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Workflows are the backbone of automation in Alex. They let you define exactly how Alex handles candidates and jobs — from the moment someone applies or a job is imported, all the way through interview completion and final decisions. Workflows are fully customizable, drag-and-drop, and programmable. You embed your business logic directly into the workflow so Alex follows a specific flow and you always know exactly what she’s doing.

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Two Types of Workflows

Alex has two distinct types of workflows, each serving a different purpose.

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Application Workflows

Application workflows manage the candidate journey. They control:
  • Inviting candidates to interviews
  • Progressing candidates through interview rounds
  • Outreach and communication — emails, SMS, phone calls
  • Writing data back to your ATS on the candidate profile or submission entity
  • Decision handling — what happens when a candidate is shortlisted or rejected
Every job in Alex has exactly one application workflow attached to it. A single application workflow can be shared across multiple jobs, or a job can have its own dedicated workflow. You can create as many application workflows as you need.

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Job Workflows

Job workflows control how jobs are imported into Alex from your ATS. They handle:
  • Detecting new jobs in your ATS
  • Filtering which jobs should be imported (e.g., only active or open jobs)
  • Configuring the job in Alex — setting up rounds, interview guides, default status, and more
Unlike application workflows, only one job workflow can be active at a time. This is because the job workflow is global for your entire ATS integration — it’s the single source of truth for how Alex imports and sets up new jobs.

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How Workflows Relate to Jobs

Here’s how the two workflow types connect:
  1. A new job appears in your ATS.
  2. Your active job workflow detects it, filters it, and configures it in Alex (rounds, interview guides, status, etc.).
  3. That job is assigned an application workflow, which then manages every candidate who applies to it.
Jobs created manually in Alex (not imported from the ATS) will also have an application workflow attached — you can select which one during setup or change it later.

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What’s in a Workflow

A workflow is built from blocks. Each block is a sequence that starts with a single trigger followed by one or more actions.
  • Triggers are events that kick off a block — for example, a new application comes in, a candidate completes an interview, or a decision is updated.
  • Actions are the steps Alex takes in response — sending emails, updating ATS fields, inviting to a round, and more.
You build a workflow by creating multiple blocks, each handling a different event in the candidate or job lifecycle. For a full breakdown of all available triggers, actions, and utilities, see Triggers and Actions.

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The Workflow Builder

The workflow builder is a visual, drag-and-drop editor with three main tabs:
  • Editor — where you build and configure your workflow
  • History — a full audit log of every change made to the workflow, by whom and when
  • Settings — global settings that apply across all rounds (outreach hours, ATS linking, etc.)
In the Editor, the left sidebar gives you access to:
  • Nodes tab — all available triggers, actions, and utilities you can drag onto the canvas
  • Blocks tab — pre-made blocks based on best practices that you can drop in to quickly build a functioning workflow, plus any blocks you’ve saved yourself

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Pre-made Blocks

Alex provides pre-made blocks built from known best practices for candidate engagement. These are complete, ready-to-use blocks that you can drag and drop to instantly create a functioning workflow — no need to build from scratch. You can also save your own blocks for reuse across workflows. This is useful if you’ve built a sequence that works well and want to standardize it across your team.

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What’s Next