Understand overdue candidate reminders
A candidate becomes overdue when they stay in a pipeline stage longer than its time limit. For example, you set a five-day limit for the Phone screen stage. A candidate who enters their sixth day in that stage appears as one day overdue.
When you set time limits, you can:
See how many days a candidate is overdue
Find overdue candidates in a job pipeline, on their profile, or in Candidates
Get daily reminders for candidates, jobs, and talent pools you follow
Open overdue candidates from the job’s Reports dashboard
📝 Note: Candidates can only become overdue in stages with a time limit. If you remove the limit, candidates in that stage will no longer appear as overdue.
Set time limits
Choose where to set the limit based on how you use the pipeline:
Update a pipeline template to use the same limits across multiple jobs.
Update one job to create limits for that job only.
Set a time limit in a pipeline template
Use a pipeline template to create a consistent process across jobs.
Go to Settings > Templates > Pipelines.
Open the pipeline template you want to update
Click the pencil icon next to a stage.
4. Under Time limit, choose a suggested limit or enter a custom number of days and Click Save. The chosen time limit will now be applied to new candidates that enter the selected stage.
📝 Note: When you edit a pipeline template, you also update every job that uses it. The default pipeline template applies automatically to new jobs.
Set a time limit for one specific job
Customize one job when its hiring process needs different time limits.
Open the job and click Edit.
Select Workflow in the left-hand menu.
Under Pipeline, click the pencil icon next to a stage.
Set the Time limit.
Click Save.
📝 Note: When you edit a pipeline directly in a job, it becomes a custom pipeline and stops using its previous template.
💡Tip: Set shorter limits for early stages, where candidates usually expect a quick response. Use longer limits for stages that naturally take more time, such as assessments or final interviews.
Find overdue candidates
Use the view that best matches your task.
Check a job pipeline
Open a job’s pipeline to see which candidates need attention in that hiring process. Stages with time limits show a time-limit indicator. When a candidate passes the limit, their card shows how many days they’re overdue.
Check a candidate profile
Open the candidate’s profile and find the relevant job in the job details section. You’ll see the candidate’s stage and overdue status together. This is useful when a candidate is assigned to more than one job — each job can have a different pipeline and time limit.
Filter the Candidates list
Use filters to create a focused list of candidates who need follow-up.
Go to Candidates.
Open the filters.
Select the Overdue candidate status.
Add filters such as job, stage, or followed candidates to narrow the list.
💡Tip: Combine Overdue with a job or stage filter to plan follow-ups for one part of your hiring process.
Check Job Reports
Open a job and go to its Reports dashboard. If at least one pipeline stage has a time limit, the overview includes an Overdue candidates card. Click the card to open the candidates behind the number.
Get daily reminders
Choose which overdue candidates you want to hear about and where you want to receive the reminder.
Go to Settings > Notifications.
Find the overdue notification under Followed candidates or Followed jobs or talent pools.
Turn on your preferred channels — web, mobile, email, or a combination.
You can receive these daily summaries:
Followed candidates are overdue. We’ll notify you every morning.
Candidates are overdue. We’ll notify you every morning.
Recruitee sends these summaries at 6:00 a.m. in your time zone. You’ll only receive one when there are matching overdue candidates.
📝Note: You must follow the relevant candidate, job, or talent pool and have permission to view it. Each team member manages their own notification settings.
Put overdue reminders into practice
Suppose your team aims to review every new application within three days.
Set a three-day limit for the Applied stage.
Filter Candidates by Overdue each morning.
Add the job filter to focus on one role.
Follow priority jobs and turn on overdue notifications.
This setup gives recruiters a daily view of delayed applications while team leaders can spot recurring bottlenecks in the hiring process.
Frequently asked questions
When does a candidate become overdue?
When does a candidate become overdue?
A candidate becomes overdue after staying in a stage longer than its time limit. A candidate in the sixth day of a five-day limit is one day overdue.
What happens when I change a time limit?
What happens when I change a time limit?
Recruitee recalculates the overdue status using the candidate’s time in the stage and the new limit. A candidate may become overdue — or stop being overdue — immediately.
What happens when I remove a time limit?
What happens when I remove a time limit?
Candidates in that stage will no longer appear as overdue for that stage.
Does every team member receive a reminder?
Does every team member receive a reminder?
No. Reminders depend on each team member’s notification settings, what they follow, and what they have permission to view.
Are overdue reminders immediate?
Are overdue reminders immediate?
No. Recruitee sends overdue candidate reminders as daily summaries at 6:00 a.m. in the recipient’s time zone.