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Comprehensive Setup Guide: Preparing Your Account for Launch

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

Updated this week

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.

đŸ› ïž 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

đŸ§± 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.

đŸ§© 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!)

đŸ§‘â€đŸ’» 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!

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Updating a Candidate Portal to the "Hired" State
Editing "Interview Defaults" & Candidate-Facing Interview Titles
Interviewer Profiles
Organization Settings: Interview Defaults
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