Create, Manage, and Assign Position and Application Statuses
In Faculty Search (FS), Administrators use position and application statuses to communicate the current stage of a search and manage access throughout the review process. A position status applies to the position as a whole and can determine whether applicants may view the status or update their materials and whether evaluators may review applications. An Application Status applies to an individual applicant and can be used to identify stages such as Longlist, Shortlist, Interview, Offer Pending, or Hired. Applicants can view relevant position and application status details from the Deliveries page in Dossier for added transparency. This article explains how to create and manage statuses for the appropriate unit, configure their permissions, distribute them to lower units, and understand how status changes affect existing positions and applications.
Create and Manage Statuses
- Navigate to the Administration page on the navigation menu to view the ‘Statuses’ page. Ensure the applicable unit is selected under the Settings for: dropdown at the top of the page. Any changes made on this page will apply to the entire selected unit.
- Enable/Disable Status Creation: Control whether statuses can be managed within the selected unit and its lower units. When status creation is disabled by a higher unit, Administrators in lower units cannot create, edit, or delete statuses, and a notification appears on this page indicating that status management has been locked by a higher unit. This allows the institution to standardize statuses across its hierarchy when consistent reporting and permissions are required.
- Click Actions > Add new status from the dropdown next to the ‘Position Status’ or the ‘Application Status’ section to create a new status.
- Edit status: Click the pencil icon next to an existing status to make edits.
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Delete status: Click the X icon next to an existing status to delete it.
Deleting a status from the administration settings does not remove it from positions or applications where it is already assigned. The status remains on those records until an Administrator or Committee Manager manually assigns a different status.
If the deleted status permits an applicant to edit their application, that permission remains in effect while the status is still assigned. However, the deleted status is no longer available for new assignments. Reassign affected records first to prevent legacy statuses and permissions from remaining on existing searches. -
Send statuses to lower units: Administrators can distribute a standardized set of Position Statuses or Application Statuses to lower units. The complete set of statuses from the selected unit is sent to its lower units. Unassigned statuses in those units are replaced by the incoming set.
When sending an entire set of position/application statuses to lower units, any unassigned statuses at the lower units will be replaced. If a position/application status has already been assigned, changing it at the University level and then sending it to lower units will add the new status as an option, resulting in both the old and new statuses appearing.
To avoid duplicate statuses, first unassign the status from any positions or applications currently using it, then edit or remove the unassigned status, and finally send the updated set to the lower units. This process ensures only the updated status is available without duplicates.
- Enter a clear, descriptive status name and select the permissions that should apply while the status is active, including whether applicants can view the status and update their application materials when the status is active, as well as whether evaluators can review applications while the status is active.
| Position Status | Application Status |
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Once your statuses have been created on the Administration page, they can be applied to positions or applications.
Apply Statuses to Positions and Applications
After statuses are created, they can be assigned to positions and individual applications.
When both status types are assigned, the application status takes precedence for the individual applicant’s visibility and editing permissions. Therefore, if an applicant has an application status applied to them, that status (and its associated permissions) will determine what they can see, regardless of any position status settings.
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Assign Position Status from the Positions page
The position status never impacts the applicant's ability to apply. It only impacts what they can do after they have applied. To prevent future applicants from applying you will have to close the position.
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Assign Application Statuses from the:
- Applicant list on the Positions page:
- Applicant's profile:
- Applicant list on the Positions page:
You can also archive applicants who are not moving forward at this time. Archived applicants can only update their applications by specifically opening and entering their submitted application.
After selecting a new position or application status, the new ‘Change Status’ window will appear, allowing you to review the permissions associated with the new status and choose whether to send a message to all applicants (with or without a Message Template) affected by this change. To modify any of the status permissions, you will need to edit the desired status on the Administration page.
You can use a preconfigured Message Template to provide consistent wording when notifying applicants about a Position Status change.
FAQs
Where do applicants see the application or position status?
If the box “Applicants can view this status when it is active” is checked, applicants will see the position or application status in the ‘Notes’ columns for the application on their Deliveries page.
Are new/modified position and application statuses reflected in existing positions?
New or modified statuses created under administration settings do not automatically appear in existing positions. Statuses must be sent to lower units to distribute the updated status set to the applicable lower units and existing positions.
Statuses that are not in use can be replaced, while statuses currently assigned to a position or application is retained to preserve the existing record. As a result, the original and updated versions may both appear until the original status is no longer assigned.
How are statuses used in a multi-stage search?
Use the position status to represent the overall stage of the search and application statuses to identify applicants who advance to stages such as Longlist, Shortlist, Interview, or Finalist. Before assigning an application status, confirm that it provides the appropriate applicant editing permissions. For a complete workflow, check out our article on how to Manage Multi-Stage and Open-Rank Searches.
Why didn’t an updated status replace the existing version?
A status that is currently assigned to a position or application cannot be automatically replaced when an updated status set is distributed. To replace it:
- Remove the status from all positions or applications
- Send the updated status set to the lower units.
- Reassign the updated status where appropriate.
How can I see all statuses assigned to each applicant throughout a search process?
Navigate to Reports > Logs. From the System Logs menu, select Application Status Changes. Select the appropriate unit and any additional report criteria, and then view or download the report.