • To edit a question, head to your Custom application questions page and click on it. 
  • To archive a question, edit it, then click on the “Actions” dropdown menu to select the “Archive” option. 
    • Note: A question has to be published before it can be archived.

 

Using your questions

When you create a job in the ATS, you will be prompted to create a job post as part of the process. The job post is the web page that your candidates see online and will contain the job’s description and application form. 

You will be able to configure the job’s application questions while you’re editing the job post.

  1. In your Gem toolbar, look under “ATS” and select “Jobs”.
  2. Find the job that you wish to configure your application questions on and click “View job details”.
  3. Click on the “Job posts” tab. 
  4. Find the relevant job post, then click on the “...” button to select the “Edit” option. (If you have not created a job post for the job yet, click the “New job post” button instead.)
  5. In the resulting window, scroll down to the “Application form” section.
  6. Review the “Default fields” section and make your desired visibility choices.
  7. Under the “Custom questions” section, click into the “Search by question text” box to look for your question(s) and add them to the form.

 

Question Visibility Key

  • Hidden - The question will not be displayed on the job post.
  • Optional - The question will be displayed on the job post, but the candidate won’t be required to respond.
  • Required - The question will be displayed on the job post and the candidate will be required to respond.
  • Private - This setting affects the visibility of the candidate’s responses, depending on whether or not they’ve been hired.
    • Private (box checked-in) - The responses to this question will only be visible to Gem Admins, hiring managers, and recruiters, regardless of the candidate’s hired status. 
    • Not private (box unchecked) - All team members will be able to see the candidate’s responses if they are not hired. Once they are hired, only Gem Admins, hiring managers, and recruiters will be able to see the responses.

 

Once you are done with your changes, click on the “Save” button at top of the window to finish up. When you are ready to publish your job post and make it public, switch the “Published” slider to the “ON” position.

At any point, you can preview what your job post looks like externally by clicking the “Preview” button from your job’s “Job posts” page.

 

Viewing answers

After a candidate submits their application, you will be able to view their responses to your questions. This will appear under the “Resumes” tab of the candidate’s Gem application.

Below are some ways to get to an application’s “Resumes” tab.

From the ATS:

  1. In your Gem toolbar, look under “ATS” and select “Jobs”.
  2. Look for the job the candidate is in. 
  3. Find the card for the candidate and click on their name.
  4. In the resulting window, click on the “Resumes” tab.

While using Application Review:

  1. In your Gem toolbar, look under “ATS” and select “Jobs”.
  2. Under a job that has applications in the “Application review” stage, click “Start reviews”.
  3. By default, Gem will show you the “Resumes” tab for each candidate that you review. This will surface the responses to your questions.

 

Have any issues or questions on this topic? Please feel free to contact your dedicated Gem Customer Success Manager directly or our Support team at support@gem.com.

Was this article helpful?