# How to add a candidate

> Add someone to OpenATS by hand, and how OpenATS avoids creating the same person twice.

Choose **Add candidate** on **Pipeline** or **Contacts**, enter their name and whatever else you have, and pick a role and stage. If they’re already in OpenATS (the same email, LinkedIn or phone), the new application goes on their existing profile instead of creating a second one.

*Candidates · Last updated 2026-11-11*

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## Add someone

1. On **Pipeline** or **Contacts**, choose **Add candidate**.
2. Enter their **Full name**, and any of email, headline, location, LinkedIn and phone.
   Only the name is required.
3. Pick a **Posting** and a **Stage**.
   Choose **General (no posting)** to add them without a role.
4. Set where they came from, under **Origin** and **Source**, and save.

## Already in OpenATS?

Before anyone is added, however they arrive (the careers form, Add candidate, the API, CSV and Juicebox imports, the OpenATS Extension or an ATS import), OpenATS checks who they already are:

- the same email, then
- the same LinkedIn or other profile link, then
- the same phone number.

A name alone is never treated as a match. Profile links are compared in one form (`https://linkedin.com/in/<name>`, whatever the country or extra bits in the address), and phone numbers by their last ten digits, so `+1 (415) 555-0134` and `415.555.0134` are the same.

> **Tip:** Faster ways in: the [OpenATS Extension](https://openats.ai/docs/openats-extension/install-and-sign-in) adds people from LinkedIn and Juicebox in a click, and [CSV import](https://openats.ai/docs/imports/import-a-csv) adds a list.

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Still need help? Write to the OpenATS team at https://openats.ai/support (or support@b150.ai). We reply by email.

Source: https://openats.ai/docs/candidates/add-a-candidate
OpenATS help center: https://openats.ai/docs