Understand the Automation Life-cycle in Bullhorn Automation

Automations in Bullhorn Automation can be paused, resumed, hibernated, and reactivated. Each state change affects how records move through your workflow. Understanding what happens at each stage helps you pause confidently, resume without surprises, and troubleshoot unexpected behavior after a state change.

This article explains what each automation state means, how records are affected when you pause and resume, and how related settings interact with life-cycle changes. For step-by-step instructions on specific tasks, see the related articles linked throughout.

Common Reasons You Might Need This Article

  • You paused an automation and want to know if records kept their place in the workflow.

  • You’re unsure whether records will restart from the beginning or pick up where they left off when you resume.

  • You already sent a survey or chat engagement and want to know if candidates can still complete it while the automation is paused.

  • You’re seeing unexpected re-entries after turning an automation back on.

  • You want to understand how wait step timing is recalculated after a pause.

  • Your automation was automatically paused or hibernated and you’re not sure what triggered it.

  • You want to understand how re-entry settings interact with pausing and resuming.

Automation States: Active, Paused, Hibernated, and Stopped

Your automation can be in one of four states at any given time. The state controls whether records are entering the automation, advancing through steps, and receiving communications.

Active

The automation is running normally. Records that match your list criteria are pulled into the automation and move through each step in order. Emails, texts, surveys, and field updates all execute on schedule. When a record finishes the last step or is removed, it exits the automation.

Paused

The automation is temporarily stopped. No new records enter, and records already in the automation do not advance to the next step. When you turn the automation back on, everything picks up where it left off. For details on hibernation criteria and how to restore a hibernated automation, see Paused Automations.

Hibernated

If a paused automation has not been viewed or edited for 30 days or the automation has never been turned on and has not been viewed or edited for 60 days., the system moves it to a hibernated state to keep your workspace organized. Your records and settings are preserved. Hibernation tucks the automation out of your active view until you choose to restore it.

For details on hibernation criteria and how to restore a hibernated automation, see Hibernated Automations.

Stopped

The automation has been paused automatically by the system due to recurring errors. This typically occurs when a webhook or enrich step encounters a high volume of API errors within a short time period. When an automation is stopped, no new records enter and no steps advance until the issue is resolved and the automation is manually restarted.

How Pausing Affects Records in Your Workflow

When you pause an automation, records do not reset or lose their progress. This section explains exactly what changes and what stays the same when an automation is paused.

Records Keep Their Place When You Pause

When you pause an automation, every record freezes at its current step. Nothing is reset or moved backward. When you turn the automation back on, each record resumes from the exact step where it stopped.

A candidate is on Step 3 of a 5-step automation when you pause it. Two weeks later, you turn the automation back on. That candidate picks up at Step 3, not the beginning.

Wait Step Timing Adjusts for the Pause Duration

If a record is in a wait step when you pause the automation, the countdown does not continue during the pause. When you resume, the system recalculates the remaining wait time so the record receives the full delay you originally set.

A candidate entered a 90-day wait step 15 days ago. You pause the automation for a month. When you turn it back on, the candidate still has 75 days remaining in the wait step. The system accounts for the time already served before the pause.

Queued Emails and Notifications Are Cancelled on Pause

When you pause or hibernate an automation, any emails, texts, or notifications that were already queued but not yet delivered are automatically cancelled. Pausing an automation is a clean, immediate stop to all pending communication.

This behavior ensures that no unexpected notifications reach candidates or contacts after the automation is intentionally stopped. When you pause an automation to make edits, resolve an issue, or halt an outreach campaign, all queued activity stops with it. This prevents confusion for recipients, reduces unnecessary inbox noise, and maintains trust in the accuracy of your outreach campaigns.

When you turn the automation back on, the system re-evaluates records at their current step and re-queues communications for the next available sending window.

How the “No Longer Match” Setting Affects Records After a Pause

When you turn a paused automation back on, the system checks whether each record still matches the list criteria. What happens next depends on the setting you chose for “What should happen to candidates if they no longer match the lists?” in your automation settings.

The three available options are:

  • Remove them from the automation (default): Records that no longer match your list criteria are removed from the workflow. They would need to qualify and re-enter as a new enrollment, subject to your re-entry settings.

  • Continue through automation: Records keep moving through the remaining steps regardless of whether they still match the list criteria.

  • Pause contacts until they match again: Records that do not currently match stay frozen at their current step. If they match again later, they resume from that step automatically.

If you’re concerned about losing workflow progress during a pause, check this setting before you pause. Open your automation’s settings to confirm which option is selected. For more on configuring this and other automation settings, see Configuring Automation Settings.

How Pausing Affects Engagements Already Sent

If your automation sent a survey, chat, or screening agent link to a candidate before you paused it, that link continues to work. Candidates can still open the link, answer questions, and submit their responses while the automation is paused.

Responses Are Still Captured During a Pause

If a candidate completes a survey while the automation is paused, their responses are saved in Bullhorn Automation. The engagement itself is not interrupted by the pause state.

