HR Workflow Automation — Low-Code Recruitment Process

A simulated internal HR system that automates candidate data capture, storage, and notifications using Zapier and Google Workspace tools. Built as part of an MSc Software Engineering portfolio to demonstrate real-world business process automation and Talent Acquisition workflow design.

Manual recruitment intake processes are slow and error-prone. HR teams waste time copy-pasting candidate data from emails into spreadsheets, and notification delays mean candidates wait longer for responses. This project replaces the manual process with a fully automated pipeline that runs without human intervention.

Candidate fills form → Zapier detects submission → Row added to Sheets → HR email sent → HR reviews tracker

No manual steps. The entire pipeline executes automatically within seconds of form submission.

┌─────────────────┐     submit      ┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│  Google Form    │ ─────────────→  │           Zapier Zap              │
│                 │                 │                                    │
│ • Full Name     │                 │  TRIGGER: New Form Response        │
│ • Email Address │                 │      ↓                             │
│ • Role Applied  │                 │  ACTION 1: Google Sheets           │
└─────────────────┘                 │    → Append row to Candidates tab  │
                                    │      ↓                             │
                                    │  ACTION 2: Gmail                   │
                                    │    → Send HR notification email    │
                                    └──────────────────────────────────┘
                                              ↓                ↓
                                    ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐
                                    │ Google Sheets│  │   HR Inbox        │
                                    │ (Candidates) │  │ (Gmail alert)     │
                                    └──────────────┘  └──────────────────┘

Form title: Job Application Form Confirmation message: Thank you! We'll be in touch soon.

Dropdown options for Role Applied For:

• Software Engineer (Working Student)
• QA Automation Engineer
• Data Analyst
• AI/ML Engineer
• Other

Critical: After creating the form, link it to Google Sheets via the Sheets icon (top right). Name the spreadsheet HR Candidate Tracker and rename the response tab from Form Responses 1 to Candidates.

Spreadsheet: HR Candidate Tracker Worksheet tab: Candidates

Notes:

• Freeze Row 1 (View → Freeze → 1 row) to keep headers visible
• Protect Row 1 (Data → Protect sheets and ranges) to prevent accidental edits
• Column E Status is auto-set to New by Zapier — HR manually updates to Under Review, Shortlisted, or Rejected

Zap name: HR Candidate Intake Automation

App:         Google Forms
Event:       New Form Response
Spreadsheet: HR Candidate Tracker
Worksheet:   Candidates

App:          Google Sheets
Event:        Create Spreadsheet Row
Spreadsheet:  HR Candidate Tracker
Worksheet:    Candidates
Column A:     {{trigger.timestamp}}
Column B:     {{trigger.full_name}}
Column C:     {{trigger.email_address}}
Column D:     {{trigger.role_applied_for}}
Column E:     New   ← static value, not mapped

App:      Gmail
Event:    Send Email
To:       hr-team@yourcompany.com
Subject:  🆕 New Application: {{role_applied_for}} — {{full_name}}
Reply-To: {{email_address}}

Email body template:

Hi HR Team,

A new job application has been submitted. Please review the candidate details below.

---
Name:    {{full_name}}
Email:   {{email_address}}
Role:    {{role_applied_for}}
Applied: {{timestamp}}
Status:  New
---

Open the candidate tracker here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/YOUR_SHEET_ID

This is an automated notification. Reply to this email to contact the candidate directly.

1. Create Google Form — add 3 fields as described above, mark all required, set confirmation message
2. Link to Sheets — name spreadsheet HR Candidate Tracker, rename tab to Candidates, add header row with 5 columns
3. Submit a test entry — Zapier needs at least one existing response to pull as sample trigger data
4. Create Zapier account — go to zapier.com, sign up free
5. Create new Zap — Trigger: Google Forms → New Response → connect Google account → select spreadsheet and worksheet → test trigger
6. Add Action 1 — Google Sheets → Create Spreadsheet Row → map all 5 columns → set Status to static New → test action
7. Add Action 2 — Gmail → Send Email → configure To, Subject (with variables), Reply-To (candidate email variable), paste email body → test action
8. Verify — check Sheets for new row, check inbox for notification email
9. Publish Zap — toggle from Draft to On → share form link with candidates

Three sample candidates used for testing:

• Zero manual data entry after initial setup
• Candidate data stored and searchable in real time
• HR team notified within seconds of each application
• Reply-To field enables direct candidate communication from the notification email
• Status column provides basic ATS (Applicant Tracking System) functionality
• Entire stack uses free-tier tools — no cost to run

hr-workflow-automation/
│
├── README.md                   ← This file
├── docs/
│   ├── system-architecture.png ← Architecture diagram (export from project)
│   └── flow-diagram.png        ← End-to-end flow diagram
├── templates/
│   └── candidate-tracker.csv   ← Google Sheets column template
├── zapier/
│   └── zap-config.md           ← Full Zap configuration reference
├── samples/
│   └── sample-candidates.csv   ← Sample candidate data
└── screenshots/
    ├── google-form.png          ← Form as candidates see it
    ├── sheets-tracker.png       ← Candidate database with sample rows
    └── hr-notification-email.png← Sample notification email received

• Business process automation (no-code / low-code)
• Workflow design and systems thinking
• Google Workspace integration
• Zapier trigger-action pipeline configuration
• Data mapping and field normalisation
• Applicant Tracking System (ATS) design
• Technical documentation

Akash Kumar Shaw MSc Software Engineering — University of Europe for Applied Sciences, Germany GitHub: akashshawdev