Building a recruitment system does not have to mean using expensive ATS (Applicant Tracking System) tools or complicated spreadsheets. At IreneChan.co, we use Notion as our all-in-one workspace for managing candidates, tracking progress, and building long-term talent relationships. We also keep our knowledge base in Notion, including our entire HR process documentation.
It is simple, visual, and flexible enough to grow with your team.
In this article, I will walk you through how we built our HR systems on Notion, from managing candidates to tracking hired talents, plus some tips on using Notion AI to make HR work faster and smoother.
Why Use Notion for Recruitment?
Recruitment involves many moving parts, from sourcing and shortlisting to assessments and onboarding. It is easy for details to get lost in messages, email threads, or spreadsheets.
That is why Notion works so well. It brings everything into one clear and connected space.
At IreneChan.co, we use Notion as our central hub for recruitment, and here is why it works for us:
- We can track all candidates across different roles and clients in one place.
- We can keep notes, assessments, and interview feedback together.
- We can create and store detailed talent profiles that we share with our clients.
- Our team can collaborate and update statuses in real time.
- We can easily see who is in process and who is available for the next project.
It is not a traditional ATS, but it functions like one that is customised for how your team actually works. Plus, having all talent profiles stored in Notion means we can quickly pull up the right candidates when new opportunities come up.
How to Create a Talent Database
Our talent database has two main sections:
- Recruitment – for active candidates who are in process
- Hired Talents – for those who have joined our network
Here is how we set them up.
Recruitment
Use this workflow to spin up a clean, consistent candidate database every time. Adjust property names to match a client or role when needed.
Step 1: Set up the database
- Create a new database and name it Applicant Tracker
- Add a brief description at the top so your team knows what it’s for
- Choose an icon and a cover that makes it easy to spot
Step 2: Add the properties you need
These are the fields that help you track candidates from start to finish. You can always add more properties depending on your needs.
- Candidate — Title
- Role — Select
- Client — Select
- Stage — Status
- We use: Sourced, Replied, Screen, Client Interview, Assessment, Offer, Hired, Rejected, On Hold
- Source — Select
- Options: Referral, LinkedIn (Job Ad), LinkedIn (Sourcing), Indeed, Other
- Email — Email
- Phone — Phone number
- LinkedIn — URL
- Portfolio / Website — URL
💡 Tip: Adjust property names to match the client or role when needed. This keeps your database clean, consistent, and easy to use every time.You can also add relations to connect this database with others. In our case, we link it to a database called “Now Hiring”, where we track all the open roles and their hiring stages.
This connection helps us see which candidates are being considered for which role in real time.
You can do the same with:
- A Client Database, to link candidates to the client they’re applying for.
- A Roles Database, to connect each candidate to the exact position they’re being considered for.
Relations make your setup more powerful because everything stays connected—no more jumping between separate sheets or tools.
Step 3: Create useful views
Views help you see your pipeline in different ways.
Here are the ones we use:
- By Stage — Board view grouped by Stage
- This is our main view. It shows where each candidate is in the process.
- All Applicants — Table view
- Shows all candidates with key details like Role, Client, Stage, Source, and Email,
- Interviews — Calendar view
- Based on the Interview date(s) property so you can see upcoming interviews
- By client — Table grouped by Client so you can track pipelines per client
Step 4: Use templates for consistency
We created a database template called New Candidate that pre-fills common fields and includes a page structure with sections like:
- Summary
- Experience highlights
- Interview notes
- Next steps
This keeps candidate pages clean and easy to navigate.
Step 5: Keep it updated
Here are a few habits that keep our database useful:
- Update the Stage as soon as a candidate moves forward or exits
- Add a quick note in the Notes field after every touchpoint
- Upload resumes directly to avoid losing track of them
- Score candidates right after interviews while feedback is fresh
Step 6: Link to the Now Hiring page
We also maintain a Now Hiring page that lists all open roles. Each role links back to the Applicant Tracker so we can quickly see who’s in the pipeline for what position. This keeps everything connected and makes it easy to jump between job postings and candidate tracking.
This setup is simple, flexible, and grows with your team. You can start small and add more properties or views as your needs evolve.
Hired Talents
Once a candidate is hired, we move them to a separate database called Talent Database. This becomes our go-to resource for tracking who’s active, available, or engaged on projects.
The structure is similar to the Applicant Tracker, but tailored for ongoing talent management.
