WhatsApp Job Applications Screened Into Airtable
Recruitment on WhatsApp lets candidates apply in the app they already use, with no form to fill on a phone. AeroChat answers questions about the role, asks your screening questions, collects the CV, saves the application to Airtable or Notion, books the interview in Google Calendar, and leaves every hiring decision to your team.
What happens today
Businesses hiring shop, kitchen, clinic or delivery staff put a phone number on the job ad. Candidates message at all hours with the same questions about pay, hours and location.
The hiring manager answers between other work, copies details into a spreadsheet when there is time, and loses good candidates who applied somewhere else while they waited.
How it runs on WhatsApp
- A candidate messages from your job ad, careers page or a QR code in the store.
- AeroChat reads your open roles from Airtable or Notion and answers questions about pay, hours, location and requirements.
- It asks your screening questions one at a time, such as availability, location, work rights and experience. Voice notes are transcribed, so candidates can answer by speaking.
- It asks for a CV or a photo of a certificate, and accepts PDFs and images.
- It creates the candidate record with their answers, the file and the role, and sets the status to “New”.
- For candidates who meet the requirements you set, it offers interview slots from the hiring manager’s Google Calendar and books one. Everyone else is told the team will review the application and reply.
- Questions it cannot answer, and every decision to hire or reject, go to the hiring manager.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When someone asks about a job or wants to apply, follow these steps.
- Read the open roles from the Airtable table “Open roles” (example) and answer their questions about pay, hours, location and requirements.
- Ask which role they are applying for, then ask one at a time: their full name, which areas they can work in, which days they are available, whether they have the right to work here, and how many years of retail experience they have (example questions).
- Ask them to send their CV as a PDF or photo. If they do not have one, carry on without it.
- Create a record in the Airtable table “Candidates” (example) with their phone number, answers, CV and the role, with status “New”.
- If they can work at least 3 days a week and have the right to work here (example requirements), offer three interview slots in the next 5 working days from the hiring manager’s Google Calendar and book the one they pick. Update the status to “Interview booked”.
- Otherwise say: “Thank you for applying. Our team will review your application and reply within 5 working days (example).”
- If they ask something not covered by the role details, hand the conversation to the hiring manager (example).
Never tell a candidate they are rejected. Do not ask about age, religion, race, marital status or health. Reply in the customer’s language.
Connect the systems behind it
- Airtable: holds open roles and candidates, so each application lands as a record your team can sort and filter.
- Notion: the same job for teams that keep job descriptions and a hiring board in Notion.
- Google Calendar: reads the hiring manager’s free slots and books interviews. Connect a Google account to use it.
- Google Sheets: for a simple applicant list kept in a sheet.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What it costs on WhatsApp
Candidates message you first, so their messages cost nothing and no template is needed. AeroChat’s replies are service messages, free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number and then charged per message. If you advertise jobs with click-to-WhatsApp ads, chats that start from the ad on the Android or iOS app get a free window of up to 7 days. Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards, and AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost.
Also on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and web chat
The same application workflow runs on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok (DMs and TikTok Shop buyer chat), Telegram, web chat and email, with the same Airtable or Notion connection behind it.
Who uses it
Retailers, restaurants, clinics, salons, hotels and service businesses hiring frontline staff who are quicker to reply on WhatsApp than by email.
Questions
Can candidates apply for jobs on WhatsApp?
Yes. AeroChat answers their questions, asks your screening questions, collects the CV and saves the application to Airtable, Notion or a Google Sheet.
Does AeroChat decide who gets hired?
No. It records answers, books interviews for candidates who meet the requirements you set, and leaves every hiring and rejection decision to your team.
Can I message candidates later about their application?
Inside the 24-hour window that opens with the candidate’s last message, you can reply freely. After that, you need an approved template and the candidate’s agreement to hear from you on WhatsApp.
Which plan do I need?
Workflows via Skills are on every plan, Free included. Starter has 500 AI responses and 3 seats, Growth has 2,000 and 10 seats with payment links and broadcasts, and Advanced has 5,000 and 25 seats.
Hire faster from the applicants who already message you
Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed.
On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.
Related: appointment booking and human handover and team inbox.