How to Build an Applicant Tracking System With WordPress Forms

You just posted a job, and the applications are already piling up in your inbox. Resumes come in as attachments, cover letters get pasted into emails, and good candidates are easy to lose track of.

You do not need to buy a separate hiring platform to fix that. You can build an applicant tracking system right on the WordPress site you already run.

Build Your Applicant Tracking System Now! 🙂

How to Build an Applicant Tracking System in WordPress

If you are hiring, you want every application, resume, and candidate stage in one place instead of scattered across your inbox. That is what an applicant tracking system gives you, and it comes down to three pieces.

• You need a form to collect applications, a reliable place to store resumes, and a database that tracks where each person stands.
• WPForms and a connected database can cover all three, and the application form stays on your own website, where you can even use Analytics to track views, interactions, conversions and more!
• Candidates fill it out on your careers page instead of getting bounced to a generic job board, so you keep control of the fields, the branding, and where the data goes.

Step 1: Install the WPForms Elite Plugin

WPForms is a drag-and-drop form builder, so you can put together a full job application form without touching a line of code. It comes with more than 2,100+ form templates, including a ready-made job application layout you can start from.

What I like most about using WPForms for hiring is how much control it gives you over the data. The application form sits on your own careers page, and every resume and submission goes exactly where you send it.

For the full pipeline in this guide, where applications sync automatically into any CRM of your choice, you will need WPForms Elite. If you only want the application form with resume uploads and email notifications, WPForms Basic or higher will do the job.

To get started, buy the Elite license. Then install WPForms on your website. If you need help, follow these instructions on how to add a plugin to WordPress.

Get WPForms Elite Now! 🙂

Step 2: Create Your Job Application Form

Go ahead and open WPForms » Add New, give it a name like Job Application Form, and either pick the pre-built job application form template or start from a blank form and add the fields yourself.

At a minimum you want the Name, Email, and Phone fields so you can reach each candidate. Your form builder should look something like this once those fields are in place.

The resume is the most important part of any application, so in the Add Fields panel, find the File Upload field under the Fancy Fields group and drag it onto your form.

Applicants should also tell you which role they want, so click the Position Applying For dropdown and list your open roles under Choices instead of letting them type it in.

Now save the form, and the intake side of your ATS is ready to collect applications.

Step 3: Configure the Resume Upload Field

The File Upload field works out of the box, but a few settings make it resume-ready. Click the field to open its options, and start on the General tab.

Set Allowed File Extensions to pdf, doc, docx so candidates can only send document files, not random images or videos.

If you want people to attach a cover letter alongside the resume, raise the Max File Uploads so the field accepts more than one file.

Next, open the Advanced tab. Set the Style to Modern for a clean drag-and-drop box, then toggle on Store file in WordPress Media Library.

That last setting matters, because it keeps every resume on your site even if you later delete the entry it came from.

Resumes hold personal details, so it is worth locking them down. Still on the Advanced tab, turn on Enable File Access Restrictions so only logged-in users on your site can open the uploaded files.

Step 4: Notify Your Hiring Team When Someone Applies

An application is only useful if the right person sees it quickly. WPForms can email your hiring team the moment someone applies, so no submission sits unnoticed for days.

Open Settings » Notifications in the form builder, then set the Send To Email Address to whoever handles hiring, whether that is you, a manager, or a shared inbox.

Give the notification a clear subject line like New application for the Marketing Coordinator role, using a smart tag for the position, so your inbox stays sorted by opening.

The Email Message already uses the {all_fields} smart tag, which includes a link to the uploaded resume, so your team receives the file with every application.

To fine-tune what the email shows, click the Show Smart Tags icon beside the message and pick individual fields.

If different roles go to different managers, add a second notification and turn on conditional logic so each one only fires for its matching position.

A design applicant then never lands in the sales manager’s inbox. It also helps to reassure applicants that their submission arrived, so head to Settings » Confirmations and write a short thank-you message that appears the moment they submit.

You can keep candidates on the same page with that message or redirect them to a dedicated thank-you page, which is a good place to explain what happens next in your hiring process.

Step 5: Automatically Save Resumes to the Cloud

You can store resumes in your Media Library, but a shared cloud folder is easier for a hiring team to browse together.

Anyone you invite can open a candidate’s resume without logging in to WordPress, which matters when a manager or interviewer needs to review someone fast.

The Google Drive addon sends every uploaded resume straight to a folder you choose. Open WPForms » Settings » Integrations to connect your account, where you will also find the other cloud and CRM connections.

Connecting Google Drive takes one sign-in and an approval, then your account shows as connected. Open the form, go to its Google Drive settings, and point the uploaded resumes to a folder.

You can even save uploads straight to Google Drive in subfolders named after each position with smart tags, so every role gets its own stack of resumes automatically.

If you would rather not keep copies on your server at all, turn on the option to delete local files after upload, and each resume lives only in Drive.

And if a file ever fails to sync, the entry keeps a reupload action so you can send it over again without asking the candidate to reapply.

Step 6: Manage Applicants From Your WordPress Dashboard

Every submission is saved inside WordPress, so you can review candidates without leaving your dashboard. Entry management is included on WPForms Basic and higher.

Open WPForms » Entries and choose your Job Application Form to see everyone who has applied.

The entries list is where a first pass of triage happens, since you can search by name or email, filter by date, and star the applications worth a second look.

Marking entries as read also helps you tell new applications apart from ones you have already reviewed. Click any row to open a single application and read the full submission, from their contact details to their cover letter.

Each form also has its own analytics page, so if you’re not getting enough applications, you can always dive into the data to see what’s going on.

