Using Preferred Name in Guide
Guide does not currently support Greenhouse's native candidate "preferred name" field. If a preferred name is set on that native field in Greenhouse, it will not automatically flow into Guide today. Support for this native field is being considered as part of our future roadmap with the release of Greenhouse's V3 Harvest API, but it is not available at this time.
In the meantime, you can set a candidate's preferred name directly in Guide:
Open the candidate's profile.
Select Edit candidate settings.
Update the Preferred Name field, then save.
What setting a preferred name in Guide actually does
When you set a preferred name on a candidate, Guide treats it as the candidate's display first name. Their legal first and last name still stay on file - you're just telling Guide what to call them. That display name is then used consistently across the product, which is why it matters:
Name tokens in your templates - The candidate name tokens (for example, the full-name and first-name candidate tokens) pull from the display name. Once a preferred name is set, those tokens render the preferred name in candidate emails, interviewer emails, and calendar invites.
Candidate portal - The candidate is greeted and referred to by their preferred first name in their portal experience.
Aria - When Aria drafts candidate messages, she refers to the candidate by their preferred name.
Dashboard and profile - Recruiters see the preferred name shown alongside the legal first name (e.g., "Firstname (Preferred) Lastname") so it's clear at a glance.
A couple of things worth knowing:
Setting a preferred name does not change the candidate's legal/original name stored from your ATS - it only changes how Guide displays and addresses them.
Once you set a preferred name in Guide, it stays put; later ATS syncs won't overwrite it.