> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.equip.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Pipeline Stages
> The full reference: all stage types and their configuration.
Every job opening in Equip has its own **candidate pipeline**, built from stages you choose and order. You set up the pipeline in step 3 of the job creation wizard, labelled **Candidate Pipeline**, and you can edit it later from the same tab in the job's Settings.
There are **11 stage types**. Applied always comes first, Offered and the terminal stages (Hired, Rejected, Withdrawn) are managed by Equip, and the rest are yours to add, rename, and reorder by dragging.
## The 11 Stage Types
| Stage | Kind | What it is for |
| ------------------------------- | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Applied** | System | Every candidate starts here when they apply. Always the first stage. |
| **Phone Screening** | Configurable | Call candidates, then rank and review them. |
| **Assessment** | Configurable | Invite candidates to a skill test: quiz, coding, communication, and more. |
| **One-Way AI Interview** | Configurable | Fixed questions. Candidates record subjective responses via text, audio, or video. |
| **Conversational AI Interview** | Configurable | An AI interviewer auto-generates questions and engages in a back-and-forth conversation. |
| **Video Interview** | Configurable | Run live interviews on your own videoconferencing tool, then rank and review. |
| **Custom** | Configurable | Any step that does not fit the above, with optional ranking. |
| **Offered** | System | Supports sending an offer email and an offer letter. |
| **Hired** | Terminal | The candidate accepted and joined. |
| **Rejected** | Terminal | You turned the candidate down. |
| **Withdrawn** | Terminal | The candidate dropped out of the process. |
**Terminal stages** (Hired, Rejected, Withdrawn) mark the end of a candidate's journey and cannot be deleted. Candidates in terminal stages are excluded from the dashboard's default **Relevant** filter, so your working view stays focused on active candidates.
When you add a **One-Way AI Interview** or **Conversational AI Interview** stage, Equip automatically creates the underlying interview for you. You can then review and adjust its content.
## Per-Stage Configuration
Each stage carries two names. The **internal name** (up to 200 characters) is what your team sees in dashboards, so make it specific, for example "Tech Round 2 with Hiring Manager". The **candidate-facing stage name** (up to 20 characters) is the short label candidates may see, so keep it simple.
Beyond naming, what you can attach to a stage depends on its type:
| Capability | Available on |
| ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Scorecard** | Phone Screening, Video Interview, Custom |
| **Invitation email template** | Assessment, One-Way AI Interview, Conversational AI Interview, Video Interview, Custom |
| **Rejection email template** | Every non-terminal stage except Offered |
| **Assignee** | Every stage except Hired, Rejected, Withdrawn |
An **assignee** is the team member responsible for candidates in that stage.
Attached email templates pre-fill the invitation or rejection dialog when you move a candidate, but nothing is ever sent automatically; a recruiter always confirms each email.
Attach a **scorecard** to interview-style stages so every reviewer rates candidates on the same criteria. See [Scorecards](/scorecards) for how templates work.
## Status vs Stage
Alongside its pipeline stage, every application also carries a **candidate status**. The two are independent, and mixing them up is a common source of confusion.
| | Pipeline stage | Candidate status |
| -------------- | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| **Answers** | Where is the candidate in the process? | What is your current verdict? |
| **Values** | The stages you configured for this job | Applied, Maybe, Shortlisted, Rejected, Withdrawn |
| **Defined by** | You, per job opening | Fixed list, same for every job |
For example, a candidate can sit in the Assessment stage with a status of **Shortlisted**, or in Phone Screening with a status of **Maybe** while you decide. Use stages to drive the process and statuses to record your read on each candidate.
## Archiving Stages
You can delete a stage from the pipeline builder, but Equip protects your data. A stage is either **Active** or **Archived**, and deletion behaves accordingly.
If you delete a stage that still holds candidates, Equip archives it instead of deleting it. You will see the message "Stage has candidates and was archived instead of deleted".
Archived stages keep their candidates and history intact. When you need one back, restore it and Equip confirms with "Stage has been restored successfully".
Terminal stages (Hired, Rejected, Withdrawn) cannot be deleted. Every pipeline keeps them so candidate journeys always have a clear end point.
## Related Resources
* [Candidates and CVs](/candidates-and-cvs) - Work the pipeline day to day in Table and Kanban views
* [Changing Stages](/changing-stages) - What happens when you move candidates between stages
* [Scorecards](/scorecards) - Build rating templates for screening and interview stages
* [Email Templates](/email-templates) - Set up the invitation and rejection emails stages use