Step 1: Set up the database
- Create a new database and name it Talent Database
- Add a description like “Active and available talents in our network”
- Choose an icon and cover to differentiate it from the Applicant Tracker
Step 2: Add the properties you need
These fields help you manage your talent pool long-term.
- Name — Title
- Role — Select
- Skills — Multi-select
- Experience (yrs) — Number
- Status — Status
- Options: Active, On Project, Available, Alumni
- Current Client — Select
- Work type — Select
- Options: Full-time, Part-time, Contract, Freelance
- Email — Email
- Phone — Phone number
- LinkedIn — URL
- Portfolio / Website — URL
- Date hired — Date
- Last contacted — Date
- Notes — Text
💡 Tip: You can also add a relation back to the Applicant Tracker or Client Projects databases to keep your records connected. This helps you easily trace where a hire came from or see which project they’re currently assigned to—everything stays linked and visible in one workspace.
Step 3: Create useful views
Here are the views we use to stay on top of our talent pool:
- By Status — Board view grouped by Status
- Helps us see who’s active, available, or on a project
- All Talents — Table view
- Shows everyone with key details like Role, Skills, Status, and Last contacted
- Available Now — Filtered table showing talents with Status = Available
- By Role — Table grouped by Role so you can quickly find talents by specialty
Step 4: Keep profiles updated
A few habits that keep our Talent Database useful:
- Update Status whenever someone starts or finishes a project
- Log the Last contacted date after check-ins or project updates
- Add notes about skills, performance, or availability for future reference
- Review the database regularly to keep contact info current
This setup helps you stay connected with your talent pool and makes it easy to match the right person to the right project when new opportunities come up.
How to Add Notion AI to Make HR Tasks Faster
Notion AI is a great way to save time and simplify HR work. It helps with writing, organising, and summarising without leaving your workspace.
Here is how we use it.
Creating Talent Profiles
Writing detailed candidate profiles from scratch can be time-consuming. Notion AI speeds this up by drafting summaries based on resumes, interview notes, or LinkedIn profiles.
Here’s how to use it:
- Open a candidate’s page in your Applicant Tracker
- Highlight key information like work experience, skills, or interview feedback
- Ask Notion AI to “summarise this into a candidate profile” or “write an experience summary”
- Review and edit the output to match your tone and add any missing details
This works especially well when you need to prepare profiles to share with clients or hiring managers quickly. Instead of formatting everything manually, you can focus on refining the content.
Creating a Knowledge Base
As your recruitment process evolves, documenting workflows and procedures becomes essential. Notion AI can help you build and maintain an internal knowledge base without manual effort.
Use Notion AI to:
- Draft standard operating procedures from your existing notes or meeting recordings
- Create onboarding guides for new team members
- Document interview best practices or scoring criteria
- Generate FAQs based on common questions your team asks
To get started, gather the information you want to document, then ask Notion AI to structure it into a clear, step-by-step guide. You can refine it as your processes change, keeping everything centralised and easy to reference.
Formatting Databases and Other Pages
When you’re preparing pages to share with talents, clients, or external partners, presentation matters. Notion AI can help clean up formatting and improve readability quickly.
Here’s what it can do:
- Rewrite sections to be more concise or professional
- Fix inconsistent formatting across multiple pages
- Generate polished descriptions for database properties
- Create clear headings and structure for long documents
Simply select the content you want to improve, open Notion AI, and ask it to “make this more professional” or “improve formatting.” This is especially useful when you need to present candidate pipelines, talent rosters, or project updates in a client-facing format.
Conclusion
Using Notion for HR has made our process smoother and more organised. Everything we need is in one space, from candidate tracking to hired talent records.
It is simple, collaborative, and flexible enough to grow with your team. With the help of Notion AI, it also saves hours of admin work each week.
Notion may not be an official ATS, but for teams who want something customisable and easy to use, it is the perfect fit.
FAQs
Can Notion be used as a database?
Yes. Notion databases work like spreadsheets but are much more flexible. You can add filters, properties, and relations to organise data your way.
How to use Notion as a recruiter?
You can track candidates, record notes, manage interview stages, and keep your team aligned in one shared workspace.
How to create a talent database?
Start with a table database, add key properties such as role, stage, and contact information, and create filtered views for clarity. You can also link databases for candidates and hired talents.
Is Notion an ATS?
No, but it can work like one. Many small teams and agencies use Notion as a lightweight and affordable alternative to traditional applicant tracking systems.
