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How do I initiate an eForm?

Steps to send eForms with or without internal approvers and field inputs.

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Written by Camijo Allred

Overview

This article is for all users who need to initiate and send eForms for signatures and approvals during the hiring process. It explains how to start an eForm from an applicant record, set an expiration, add approvers, preview, and send for approval.

With eForms, you can send and track offer letters and other documents, capture approvals at any point in your process, and receive notifications once documents are approved so you can proceed quickly. Admins create eForm templates; Managers and other authorized users can send eForms.

Important: This is a Premium feature that must be enabled on your account. An Admin user can contact the Support Team to get pricing and enable this on your account.


How To Initiate an eForm

Follow the steps below to initiate an eForm, with or without internal approvers and manual field inputs.

Initiate an eForm With Field Inputs and/or Internal Approvers

Step 1: Open the applicant and select the eForm

  • From All Applicants, select Action, then View next to the applicant you wish to initiate an eForm for.

  • On the applicant record, select the eForms tab.

  • From the Select eForm dropdown, choose the appropriate eForm.

Step 2: Set the eForm expiration

  • Review the eForm Expiration page.

  • Understand the default: The approval invitation sent to applicants includes a secure link that expires after 45 days by default.

  • Adjust the expiration if needed: You may change the expiration to a maximum of 99 days. Enter the number of days the eForm should remain valid for the applicant, then select Next.

  • Extension rules:

    • The initiator can extend the applicant link expiration later and can do so multiple times.

    • Each extension can add up to 99 days, and the countdown resets each time.

    • This expiration applies only to the applicant-facing link; it does not apply to links for internal approvers.

Step 3: Complete required fields and assign approvers

  • On the eForm (for example, the General Offer Letter), complete all fields; fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

  • In the Approvers section, use each approver dropdown to select an approver from system users and contact users. The same approver can be selected in more than one dropdown if needed.

  • If the applicant will be the final approver, a note will display indicating this.

  • Select View Preview and Confirm to continue.

  • If you miss a required entry, you will receive an error: “There are fields that need to be filled in before you can proceed. Please correct the highlighted fields.” Update the missing information and select View Preview and Confirm again.

Note: To streamline data entry, additional fields like the applicant’s name and company name may auto-fill based on the template.

Step 4: Preview and send for approval

  • Review the preview carefully and confirm that all information—including manual field entries—pulled in correctly.

    Insert image here.

  • Edit the document if needed (you can add or remove information and use the formatting buttons at the top of the page).

  • When satisfied, select Send for Approval to start the approval process. An email will be sent to the first person in the approval chain.

  • Editing permissions: Only the person who initiates a document can edit it after it has been sent for approval and while it is still pending approval.

Important: Only the initiator can edit a pending document after it has been sent for approval.

Initiate an eForm Without Field Inputs and/or Internal Approvers

  • Use this approach for simple documents that only require the applicant’s signature (for example, confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements).

  • If the document includes field inputs, complete them before sending.

  • If the template includes dynamic keywords (for example, applicant name or today’s date), these auto-fill at initiation; no manual entry is required.

  • In this flow, you will not see the Approvers section. Simply preview the document and select Send for Approval.

  • The system will send an email to the new employee to sign the document.


Reporting/Troubleshooting/Best Practices

  • Expiration behavior: The expiration applies only to the applicant-facing link. Internal approver links are not affected.

  • Maximum duration: The maximum expiration you can set at a time is 99 days. Each time you extend the link, the validity resets.

  • Required fields: If you receive a required-fields error, correct the highlighted fields and select View Preview and Confirm again.

  • Editing rights: Only the initiator can edit a pending document after it has been sent for approval.

  • Template issues: If information that could be pulled from the application is missing, or formatting looks incorrect, notify an Admin user so they can update the template.


FAQs

How much does this cost?

  • This is available as part of the Premium package. An Admin user can contact the Support Team for a quote or to enable this on your account.

Do we have to have internal approvers sign off on the eForm?

  • No. You can require only the applicant’s signature with no internal approval process. For Admin users creating the eForm, in Step 4 – Approval Process, do not add any titles and ensure “The Applicant is the final approver” is selected.

What is the maximum number of days the eForm can be set for an expiration?

  • The maximum is 99 days. Each time you change or extend the eForm, the validity period resets. By default, the applicant link expires after 45 days.

How can I edit a document after initiating it?

  • Only the person who initiated the document can edit it after it has been sent for approval and while it is pending approval.

What if the eForm template doesn’t look right?

  • When reviewing the preview, if data is missing or formatting appears incorrect, notify an Admin user. Admins can edit eForm templates.

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