What you'll need

• Birthday data populated on candidate records in your ATS — candidates without a birthday on file will not enter the automation
• A short, friendly birthday email template — keep it warm and personal rather than promotional
• A list of candidate status values to exclude, such as DNR, DNC, and DNU

Build it

1. 1

   Create a candidate-based date-based automation

   In the Automations tab, click + Add Automation and select Blank Automation. Choose Candidate as the entity type and select Date-Based. In the Center on date field dropdown, select Birthday. Give the automation a name and save. Alternatively, start from the Happy Birthday! blueprint and skip to Step 3.

2. 2

   Build an Always Updated list

   Set the list to Always Updated. Add exclusion conditions for status values that should never receive birthday emails: DNR, DNC, DNU, and any other inactive statuses. Add a final condition: Date Added is after the date you plan to activate this automation.

3. 3

   Add a Send Email step

   Send your birthday email. Use merge tags for the candidate's first name to keep it personal. You can place this step on the day of the birthday or use a Wait step to send it the evening before so it lands in their inbox first thing in the morning.

4. 4

   Skip the End Automation step

   Do not add an End Automation step to the workflow. Without it, candidates exit the automation after their birthday email and re-enter automatically the following year. Adding an End step would prevent re-entry, meaning candidates would only receive a birthday message once.

How to measure it

• Email open rate: birthday emails typically see higher-than-average open rates because the subject line is personal and expected. A low open rate may indicate your candidate records are missing birthday data or your send timing is off.
• Volume sent per year: the number of candidates receiving birthday emails is a proxy for how complete your birthday data is. If the number is low relative to your database size, it is worth prompting your team to capture birthday information during intake.

Sample email