What Are Automations?
Automations are event-driven workflows that execute actions when specific conditions are met. They are the backbone of process orchestration in Firstwork — connecting hiring flows, communications, integrations, and data updates into seamless, automated pipelines. Admins build automations using a visual workflow canvas where they define a trigger, optional conditions, and one or more actions to execute.Automation Scope
Each automation is tied to one of three contexts:| Context | Description |
|---|---|
| Hiring Flow | Responds to events within a specific hiring pipeline |
| People / Onboarding | Responds to events related to contracts and onboarding flows |
| Check-in Forms | Responds to events related to recurring worker check-in forms |
Triggers
Triggers define what starts an automation. Each automation has one trigger.On Change
Fires when a specific field value changes — most commonly when an application moves to a new stage or status. Admins can optionally filter by the previous value, the new value, or a specific form element.Schedule
Fires on a recurring time-based schedule. Supports daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly frequencies with configurable intervals, specific days, start/end times, and timezones. Admins can also define a filter rule to target only records that match specific criteria, and attach a callback action (email or Slack message) with threshold-based triggers (count or percentage).External API
Fires when a candidate or application is created through an external API call. Admins select which form elements should be processed when the automation runs.Webhook
Fires when an external system sends an HTTP request to a unique webhook URL generated for the automation. Admins configure field mappings between the incoming payload and the platform’s data model, along with a lookup strategy:- Get or Create — Find an existing record or create a new one
- Get Only — Only match existing records
- Create Only — Always create a new record
Recollection
Fires when a data re-collection event occurs — typically when a candidate re-submits flagged documents or fields.Form Element Submission
Fires when a specific form element is submitted — commonly used for signature events (Review & Sign) to trigger post-signature workflows.Actions
Actions define what the automation does when triggered. Multiple actions can be chained in sequence.Communication
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Send Email | Send a templated email via SendGrid, with dynamic variables from candidate data |
| Send SMS | Send a text message via Twilio, Plivo, or Exotel |
| Send Slack Message | Post a message to a Slack channel |
Status & Records
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Update Application Stage | Move an application to a different stage |
| Update Worker Stage | Change the status of a worker’s contract |
| Update Check-in Form Status | Change the status of a check-in form submission |
| Create Contract | Create a new contract from an application (transitions a candidate to a worker) |
| Create Application | Create a new application in a hiring flow |
| Delete Application Data | Remove application data |
Form & Data
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Update Form Fields | Write values to specific form elements |
| Run AI Agent | Trigger a browser automation agent |
| Re-collect Data | Request document or field re-submission from the candidate |
| Extract Data from Document | Run OCR processing on an uploaded document |
| Review and Sign | Trigger a signature flow |
Integrations
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Webhook | Make an HTTP request to any external service, with configurable method, headers, body, and authentication |
| Veriff | Trigger identity verification |
| E-Verify | Initiate US employment eligibility verification |
| AI Caller | Place an AI-powered phone, audio, or video call |
| Google Sheets | Read from or write to a Google Sheets spreadsheet |
| App Integration | Execute a custom app integration action |
Fountain ATS
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Update Fountain Stage | Move an application within the Fountain ATS |
| Push Data to Fountain | Sync data from Firstwork to Fountain |
| Re-collect on Fountain | Request document re-collection via Fountain |
Flow Control
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Send for Manual Review | Create a task for an admin to review |
| Jump To | Execute a compliance rule |
| Run Automation | Chain to another automation |
| Python Function | Execute custom server-side logic |
| AI Action | Use AI to make a decision or process data |
| Event Action | Create or manage a scheduler event |
Assignments
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Assign Courses | Enroll a candidate or worker in LMS courses |
| Tag Actions | Assign, remove, or clear tags on a record |
| Update Funnel | Reset a custom link to allow re-entry to a flow |
| Send Check-in Form | Send a check-in form to a worker |
Action Availability by Context
Not all actions are available in every context:- Hiring Flow automations additionally support: stage updates, contract creation, funnel updates, and Fountain sync actions
- People / Onboarding automations additionally support: worker stage updates
- Check-in Form automations additionally support: check-in form status updates
Execution Policies
When multiple instances of the same automation could run simultaneously, the execution policy determines behavior:| Policy | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Queue | Executions run one at a time in order |
| Skip | New executions are skipped if one is already running |
| Continue | All executions run concurrently |
Input Variables
Automations support parameterization through input variables. Each variable has a name, data type, and a dynamic data path that resolves values from the triggering event’s context. Variables can be referenced within action configurations to create flexible, reusable workflows.Execution Monitoring
Every automation run creates a detailed execution record including:- Which automation ran and what triggered it
- The status of each action (success, failure, or skipped)
- Timing information (start time, end time, duration)
- Input data, output data, and error details for each action
The Visual Workflow Builder
The automation editor presents a visual canvas where admins:- Define a trigger as the starting node
- Add conditional branches to route logic based on data
- Chain action nodes in sequence
- Configure each node’s parameters
- Toggle the automation active or inactive