Comprehensive Setup Guide: Preparing Your Account for Launch

Set up your Guide account and prepare your candidate experience for launch.

Written By Troy Sultan

Last updated 6 months ago

This article walks you through everything you need to complete as a recruiting admin to set up your Guide account and prepare your candidate experience for launch.

Estimated time to complete: ~60 minutes.

🛠️ Section 1: Before You Begin

Before diving in, make sure you:

  1. ✅ Have access to app3.guide.co (this is the correct login URL)

  2. ✅ Install the Guide Chrome Extension (you’ll find a link under your name in the bottom left of the Guide UI)

  3. ✅ Use the Chrome extension in Greenhouse (we recommend setting up a keyboard shortcut: Command+G on Mac)

  4. ✅ Confirm Greenhouse integration is fully connected (webhooks + permissions)

  5. ✅ Have access to the Slack launch plan pinned in your Guide channel

🧱 Section 2: Finalize your Default Candidate Portal Template

Every candidate sees a Guide portal. The content shown is powered by the default portal template, which applies to all jobs by default.

Before launch, complete the following:

✅ Audit the Overview Section

  • Edit your company story, branding, value prop, and visuals

  • You can embed images, videos, and link cards

  • Common examples: Careers page, DEI message, recent news, product video

✅ Audit the Interview Plan

  • These are the stages the candidate will see (e.g. “Intro Call” → “On-site” → “Offer”)

  • These are not tied to your Greenhouse stages — you control the names

  • Add hover text (teasers for each stage)

  • Optional: Add prep content that unlocks per stage (e.g. take-home instructions, virtual on-site tips)

💡 Pro Tip: Get this template as close to final as possible. Every department or job-specific version will duplicate this as a starting point.

🧩 Section 3: (Optional) Create Department-Specific Templates

Once your default template is finalized, you can create additional versions for specific teams.

How:

  1. Click the 3-dot menu → Duplicate Template

  2. Rename to match the department (e.g. “Engineering Template”)

  3. Assign to the relevant Greenhouse department(s)

  4. Tweak content or interview plan if needed

When to do this:

  • You’re ready for more personalization

  • You want eng, sales, or exec roles to tell a distinct story

When not to do this:

  • You’re just launching (keep it simple!)

🧑‍💻 Section 4: Audit Interview Display Names

  1. Go to: Settings → Interview Defaults

  2. You’ll see a list of all interviews from your Greenhouse interview kits. For each one:

✅ Review & Update Titles

  • Override any interview names that aren’t candidate-friendly

    • e.g. “Recruiter Phone Screen” → “Intro Call”

✅ Hide Internal Interviews

  • Turn off visibility for interviews candidates should never see

    • e.g. “Debrief,” “Offer Checks,” “Reference Call”

🧠 Guide Tip: When interviews are scheduled in Greenhouse, Guide automatically shows them in the candidate portal unless you explicitly hide them here.

📨 Section 5: Audit Email Templates (Optional but Recommended)

  1. Go to: Templates → Message Templates

  2. Guide pulls in your Greenhouse templates automatically. But:

  • Subject lines don’t sync (Greenhouse API limitation — fix from Greenhouse coming soon)

  • Note: If you edit a template in Guide, it stops syncing with your Greenhouse version

✅ Options for rollout:

  • Option A: Clean up before launch (recommended for a better UX)

    • Remove unused templates

    • Add subject lines to the 5–10 templates you’ll use most

    • Example: Self-schedule request, availability request, confirmation email

  • Option B: Let each recruiter create their own templates during training

    • Lower upfront effort, but more friction during early scheduling

💡 Tip: Use portal content to reduce the amount of detail in your emails (e.g. links, instructions, interview logistics)

🚀 What’s Next? Kickoff Training & Go-Live

Once the following are done:

  1. ✅ Default candidate portal template is approved

  2. ✅ Interview names are audited + overrides in place

  3. ✅ (Optional) Greenhouse email templates are cleaned up

You’re ready to schedule your live team training and go live with Guide 🎉

📎 Resources

If you get stuck or have questions, just drop us a note in Slack. We’re here to help!