[Candidates](https://www.cv-transformer.com/de/docs/candidates) [Adding candidates](https://www.cv-transformer.com/de/docs/candidates/adding-candidates)

# Adding candidates

2 Min. Lesezeit

You can add candidates by hand, by dropping files, from your ATS, by email or with the API. Each new candidate uses one credit.

## [Creating a candidate](#creating-a-candidate)

On the **Candidates** page, click **Candidate**. Without an ATS connection, this creates an empty candidate and opens it in the editor, where you add a CV. With an ATS connected, choose **Blank candidate**, or **Select from** your ATS to import a candidate from there (see [Importing from your ATS](#importing-from-your-ats)).

A new candidate gets your organization's default layout, the layout marked **Default** on the **Layouts** page, and you as its contact.

## [Dropping files](#dropping-files)

Drag one or more files onto the **Candidates** page. With one file, CV-Transformer creates a candidate and attaches the file. With several, choose between:

- **Create candidate with … attachments**: one candidate with all files, such as a CV and a vacancy.
- **Create … separate candidates**: one candidate per file, such as a batch of CVs. This uses one credit per file.

CV-Transformer reads the text of the files and fills in the layout. When **Detect candidate language from CV** is on under **Settings** → **Candidates**, the candidate's language follows the language of the first file, if the layout has that language.

## [File types](#file-types)

Candidates accept these file types:

- Documents: PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), RTF, OpenDocument text
- Text: Plain text, Markdown
- Spreadsheets: Excel (.xls, .xlsx), OpenDocument spreadsheet, CSV
- Presentations: PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx), OpenDocument presentation
- Data: JSON, YAML
- Images: BMP, GIF, HEIC, HEIF, JPEG, PNG, SVG, TIFF, WebP

## [Importing from your ATS](#importing-from-your-ats)

With an ATS connected under **Settings** → **Integrations**, click **Candidate** → **Select from** your ATS and pick the candidate. The candidate's data in the ATS becomes available to the AI and to your layout. Most ATSs also send candidates to CV-Transformer by themselves; see the guide for [your ATS](https://www.cv-transformer.com/en/docs/integrations).

## [Emailing CVs](#emailing-cvs)

Each organization has an email address for CVs: `{slug}@candidates.cv-transformer.com`, where `{slug}` is set under **Settings** → **Inbox**. Email a CV there and CV-Transformer creates a candidate with your default layout, fills it in from the attachment and emails the sender when it is done.

- Emails are accepted from members of the organization, and from the addresses under **Allowed senders**. Use `*` as a wildcard, such as `*@example.com`.
- When an email has several attachments, the most suitable one is used, PDFs first.
- A candidate created by a member's email gets that member as its contact.

## [With the API](#with-the-api)

Create candidates from your own software with `POST /candidates` in the [API](https://www.cv-transformer.com/en/api-reference). See also the [MCP server](https://www.cv-transformer.com/en/docs/developers/mcp-server) for AI assistants.

## [When you're out of credits](#when-you-re-out-of-credits)

When your organization has no credits left, the **Candidate** button is disabled. Candidates that arrive from your ATS or by email are created as pending (yellow clock icon): they are saved, but you can't edit or share them until you open them and click **Activate candidate**, which uses a credit.

[VorherigeCandidates](https://www.cv-transformer.com/de/docs/candidates) [WeiterCandidate list](https://www.cv-transformer.com/de/docs/candidates/candidate-list)