The Review Stage is a Hire Go-specific workflow stage that brings hiring managers into the applicant review process. When an applicant reaches a Review Stage, they are held there while the assigned Hire Go hiring manager reviews their information and makes an advance or reject decision.
As part of that review, hiring managers can also complete a questionnaire configured by the admin — capturing information such as a proposed pay rate, a candidate quality rating, or a recommendation on next steps like a screening interview or fast-track to offer.
These responses are stored on the candidate record and can drive downstream automation, making the Review Stage a powerful tool for collecting structured hiring manager input at the right moment in the workflow.
Before You Begin
The Review Stage is primarily used on openings with Hire Go enabled. To enable an opening for Hire Go, the opening's workflow must include a Scheduler Stage with Interview Hosts set to Hire Go users.
To enable Hire Go on an opening, navigate to the opening in Fountain Hire, go to Opening Settings, and toggle on Enable Opening in Hire Go under Advanced Settings. If the associated workflow does not include a compatible Scheduler Stage, you will see the message "Go compatible workflow is required to enable this opening for Hire Go." In that case, update the workflow to include a Scheduler Stage with Interview Hosts set to Hire Go users, or select a different compatible workflow for the opening.
Set Up a Review Stage
Add the Review Stage
In Fountain Hire, navigate to the opening's workflow.
Click Add Stage.
Select Create New Stage.
Under Stage Type, select Review Stage.
Enter a name for the stage (for example, "Candidate Review").
Click Add Stage to confirm.
Review Stage Placement
For the best hiring manager experience, place the Review Stage after initial candidate information has been collected — such as completed questionnaires, assessment scores, or AI Interview results. This gives the hiring manager the full picture they need to make an informed advance or reject decision
Configure the Stage
Once the stage is created, use its configuration panel to curate the stage experience.
Hiring Manager Instructions
In the Review section, use the Hiring manager instructions rich text field to provide context or guidance to the hiring manager before they complete the review. This text appears in the Review Applicant modal in Hire Go as a Note from Hiring Team. This field is optional.
Review Questionnaire
The Review Questionnaire lets you create a set of questions for the hiring manager to answer as part of the review. Responses are stored on the candidate record as data keys and can be used to drive downstream automation, such as routing applicants through a Rule Stage based on how a question was answered.
To add questions to the questionnaire:
In the Review questionnaire section, click + Add question.
Enter a Question Title. This is the text the hiring manager will see as the question. For example, a Question Title may be "How would you rate this candidate from 1-5?"
Optionally, enter Hint Text to provide additional context to the hiring manager.
Select a Question Type:
Text – A free-text response field
Multiple Choice – Single-select options presented as radio buttons
Date Picker – A date selection field
Dropdown - Single-select options presented as a dropdown menu
Enter a Data Key. This is the identifier used to reference the response in automations and reporting.
For Multiple Choice and Dropdown questions, add answer options by clicking + Add option and entering each choice.
Click Apply changes to save the question.
Repeat the steps to add additional questions as needed. All questions are required for the hiring manager to submit an Advance decision. Questions are optional when submitting a Reject decision.
Questionnaire responses are stored as data keys on the candidate record. You can reference these keys in a Rule Stage to automatically route applicants based on the hiring manager's answers.
Note: If no questions are added to the Review Questionnaire, hiring managers can immediately choose to Advance or Reject the candidate. If questions are configured, hiring managers must first complete the Review by answering the questionnaire before they can advance the candidate.
Linking an Option Bank to a Dropdown Question
For Dropdown questions, you can link an Option Bank instead of manually entering answer choices. Option Banks are shared lists of values configured at the account level, making them useful for large or frequently updated lists such as supervisor names, location codes, or union designations.
To link an Option Bank:
When adding or editing a Dropdown question, locate the Link An Option Bank section below the Options field.
Click the Select Option Bank dropdown and choose an option bank from the list.
Linking an option bank removes any manually added options from the question. If you want to add options manually, remove the option bank link first.
When an Option Bank is linked, the hiring manager sees a searchable combo box instead of a standard dropdown in the Review Applicant modal. The combo box supports typing to filter results and scrolling through the full list.
Configure Advanced Settings
Scroll down to the Advanced Settings section of the stage configuration panel to access the following options:
Setting | Default | Description |
Show stage in applicant portal progress tracker | On | Controls whether this stage is visible to applicants in the portal progress tracker. |
Allow "Reject" from Hire Go | Off | Controls whether the hiring manager can reject applicants from within Hire Go. This is off by default on the Review stage as this stage is designed for Hiring Managers to make an Advance or Reject decision. |
If you opt to keep "Show stage in applicant portal progress tracker" on, it's strongly recommended that you use "Set applicant-facing name" to display an appropriate title for the stage to your applicants awaiting an action.
Hiring Manager Experience in Hire Go
Once an applicant reaches a Review Stage, the assigned hiring manager can complete the review from their Hire Go interface. Hiring managers can access pending reviews from two locations:
Dashboard — The Review applicants action item shows the number of applicants awaiting review across all openings, with a View applicants link.
Opening Details page — Opening's display an action item for any Review Stages showing the number of applicants requiring review. Clicking the action item opens a list of those applicants, where the hiring manager can open each applicant's profile and click Review to start the review.
Complete a Review
From the Dashboard, click View applicants, or from the Opening Details page, click the Review Stage action item.
Locate the applicant in the list and click their name to open their profile.
In the Applicant Profile, locate the Start review section, which displays the hiring manager instructions, and click Review.
The Review Applicant modal opens and may display:
Note from Hiring Team — the hiring manager instructions configured by the admin
Questions to answer — the review questionnaire, if configured
Answer all required questions.
Click Advance to move the applicant to the next stage, or click Reject to reject the applicant.
A success banner confirms the applicant has been advanced to the next stage.