Block Candidates

Overview

Rejecting a candidate only applies to one job. If the same person keeps applying to your new job posts, you have to reject them again every time, and their applications take up space in your pipeline. Candidate blocking lets you record that decision once. When you block a person, Discovered:

• Moves every future application from that person, on any of your company's job posts, to Rejected automatically
• Shows a blocked indicator next to their name, so your team knows at a glance
• Records who blocked them, when and why in the candidate's Communication feed
• Lists them on the Blocked Candidates page in Settings, where Admins can review and lift blocks

Blocking applies to your company only. If your company is part of a company group, the other companies in the group aren't affected.

Before You Start

• You need Admin or Editor permissions to block or unblock a person. Users with Viewer permissions can see the blocked indicator and the feed entries, but they can't block or unblock anyone.
• The candidate must have an email address on their profile. Discovered recognizes a person by their email address, so candidates without one can't be blocked. The Block this person option doesn't appear for them.

How to Block a Person:

1. Open the Candidate

• Open the candidate's full profile, or open their preview from your job's candidate list.
• Click the ⋯ (more options) menu in the profile header.
• Select Block this person. It's the last item in the menu.

2. Choose a Reason

• In the Block window, open the Reason list and choose one:
• • Repeat applicant after rejection
  • Unprofessional conduct
  • Misrepresentation
  • Did not meet a required qualification
  • Not eligible for rehire
  • Other
• If you choose Other, describe the reason in the Note field (up to 1,000 characters). The note is required for Other.

3. Confirm the Block

• Click Block.
• A confirmation message shows that the person is blocked, and the blocked indicator appears next to their name.

Important: Blocking doesn't change the person's existing candidate records. If they are already in your pipeline for other jobs, those records keep their current status. Move them yourself if needed.

What Happens After You Block Someone

The blocked indicator

A red circle with a line through it appears after the person's name. Hover over it to see Blocked at your company. It appears on all of the person's candidate records at your company:

• In the job's candidate list
• On the candidate profile
• In the candidate preview

The indicator is not a status. The status next to it still shows where the candidate actually is in your pipeline.

Automatic rejection of new applications

Each time the person is added to any of your company's jobs, Discovered moves the new candidate record straight to Rejected. This works no matter how the candidate arrives: through your career page, a job board, an email application, a resume upload, a manual import, or when someone copies or moves the candidate to another job.

On that record, the Communication feed explains the move. It starts with Automatic: matched an active block and names who blocked the person and on what date.

• Your welcome messages and the other automations of your first status don't run for a blocked person.
• The automations you've set up for your Rejected status do run, just as when you reject someone by hand. If your Rejected status sends a rejection email, the candidate receives it.

If the person applies again to a job where they already have a candidate record, Discovered adds the new details to that record as usual, and its status doesn't change. See What Happens When Candidates Apply Multiple Times.

Activity history

Every block and unblock is added to the Communication feed of all the person's candidate records, with who made the change and the reason. Block and unblock events also appear in the Notifications widget on your dashboard.

How to Unblock a Person

Unblocking stops future applications from being rejected automatically. It doesn't change anything that already happened: candidate records that were rejected because of the block stay Rejected.

• Open any candidate record of the blocked person.
• Click the ⋯ menu and select Unblock this person.
• Click Unblock to confirm.

The blocked indicator disappears from all of the person's records. Admins can also unblock people from the Blocked Candidates page. See Manage Blocked Candidates.

Changing a Blocked Candidate's Email Address

A block is tied to the email address the person had when you blocked them. When you open Edit email addresses for a blocked candidate, Discovered shows a warning at the top of the window.

If you change the candidate's main email address:

• The candidate no longer shows as blocked, and applications from the new address won't be rejected automatically.
• The block on the old address stays in place, so applications from that address are still rejected.
• To block the new address too, block the candidate again after saving.

Note: Discovered matches people by their email address. If a blocked person applies with a different email address, Discovered treats them as a new person, and their application isn't rejected automatically.

What Candidates See

Nothing. Candidates are never told they've been blocked. They can still open your career page and apply. Their application is accepted and then moved to Rejected, and the only message they may get is the one your Rejected status already sends.

Why This Matters

Some applicants should never be considered again: someone who misrepresented themselves, behaved unprofessionally, or isn't eligible for rehire. Without blocking, your team has to recognize them and reject them by hand on every new job.

Candidate blocking helps you:

• Keep unwanted applicants out of your pipeline automatically
• Save your team from rejecting the same person over and over
• Keep a clear record of who was blocked, by whom and why

Use Cases

• Repeat Applicants: Someone you've already rejected keeps applying to every new opening.
• Conduct Issues: A candidate was abusive or unprofessional with your team during the hiring process.
• Former Employees: A past employee is marked not eligible for rehire.
• Misrepresentation: A candidate gave false information about their background or qualifications.

Best Practices

• Pick the reason that fits best, and use Other with a clear note when none do. Your team will see the reason later.
• Check whether the person is already in your pipeline for other jobs. Blocking doesn't change existing records.
• Before you change a blocked candidate's email address, decide whether the new address should be blocked too.
• Review your Rejected status automations so you know what message a blocked candidate receives.

What Happens Next

• New applications from the person are rejected automatically for as long as the block is active.
• Admins can review every blocked person, and the full history of blocks and unblocks, in Settings. See Manage Blocked Candidates.

With candidate blocking, you can make a decision about a person once and let Discovered enforce it on every job.