When you send a direct invitation through Truffle, you trigger an automated sequence that guides candidates from initial contact to completed interview.
This article shows you exactly what happens at each stage and how to maximize completion rates.
What you'll learn
The four stages of the invitation lifecycle.
What candidates experience at each stage.
How to track and manage pending invitations.
Actions you can take to boost completion rates.
The invitation lifecycle
Stage 1: Invitation sent
When you click Send invitation, Truffle immediately:
Sends a branded email from [email protected] with your company name in the subject.
Generates a unique, secure link tied to that candidate's email address.
Updates the candidate's status to show "Invitation sent" with a timestamp.
Moves the candidate to the Invited tab in your pipeline.
Records who sent the invitation in the activity log.
What you see: The candidate appears in your Invited list with a status pill showing when the invitation was sent.
Note: Invitations use Truffle's standard template. Contact support through the in-app chat if you need custom branding or messaging.
Stage 2: Invited (pending response)
The candidate has received the email but hasn't clicked the link yet.
What you see:
Candidate remains in the Invited tab.
What you can do:
Click Send reminder to trigger an automated follow-up email.
Check for bounced emails (indicated by an error icon).
Stage 3: Started
The candidate clicked the link and began recording responses.
What happens:
Truffle automatically moves them to the Started tab.
Their status updates to show "In progress."
You can see which questions they've completed.
What you can do:
Monitor how long they've been in progress.
Send an encouraging reminder if they stall.
View partial responses if they abandon the interview.
Stage 4: Completed
The candidate submitted all their responses successfully.
What happens automatically:
Candidate moves to the Completed tab.
Truffle runs AI matching and updates their match score.
Full transcription generates within seconds.
AI summary appears in their profile.
Job owner receives notification (if enabled in settings).
What you can do:
Review their video responses.
Add ratings and tags.
Leave feedback for your team.
Advance them to the next hiring stage.