Custom boards
A custom board is a pipeline that is not linked to a job. Use it to organise candidates by project, talent pool, internal process, or any flow that does not need a published role.
Job boards and custom boards share the same drag-and-drop layout. For full board actions (search, filters, stages, cards), see The hiring board.
Job board vs custom board
| Job board | Custom board | |
|---|---|---|
| Linked to a job | Yes | No |
| Created from | Creating / opening a job | Dashboard → Custom Boards → Add board |
| Edit Job | Available | Not available |
| Career site applications | Can land here | Does not receive job applications |
| Job tests | Can be configured on the job | No job tests |
| Special stage actions | Available (see below) | Not available |
When to use a custom board
- Shortlisting for a project before a formal job exists
- A shared talent pool or “warm leads” pipeline
- Internal tracking that should not appear as a published job
- Organising people across themes that are not one-to-one with a single opening
If you need applications from the career site, assessments tied to a role, or automatic test/reject behaviour, create a job and use its hiring board instead.
How to create and open one
- Go to the dashboard.
- Find the Custom Boards section.
- Click Add board.
- SkillATS opens the new board so you can rename it, set stages, and add candidates.
You can also search custom boards on the dashboard, open an existing one, or delete a board you no longer need (with confirmation).
What works the same as a job board
On a custom board you can still:
- Drag candidates between stages
- Add candidates to the board or into a specific stage
- Search and filter
- Rename the board and manage stages (add, rename, reorder, remove)
- Open a candidate card for notes, reminders, status, and other details
- Use Activity on the board
Default stage names still come from Settings → Recruitment stages, and you can change them on the board. See The hiring board.
What does not work on custom boards
Because there is no job behind a custom board, job-linked stage behaviour is off:
Send tests automatically (assignment / assessment)
On a job board, a stage can use Send tests automatically so moving someone there can email the job’s tests (often used with a stage like Assessment Assigned / Assignment Assigned).
On a custom board:
- There are no job tests to send
- The Send tests automatically option does not appear in the stage menu
- Dragging someone into a stage named “Assessment Assigned” (or similar) does not send tests
To assign assessments, use a job board with tests configured on that job.
Reject stage (automatic rejection email)
On a job board, dragging someone into a stage named Rejected or Reject can offer an automatic rejection email using the job’s email template.
On a custom board:
- There is no job rejection template to send from
- That special reject-email flow does not apply the way it does on job boards
- You can still keep a stage called Rejected for your own organisation, and set status on the candidate page, but do not expect the job-style automatic rejection email from this board
Edit Job and career applications
- Edit Job is hidden on custom boards
- Candidates do not apply into a custom board from the career site — applications go to job boards
Tips
- Use custom boards for flexible pipelines; use job boards when you need the full hiring role (posting, tests, reject email, applications).
- You can copy or move a candidate between a custom board and a job board when the process becomes a real opening.
- For stage menus, dragging, and filters in detail, continue on The hiring board.