The Candidate Experience

Why It Matters

Understanding the candidate experience helps you set up your pipeline correctly and write better stage descriptions. When you know what candidates see at each step, you can reduce confusion, avoid drop-off, and create a process that reflects well on your company.

Browsing Jobs

Candidates arrive at your career portal and see a list of all published job postings. They can:

• Search by job title using the search bar
• Filter by location or department using sidebar filters
• Browse jobs grouped by department

Each job listing shows the title, location, department, and employment type. If you’ve configured salary information, it appears here too — helping candidates self-select before applying.

Adaptive Layout

The portal automatically adjusts its layout based on how many jobs you have published:

Jobs Published	Layout
1–3 jobs	Enriched cards with metadata badges and salary info. No search bar or filters — candidates can see everything at a glance.
4+ jobs	Compact rows with a search bar. Sidebar filters appear when you have 2+ distinct locations or departments.

This keeps the portal looking polished whether you’re hiring for one role or fifty.

Viewing a Job Posting

When a candidate clicks on a job, they see the full detail page:

• Job metadata — Title, location, department, employment type, remote status, and salary range
• Description — Your rich text job description with formatting, links, and lists
• What to Expect — An automatically generated summary of notable aspects of your process (e.g. paid assignment, GitHub required, estimated time commitment, number of interviews)
• Hiring Process Timeline — A preview of the stages they’ll go through, with names and descriptions. If the process has more than four stages, it collapses with a toggle to expand

This transparency helps candidates understand the full process before committing to an application.

Applying to a Job

The application form appears directly on the job detail page. Standard fields include:

• First name and Last name (required)
• Email (required)
• Phone (optional)
• Resume file upload (drag and drop supported)

If you’ve configured custom form fields on the Application Form stage (cover letter, experience level, portfolio URL, etc.), those appear below the standard fields. Candidates fill everything out and click Submit Application.

LinkedIn Integration

If LinkedIn integration is configured, candidates can click Apply with LinkedIn to pre-fill their name, email, and profile information. If no custom fields are required, the application auto-submits. Otherwise, candidates review and complete any remaining fields.

Duplicate Prevention

Kit prevents duplicate applications. If a candidate has already applied to the same job with the same email address, they see a message directing them to check their candidate portal instead.

After Applying

Once a candidate submits their application, two things happen:

1. Confirmation page — They see a success message on the job posting page
2. Confirmation email — They receive an email with a magic link to their candidate portal

The magic link is how candidates access their portal going forward — no password required. Links are valid for 7 days. Candidates can request a new link anytime by entering their email.

The Candidate Portal

The candidate portal is a personal dashboard where candidates track all their applications. They access it via the magic link in their confirmation email.

What Candidates See

For each application, the portal shows:

Element	Description
Job title	The position they applied for
Status badge	Active (blue), Rejected (red), Withdrawn (gray), or Offered (green)
Current stage	The name of the stage they’re currently in
Progress bar	Visual indicator of how far they are through the pipeline
Stage description	The candidate_description you configured on the current stage

Action Required Alerts

When a candidate needs to do something — complete a questionnaire, upload a portfolio, record a video, or start a code assignment — a yellow alert box appears with a clear call-to-action button. This makes it obvious what’s expected of them at each step.

Awaiting Review

When a candidate has completed their submission and is waiting for your team to review, the portal shows an “awaiting review” status. If you configured a screening message on the Application Form stage, that message appears here too.

Stage Submissions

Each stage type has a dedicated submission page that candidates access from their portal:

Questionnaire

Candidates see each question with a text area to write their response. Questions can be required or optional. A word or character limit is displayed if configured.

Portfolio Upload

Candidates upload files (PDFs, images, design files) via drag and drop or file picker. The page shows accepted file types and the maximum number of files allowed.

Video

Candidates watch an embedded or uploaded video. If a minimum watch percentage is configured, they need to watch at least that much before the stage marks as complete.

Video Recording

Candidates record a video response directly in the browser. The recording prompt (configured by your team) is displayed to guide their response.

Code Assignment

If GitHub integration is set up, candidates connect their GitHub account and receive access to a private repository created from your template. The page shows:

• Duration (deadline)
• Estimated hours
• Whether the assignment is paid (and the payment amount)
• A link to the GitHub repository once it’s created

When the candidate finishes, they submit their assignment. If they don’t submit before the deadline, Kit auto-submits their work.

Live Interview

Candidates see their scheduled interview details — date, time, duration, and meeting link. They can confirm attendance or request to reschedule (if within the allowed reschedule window).

Magic Links

Candidates authenticate via magic links — there’s no password to remember. Key details:

• Magic links are included in the application confirmation email and stage notification emails
• Each link is valid for 7 days
• If a link expires, candidates visit the portal URL and enter their email to receive a new one
• Kit protects against email enumeration — it always shows a success message regardless of whether the email exists

Candidate Description Tips

The candidate_description field on each stage is your primary communication channel with candidates inside the portal. Use it to:

Do	Don’t
Explain what’s expected at this stage	Leave it blank — candidates will be confused
Set realistic time expectations	Promise specific review turnaround times you can’t guarantee
Mention any preparation materials	Use internal jargon candidates won’t understand
Include contact info for questions	Assume candidates remember instructions from earlier emails

Quick Checklist

• Write clear candidate_description text for every stage
• Set up screening messages so candidates know their application is being reviewed
• Configure salary information on job postings for transparency
• Keep your job descriptions concise — candidates read on mobile too
• Test the candidate experience by applying to a test job yourself
• Verify magic link emails are being delivered (check your email provider)
• Use the “What to Expect” section preview to make sure it reads well