Follow-Up Steps Process After You Resume

Any steps that come after the engagement step, such as a field update based on survey answers or a follow-up email, execute once you turn the automation back on. Records that completed their engagement during the pause continue through the remaining steps normally.

Your automation sends a candidate engagement survey, then updates a custom field based on the response, then sends a follow-up email. You pause the automation after the surveys have been sent. Candidates can still complete the survey while the automation is paused. When you turn the automation back on, those candidates will have their custom field updated and receive the follow-up email.

How Re-Entry Settings Interact with Pausing and Resuming

Re-entry settings control whether a record can go through your automation more than once. Pausing and resuming does not change your re-entry rules, but the two interact in ways worth understanding.

Pausing and Resuming Does Not Trigger Re-Entry

If a record was in the middle of your automation when you paused it, that record picks up where it left off when you resume. It does not count as a new entry or a re-entry. The record continues through the remaining steps as if the pause never happened, with wait step timing adjusted for the pause duration.

Completed Records May Re-Enter After You Resume

If a record completed your automation (reached the End step) before you paused it, and you have re-entry enabled, that record may re-enter the automation after you turn it back on, but only if both of these conditions are true:

  • The record still matches your list criteria.

  • Enough time has passed since the record last completed the automation to satisfy your re-entry interval.

Your re-entry setting is “every 30 days.” A candidate finished the automation on January 1st. You pause the automation on January 10th and turn it back on February 15th. Since more than 30 days have passed and the candidate still matches the list, they will re-enter the automation.

“Every 0 Days” Re-Entry Continues After a Pause

If re-entry is set to “every 0 days,” records can re-enter immediately after completing the automation whenever a change is made to their record in the ATS, such as a field update or a note being added. This behavior continues after a pause and resume cycle.

The "every 0 days" re-entry setting is typically used with "Has Changed" criteria when you want the automation to trigger on every qualifying change to a record, even multiple times in the same day. If this is not your intent, use a longer re-entry interval instead. This setting can create unintended loops, especially if your automation updates a field that could trigger another automation or re-qualify the same record repeatedly. For more guidance, see Re-entry Settings.

Troubleshooting

If Records Are Missing After You Resume

If records are no longer in the automation after you resume, your “No Longer Match” setting is the most likely cause. The default setting removes records that no longer match your list criteria when you turn the automation back on. Check your automation settings to confirm which option is selected. If you want records to stay in the workflow regardless of list membership, change the setting to “Continue through automation” before resuming. See Configuring Automation Settings.

If Records Are Running Through the Automation Again After You Resume

If a record appears to be running through the automation again after you resume, it re-entered based on your re-entry settings. Records that reached the End step before the automation was paused may re-enter once you resume if they still match your list criteria and your re-entry interval has been satisfied. This is expected behavior, not an error. To prevent unintended re-entry, review your re-entry settings before resuming. See Re-entry Settings.

If Follow-Up Steps Didn’t Run After Resuming

If a candidate completed a survey or chat engagement during the pause but did not receive the follow-up step after you resumed, check whether the record is still enrolled in the automation. If the “No Longer Match” setting removed the record during resume, the follow-up steps will not execute. Re-enroll the record or adjust the “No Longer Match” setting before resuming in the future.

If the Automation Was Hibernated Unexpectedly

If your automation moved to a hibernated state without your input, it was likely paused for 30 or more days without being viewed or edited. This is expected behavior. Hibernate state preserves all records and settings. Restore the automation from the Hibernated Automations view and resume normally. See Hibernated Automations.

FAQs

Will records keep their place when I pause?

Yes. Every record stays at its current step. Nothing is lost or reset when you pause an automation.

Do records start the automation over when I turn it back on?

No. Records resume from exactly where they were when the automation was paused. There are two situations where a record may run through the automation again after you resume: if it no longer matches your list criteria and your "No Longer Match" setting removes and re-enrolls it, or if it reached the End step before the pause and your re-entry settings allow it to re-enter. See Re-entry Settings.

Does the wait step timer reset when I pause?

No. The system adjusts the remaining wait time to account for the pause duration. A record that had 75 days left in a wait step before the pause will still have 75 days left when you resume.

Can candidates still complete surveys or chats sent before the pause?

Yes. Engagement links stay active regardless of whether the automation is paused. Responses are saved, and follow-up steps process after you resume.

What happens to records that no longer match my list when I resume?

It depends on your “No Longer Match” setting. The default removes those records from the workflow. You can change this setting to keep records in the automation or hold them until they match again. See Configuring Automation Settings.

What if my automation sits paused for a long time?

After 30 days with no views or edits, the system hibernates the automation. All records and settings are preserved. You can restore and resume it at any time. See Hibernated Automations.

I updated a tearsheet in my paused automation. When can I turn it back on?

Wait approximately one hour after updating a tearsheet before resuming. This gives the tearsheet time to sync before records begin processing again.