A field-by-field table shows interactions, time spent, errors, and abandonment for every field. Pair it with the Form Abandonment addon to capture those visitors’ partial entries.

For more information on how to use built-in form performance tracking, check out this documentation on using WPForms analytics.

Now, this gives you a working record of every applicant, but it is still a list rather than a pipeline.

To see at a glance who is waiting on a screening call and who has an offer out, you need stages, which means connecting your form to a database.

Turn Your Applications Into a Hiring Pipeline in Airtable

To move candidates through stages like screening, interview, and offer, you can send each application into Airtable automatically with the Airtable addon, which is part of WPForms Elite.

Start by connecting your account. Go to WPForms » Settings » Integrations, click Airtable, and choose Add New Account.

WPForms sends you to an Airtable permission screen where you approve access and select which bases to share, then you click Grant access to finish. You can follow the full official Airtable setup guide if you get stuck on the connection.

Before you map anything, log in to Airtable and create the base and table you want applications to land in, because the addon can only connect to bases that already exist.

Add columns for the details you collect, such as name, email, phone, and position, plus a text or URL column where you will keep the resume link.

Back in the form builder, open Settings » Airtable and click Add New Connection. Pick your account, base, and table, then map each Airtable column to the matching WPForms field.

From now on, every application creates a new record in your table. You can learn more about the connection on the Airtable addon page.

Now you can make it feel like a real pipeline by adding a Status column in Airtable as a single select, with options like New, Screening, Interview, Offer, and Hired, then switching the table to a Kanban view.

Each candidate becomes a card you can drag from one stage to the next, and you can set Airtable automations to email your team whenever a card moves.

One honest caveat applies to resumes, because the WPForms Airtable addon syncs your form field data into records but does not attach the resume file itself.

Keep the resume in your Media Library or Google Drive folder from the earlier steps, then store that file link in a column so it is one click away from each candidate’s card.

Airtable, Notion, or a CRM for Your Hiring Pipeline

Airtable is my default recommendation, but it is not the only database that works. The right choice depends on your budget and where your team already works.

Tool	Best for	Minimum WPForms tier	Why it fits
Airtable	Most small teams that want a visual pipeline	Elite	Kanban, grid, and calendar views with drag-and-drop stages
Notion	Teams already living in Notion, or on a tighter budget	Plus	An affordable way to sync applications into a database you can shape into a board
HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Zoho CRM	Teams that already run a CRM	Elite	Treats candidates like deals, next to your other pipelines
Google Sheets	A quick, no-frills applicant list	Pro	A plain spreadsheet everyone on the team already knows

If your team works in Notion, you can sync applications to Notion instead and build a Notion-connected form the same way.

And if you already pay for a CRM, send candidates straight there. WPForms Elite connects to Pipedrive, lets you push candidates into HubSpot, and works with Zoho CRM as well.

For most small teams doing regular hiring, Airtable gives you the clearest pipeline for the least setup. Pick the tool your team will actually open every day, since that is the one your hiring process will live in.

FAQs About Building an Applicant Tracking System in WordPress

A few questions come up again and again when you build an applicant tracking system in WordPress, and they usually center on tools, cost, and what is possible without code. Here are the answers hiring teams ask most before they start building.

Can you use WordPress as an applicant tracking system?

Yes, WordPress works well as an applicant tracking system once you pair a form builder with a database. WPForms collects the applications and stores resumes, while a connected tool like Airtable or Notion tracks each candidate through your hiring stages. You get an ATS built on tools you already run, without paying for a dedicated hiring platform.

Do you need to know how to code to build an ATS in WordPress?

You do not need to write any code. WPForms is a drag-and-drop builder, so you create the application form by adding fields visually. Connecting a database like Airtable comes down to authorizing your account and mapping fields, with no code involved at any point.

Which WPForms license do I need for an applicant tracking system?

It depends on how far you take it. The application form with resume uploads and email notifications works on WPForms Basic and up. Saving resumes to Google Drive needs Pro, syncing to Notion needs Plus, and connecting to Airtable or a CRM like HubSpot needs Elite.

Can applicants upload resumes and cover letters to the form?

Applicants can attach both a resume and a cover letter. The File Upload field accepts documents, and you can limit it to resume-friendly formats like pdf, doc, and docx. Raise the Max File Number and a single field will take more than one file at once.

Is Airtable or Notion better for a hiring pipeline?

Airtable is the stronger fit if you want a visual pipeline, since its Kanban and grid views make dragging candidates between stages simple. Notion is a good pick if your team already works there or you want a lower-cost option, and it can hold the same candidate data in a board layout.

How do I move candidates through hiring stages?

Add a Status field to your Airtable base as a single select with your stages, then switch to a Kanban view. Each application becomes a card, and you drag it from one column to the next as the candidate progresses.

What file types should a resume upload field accept?

Stick to document formats like pdf, doc, and docx so you receive readable resumes rather than images or other files. You can set this under Allowed File Extensions, and our complete guide to the File Upload field covers every option in detail.

Can I connect the form to a CRM like HubSpot or Pipedrive instead?

WPForms Elite connects to HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, and Salesforce, so you can treat applicants like contacts or deals inside a CRM you already use. The setup mirrors the Airtable flow, where you authorize the account and then map your form fields to CRM fields.

Next, Send Every Form Submission Where Your Team Works

Once your hiring pipeline is running, the same approach works for any form on your site. You can route contact requests, quote forms, and event signups into the tools your team checks daily, so nothing sits forgotten in an inbox.

Take a look at how to build a custom Airtable form for other parts of your business, or send entries to Google Sheets when a simple spreadsheet is all you need.

Start Collecting Job Applications Today! 🙂

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