How does Datapeople map candidate stages?

Retrieving data regarding each step a candidate went through is not always possible, so at Datapeople, we generate candidate activity data with a waterfall method based on the candidate's last active stage. 

For example, if a candidate is marked as reaching the Offer stage, they will automatically be counted in all previous stages (Applied, Screening, etc.) as it is implied that they passed through those stages based on their presence in the Offer stage.

This methodology is not to be used when reporting on specific recruiter/hiring manager activity (ex. how many interviews did we conduct last quarter?), but gives an general overview of candidate movement through your pipeline and ensures consistency when considering candidate attrition rates.

Why doesn't Datapeople use candidate activity data to map candidate stages?

Some applicant tracking systems (ATSs) don't offer log dates for each stage a candidate goes through in their API. In addition, timely data entry around candidate activity can be unreliable. For the purposes of reporting on candidate processes, we believe that the waterfall method solves for both of these issues and can provide a clear view of the candidate process across varying ATSs and varying degrees of data integrity.