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Effectively Using Gravity Forms with WP Job Manager Plugin

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gravity-forms-with-wp-job-manager-blog“In the absence of information we jump to the worst conclusions.”

Recruiters are increasingly echoing this statement and want to cut their losses at the resume evaluation stage itself. To do this, there is a need to bridge the information gap between applicants and recruiters.

In order to do be able to do this effectively it is important that information required for the evaluation process should be gathered at the application stage itself.

With an option to only upload a resume in response to a job application, recruiters have to be dependent on the job applicants for information, owing to which specific information required by them might be missing.

Here’s where Gravity Forms plugin comes into the picture for those using WP Job Manager plugin for their job listings website. Gravity Forms plugin enables WP Job Manager users to expand the applications.

Why use Gravity Forms with WP Job Manager?

To be able to understand the need for using Gravity Forms with WP Job Manager, it is important understand what the WP Job Manager plugin has to offer and how you should go about expanding your horizon.

What You Can Get for Free

  • The WP Job Manager plugin which is available for free on wordpress.org provides a job application feature using which job seekers are redirected to an email or website on clicking the ‘Apply for Job’ button.
  • If it is merely an email then all you can expect is a resume, in which case you will be at the job seekers mercy for information.
  • If the candidate is being redirected to another URL which has a form then a plugin such as gravity forms can be used to effectively gather information.
  • Alternatively using Gravity Forms plugin the application for can be displayed right there on the listing for a particular position on clicking the ‘Apply for Job’ button.

Using Gravity Forms with WP Job Manager?

Have you ever heard of AIESEC? It is an international organization that provides young people with leadership and development opportunities through internships offered by employers all around the world. A website such as aiesec.net lists various internships available all across the globe.

With international candidates applying for the internships, employers can sometimes need specific information pertaining to citizenship, education, demographics, interests, etc. Such information will have to be gathered through an extensive application form and that’s where Gravity Forms plugin comes into the picture.

Let us consider a few examples to understand the use of Gravity Forms with WP Job Manager website.

Scenario #1: Employer Needs Diverse Information from Applicant

  • Imagine as an employer you might need to obtain specific information from candidates pertaining to their profession, education, nationality, etc.
  • Swamping them with various data fields requesting for information can lead to a job seeker either getting confused or put off.
  • To achieve the goal of obtaining all required information while making the process simple for job seekers the required information can be categorized under various subheadings and can be displayed using the multi-page form feature provided by Gravity Forms.
  • The various headings can be categorized as Personal Information, Professional Information, Educational Information, Residency Information, Emergency Contact Information, on multiple pages using the Gravity Forms plugin.

gravity-forms-with-wp-job-manager-multi-page

Scenario #2: Job Seeker wants to Upload Additional Document

  • If there is one thing that really irks me while completing application forms is the inability to provide information that I might want to provide apart from the information that has been asked of me. And so, in my opinion, a possibility of uploading a document should be provided to a job applicant.
  • Job seekers can be provided with this feature using the ‘File Upload’ field provided by Gravity Forms plugin.

Scenario #3: Employer wants to Notify Job Seeker About Submission

  • A practice that many employers follow and which I like is that they send an automated email to job seekers confirming the receipt of the application.
  • Using Gravity Forms notification feature can not only send you a notification email to the applicant but also to the admin informing them about the application submission.

Scenario #4: Display Disparate Fields Based on Selection

  • AIESEC internships work on the principle that every intern will be placed outside of his home country. In such a scenario, it becomes absolutely essential for employers to gauge the nationality of an applicant.
  • So let us assume the first question of the application asks the student for their country of citizenship. Now, based on their response either the rest of the application form will be displayed or a message will be displayed stating that the applicant cannot apply for the job.
  • This kind of either-or functionality for the form can be achieved using the conditional logic feature offered by Gravity Forms.

Scenario #5: You Need to Send Updates to Applicants

  • Consider you want to consolidate a list of all users that have applied for jobs through your website and notify them on latest jobs on your website. You might also want to notify them of any job fairs in and around their city.
  • This too can be done with the Gravity Forms MailChimp add-on which will allow you to tie your job application form with the MailChimp marketing service.
  • Steer clear from the hassle of sending emails manually and do it effortlessly using Gravity Forms with WP Job Manager plugin.

QUICK TIP

  • If you want to take the application process just a notch higher, than the basic feature provided then the Resume Manager extension should be able to meet your needs.  Instead of providing job seekers with an option to upload their resume, job seekers are provided with a form that gathers information objectively.
  • Here’s a sneak peek of the resume submission form.

gravity-forms-with-wp-job-manager-form-submission

  • Further, the candidate can choose an already saved resume to apply for jobs

gravity-forms-with-wp-job-manager-select-resume

Give the Applicants a Copy of the Form

gravity-forms-developer-pdf-word-autofillPersonally, I appreciate applying for jobs using an application form on the website. It’s convenient and you don’t have to think about the information the employer might be looking for. Here’s the catch though, what I don’t like is that on some occasions I am left recalling the finer details such as (email id I provided) with little or no luck.

That’s when I think, ‘how I wish I could see the submitted application!!’

For applicants like me it would serve well to provide a copy of the submitted application form which can be saved and referred to at any later point in time.

This functionality can be achieved using the Gravity Forms to PDF Document Autofill Plugin

This plugin allows Gravity Forms users to create multiple PDF documents, by fetching data entered through an online Gravity Form. Using this application, you can link multiple PDF document templates directly to a Gravity Form, and map form fields, right from within the WordPress dashboard. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Think no further and do a complete makeover for the application process on your job listing website by using Gravity Forms with WP Job Manager Plugin. Not only will the move be much appreciated by employers but by relieved applicants too, after all, they wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of putting in long hours on contemplating the resume template!

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Tahseen Kazi

Tahseen Kazi

One Response

  1. I don’t know if I will get an answer here or not but here it goes. I am using WP Job Manager with the Resume Extension. My problem is that the resume extension is extremely limited. I want to make the “Submit a Resume” Form as information filled as possible. This includes conditional logic fields which the Resume Extension doesn’t offer? Is there a way to use Gravity Forms as my “submit a resume” form? So then when an applicant wants to apply to a job, they can just choose to apply with their “Resume”? I have the form all written out but there are several fields I need to be conditional so the form doesn’t take up to much space on an applicants screen. I want my website to look as professional as possible, and having a bunch of fields, many applicants wouldn’t use in the first place, looks tacky. I am planning on purchasing the developer package of Gravity Forms anyways because I can use their plugin on many of my websites, so it would be a plus if there was a way for me to control my job board with them too.

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