Sometimes you just need a little help.

Click on “Edit page content” in your admin dashboard and navigate to the “Admins” tab. Here you can add colleagues as Admins or Editors (they need to have a user account on VC4A, please ask them to signup if you cannot find them).

People with Admin rights have full access, including to the form builder, where they can change the application form. If you just want them to be able to view applications and help with the pre-screening process, better to add them as Editors.

Yes and no.

Yes – You can send bulk messages to notify candidates who didn’t make it. This functionality is available in the “Rejected” tab. To use this, move all applications that shall receive this update to “Rejected” and click on the email icon to set up the mailer. Make sure to use the available merge tags to personalize the mailer.* Save the mailer and select all applications that shall receive this. Each recipient can only receive one mail from this interface.

Yes – each applicant who either clicks on “save & continue later” or finishes his/her application and submits, receives an automated mailer to tell them the inputs have been saved/confirm their submission.

No – All other applications (outside of “Rejected”) can only be messaged via individual PM’s through the system. If you want to message all “in progress” candidates, for example, we recommend exporting those and using other bulk messaging tools such as Mailmerge. Reminder emails as such are part of the promotional services we offer.

*They didn’t make it in your final selection? Yet, great if you can show that you appreciate their interest and effort of applying. Can you recommend other opportunities or resources to them that might be of value, such as the VC4A Startup Academy or the mentorship marketplace?

Once applications start rolling in, you will see that in the graph on your admin dashboard. Click on view applications, to check out what’s been submitted, and what is in the pipeline (‘in progress’ tab). Some key tips to managing the applications throughout the call for applications:

• Open individual applications and check for your minimum eligibility criteria
• Do a pre-selection by moving applications from submitted to “review” (I’m unsure, to be discussed with the team), “selected for rating” (Yes, this one shall move to the formal selection process) or “rejected” (no, not meeting the criteria). Move applications by changing their status individually or in bulk.
• Create custom tags to be able to filter by those and keep track on key aspects. Need to know how many female candidates are applying to your program? Create a “female” tag and start tagging applications individually or in bulk
• Use the quick-selection tool for efficient management and bulk actions. Not to overwhelmed here, better check-out this video (from min. 03:10).
• Discuss with your team on application level. When you open an application, you will see a message interface on the right. Here you can leave comments for anyone who has been granted access to the applications in your team. Here you can also view all activity (i.e. if your team member has moved an application to “rejected”, you can see when and by who this was done).

More detailed and visual descriptions to managing incoming applications, you can find in step 4 here, as well as in the pre-screening guide.

This is normal. Anyone who clicks on “apply”, merely to check out the application form end’s up in this list. However, it is easy to determine who is serious about their application, by the progress score. It’s a good idea to follow up with “in progress” who show a high progress score (i.e. > 75% completed) a few days prior to your deadline, to remind them to finish and submit in time.

Your program’s application deadline is coming up, but you would like to extend it by another week or a few days?

Simply enter the form builder via the admin dashboard on your program page, navigate to the settings in the top right corner and select the “Dates” tab. Here you can select a new date, time, and time zone. Make sure to save your changes ;)

Yes, you can do so in the form builder. However, if you have already received applications, please note, that the ones who have already submitted, did so using the previous version of your form and cannot change their application. Best to make sure to test the form thoroughly, before launching the official call for applications.

Minor changes, such as adding a helper text or re-phrasing existing questions for a better understanding, are no problem at all. Simply click on the form builder on your admin dashboard, select the question to adjust and publish the changes.

Creating an application form on VC4A is easy. You can do so from your program page’s admin dashboard. You will find a pre-set-up form template with frequently asked questions.*

You can now use the drag-and-drop editor to adjust the form to your liking (add questions of various types, remove questions, etc.). Make sure to publish the form and any changes you make later on. Set the application dates in the form builder settings (top right corner), where you can also adjust the form intro text, confirmation messages and more.

*All questions of the VC4A application form template use smart linkages to user and venture profile information, meaning, that applicants with existing profiles on VC4A, will find most of these questions pre-filled. They only have to double-check and adjust the answers where applicable.

When you open a fully customizable application form via your program page on VC4A, you will get access to an admin panel to track incoming applications over time and monitor the impact of promotional activities easily. Together with your team, you can view and pre-screen the incoming applications and prepare the selection process. You can export individual, multiple, or all applications in various file types at any point in time.

Find more info about the application tools here and the rating & selection tools here.

Access the form builder via the admin dashboard of your program page. Scroll all the way down and find the “Embed” button there. Now you can simply copy the generated URL and implement this on your website.